Noam Chomsky: The Conscience of America

[ProfessionalLeftist]

Run time: 27:18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh1WLoOzS_s   Posted on YouTube: July 21, 2010 By YouTube Member: AllanGregg Views on YouTube: 31387   Posted on DU: March 27, 2011 By DU Member: ProfessionalLeftist Views on DU: 586

 
Very interesting listen. Of course as usual, Chomsky nails the pretentiousness of American policy every time.

‎"States are not moral agents. They may pretend to be and intellectuals may produce flowery phrases, but, the fact is states are institutions of power, power often means violence and they act in the interests of dominant social groups internally." (the major dominant social group being corporations and that being subsequent to globalization)

[xchrom]

1. interesting that the interview was before the iraq war. nt

[ljm2002]

2. Great interview...

...he is so great at analysis. Particularly where he talks about the dismantling of Breton-Woods and how that has made nations unable to implement policies that are designed to benefit their populations -- because the financial powers can hit back.

That happens at an international level, promoting the race-to-the-bottom, disaster-capitalism "austerity measures" that are being proposed and put in place by many governments. Note also the similarities to what is happening between states in the U.S., where companies threaten to move the minute a state tries to impose taxation on the company: they simply move to another more "business-friendly" state.

In the meantime, the quality of life decreases for all of us, and the filthy rich get even richer.

Ultimately this cannot stand.

[azul]

3. There needs to be a basic standard of living for all people

to make human population stable. The financial and governmental systems that were supposed to be accomplishing this have gone haywire when they were subverted by psychopaths manipulating fear and the love of money in others.

Fear and greed have usurped conscience and respect in this now vast power structure and are preventing a stable civil society from becoming reality. The system is based on debt and gambling, and is unstable, as lately proven.

[Keith Bee]

4. Can't rec (time expired).....

...but can kick! ;-)

[ReggieVeggie]

5. kick