Chomsky on socialism

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Please for the love of god, watch this with an open mind. If you still want to support capitalism after, well that's great it's a free society. But please just listen. This man puts it as straight forward and simple as it is possible.

If I hear "crony" capitalism one more time I'm going to be ill. Capitalism is capitalism, dog eats dog and one dog ends up on top, and he defends that place with all the power he's accumulated.

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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A graphic novel I own sums up my opinion on Chomsky and many other intellectual leftists. "Gramsci, chomsky, Negri, there is only negation-clever words for clever children. Words without a message, actions without an end, cause no more trouble to those who hold power than a gnat does a camel."
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Re: Chomsky on socialism

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Not sure I understand your graphic novel quote, Zapp.

Chomsky is one of my heroes. I'll watch this when I get home, 'cause watching a Chomsky video at work would get me fired all sorts of ways.
"To initiate a war of aggression...is the supreme international crime" - Nuremberg prosecutor Robert Jackson, 1946

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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No surprise to hear socialism linked directly to big-D Democracy. It is just that Rmoney and the right wing very much are oligarchs and have no need for Democracy, and they have a propaganda mill over at Fox to reinforce the idea that oligarchs are good, and democracy and socialism are bad.
Capitalism was reasonably content under Hitler, happy under Mussolini, very happy under Franco and delirious under General Pinochet. -- John Ralston Saul

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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Yossarian wrote:No surprise to hear socialism linked directly to big-D Democracy. It is just that Rmoney and the right wing very much are oligarchs and have no need for Democracy, and they have a propaganda mill over at Fox to reinforce the idea that oligarchs are good, and democracy and socialism are bad.
A lot of people, when you get past the surface are really for totalitarianism, they want security, not freedom of choice, because choice can be hard. That's not to say they want goose stepping head bashers marching in the street but they want someone else in control of their lives because being free is scary, because: "what if you mess up?" They want security and freedom of speech, and once you get past that, they don't want much more. Of course they'll never really admit that, but that's how a lot of people are these days.
If I hear "crony" capitalism one more time I'm going to be ill. Capitalism is capitalism, dog eats dog and one dog ends up on top, and he defends that place with all the power he's accumulated.

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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gendoikari87 wrote:
Yossarian wrote:No surprise to hear socialism linked directly to big-D Democracy. It is just that Rmoney and the right wing very much are oligarchs and have no need for Democracy, and they have a propaganda mill over at Fox to reinforce the idea that oligarchs are good, and democracy and socialism are bad.
A lot of people, when you get past the surface are really for totalitarianism, they want security, not freedom of choice, because choice can be hard. That's not to say they want goose stepping head bashers marching in the street but they want someone else in control of their lives because being free is scary, because: "what if you mess up?" They want security and freedom of speech, and once you get past that, they don't want much more. Of course they'll never really admit that, but that's how a lot of people are these days.
The funny thing is socialism offers freedom of choice because you have security.
No wonder it is demonized by the status quo.
" Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I attack." - Gen. Ferdinand Foch, 1st Battle Of The Marne ( 1914).
http://www.rudereds.blogspot.com

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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the comedian wrote:
gendoikari87 wrote:
Yossarian wrote:No surprise to hear socialism linked directly to big-D Democracy. It is just that Rmoney and the right wing very much are oligarchs and have no need for Democracy, and they have a propaganda mill over at Fox to reinforce the idea that oligarchs are good, and democracy and socialism are bad.
A lot of people, when you get past the surface are really for totalitarianism, they want security, not freedom of choice, because choice can be hard. That's not to say they want goose stepping head bashers marching in the street but they want someone else in control of their lives because being free is scary, because: "what if you mess up?" They want security and freedom of speech, and once you get past that, they don't want much more. Of course they'll never really admit that, but that's how a lot of people are these days.
The funny thing is socialism offers freedom of choice because you have security.
No wonder it is demonized by the status quo.
Actually I'd argue the other way around, that it offers security because you have freedom of choice.
If I hear "crony" capitalism one more time I'm going to be ill. Capitalism is capitalism, dog eats dog and one dog ends up on top, and he defends that place with all the power he's accumulated.

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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gendoikari87 wrote: The funny thing is socialism offers freedom of choice because you have security.
No wonder it is demonized by the status quo.
Actually I'd argue the other way around, that it offers security because you have freedom of choice.[/quote]

What I was getting at is that if you don't have to worry about going broke if your kid gets sick, not have to worry about paying for your kid's college, not have to struggle to make ends meet, then you have more time to spend doing what you want to do, not what some boss wants you to do.
" Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I attack." - Gen. Ferdinand Foch, 1st Battle Of The Marne ( 1914).
http://www.rudereds.blogspot.com

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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I think people who can't think for themselves (and they are the majority) are against socialism because of the right wing propaganda which has been going on since the rise of the Soviet Union in the 1920s. It scared the complete beejeezus out of the rich in this ocuntry and ever since they have been using the media and foundations to equate democratic socialism with communism, because even socialism threatens unbridled corporate profits by mandating the government take over the biggest gougers of the poor- "public" utilities. Of course the rich are big stockholders despite the propaganda that anyone can be a stockholder. Fat lot of good her two shares will do old sick Ma Kettle when she gets a $500 heating bill.
Bill in Ohio

Where Liberty dwells, there is my country.- Ben Franklin
Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever. - Jefferson
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.- Hunter Thompson

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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Not even that, the stock most people have is commons stock, it carries no voting privileges, sorry RIGHTS.
If I hear "crony" capitalism one more time I'm going to be ill. Capitalism is capitalism, dog eats dog and one dog ends up on top, and he defends that place with all the power he's accumulated.

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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gendoikari87 wrote:Not even that, the stock most people have is commons stock, it carries no voting privileges, sorry RIGHTS.
No, you have that totally wrong. Common stock, by definition, has voting rights. Privileged stock often does not, the tradeoff usually being getting to be first in line for dividends.
Last edited by wfaulk on Sun Jul 22, 2012 10:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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wfaulk wrote:
gendoikari87 wrote:Not even that, the stock most people have is commons stock, it carries no voting privileges, sorry RIGHTS.
No, you have that totally wrong. Common stock, by definition, has voting rights. Privileged stock often does not, the tradeoff usually being first in line for dividends.
Right duh.

Edit: you mean Preferred Stock right? PF?
If I hear "crony" capitalism one more time I'm going to be ill. Capitalism is capitalism, dog eats dog and one dog ends up on top, and he defends that place with all the power he's accumulated.

Re: Chomsky on socialism

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Fukshot wrote:
Bearlaker wrote:Odd that the top hero of the right wing, Jesus was a socialist.
And Jesus had far more sophisticated things to say on the subject than anything in this Chomsy video.
Agreed.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"
"Namaste"
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