Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bauglir]

tl;dr:

The US isn't so much the world police as it is the world heavily-armed homeowner's association.

[Zrk2]

tl;dr

The US isn't so much the world police as it is the world heavily-armed homeowner's association.

And baw gawd you will mow down those brownies that lawn!

[RedKing]

The silliest part is that most of these theories present foreign leaders like supervillains from Marvel or DC comics who only live to blow stuff up and destabilize their regions. Here's the real deal: people like their region to be stable, and it's external powers who come in and destabilize shit because they don't give a fuck.

Spoken like a Latverian sympathizer.

[Darvi]

Doom?

[Frumple]

Spoken like a Latverian sympathizer.

Better Doom than Dem. As should be obvious, this is a joke.

[Cryxis, Prince of Doom]

Doom?

You called?

[mainiac]

Chomsky notes the term "stability" in US media actually means "US influence is strong here" regardless of how stable things are. And the term "destabilizing" is in fact used any time US power is diminished in a region, including when regions that previously needed US presense to keep the peace start getting along too well. e.g. Venezuela or Iran giving gifts to neighboring countries to boost relations, has been described as "destabilizing" in US media, whereas American toppling governments and causing wars is always described as "improving stability".

It's funny that given how utterly unconcerned with people's lives the US is the more "stable" in the US views get, the fewer people die.

It's also funny how a linguist like Chomsky is downright Orwellian in his use of creeping language.  American foreign policy has dickish elements becomes American policy is completely apathetic to American foreign policy is completely inhumane.  The man is a liar, plain and simple.  I remember his movie was a dark comedy, a terrifying example of how someone's ideals corrupted him.

[Reelya]

This is an English forum btw. I'm not really sure what language you're speaking because none of what you wrote makes sense grammatically, semantically or logically. Did a monkey jump on your typewriter?

It's funny that given how utterly unconcerned with people's lives the US is the more "stable" in the US views get, the fewer people die.

Few people die because of US foreign policy you're saying? So stability as the west sees it is valid? It's really hard to decipher what you're intending to say. Though if that is a correct assessment there are numerous counter-examples. For instance, Bush held up Uribe-era Colombia as a force for stability and a model democracy in Latin America, when they in fact threaten and bomb their neighboring countries, have an insanely violent secret police, and have the worst human rights record of any post-2000 Latin American nation. They lead the world in murders of trade union members. Like, literally lead the world: many years, more than 50% of worldwide murders of trade union representatives are in Colombia. But they're a "democratizing force for stability" because they suck GW Bush dick. They get $1 billion a year in US military aid and were actively encouraged to pick fights with neighboring countries because that promotes US interests. Their terrible human rights record isn't even an issue.

It's also funny how a linguist like Chomsky is downright Orwellian in his use of creeping language

Example?

The man is a liar, plain and simple.

You should have ample examples then.

I remember his movie was a dark comedy, a terrifying example of how someone's ideals corrupted him.

Which film exactly? As far as I can tell there have been 2-3 interview films and docos he appeared in since 1990. No actual "movie".

[Angle]

Yeah, you might want to go over that again.

[Reelya]

From what I've seen most blatant "Chomsky is nothing but a liar!!1!!!" stuff is just from people who don't want to hear what he has to say, but they can't actually back up their opposition with and sort of credible citations.

Chomsky's basic message is a no-brainer: people lie to you in the media because of who owns the media. No shit, right? FOX News is just the extreme example. You find the same type of yellow journalism everywhere if you do your research. The main difference is that FOX is bullshit for domestic politics and other corporate media outlets are bullshit about US foreign policy.

Let me give you an example:

everyone hears that Hugo Chavez caused high inflation in Venezuela. That's a common US media story that was repeated constantly while Chavez was president of Venezuela. But ... this is at odds with physical reality, since the Chavez years were a low point in Venezuelan inflation. His predescessors and successors both have much higher inflation than he did during his 14 years as president. Of course, if you follow American media you won't believe me. But it's as simple as googling the data. Every actual source agrees: inflation was much lower during Chavez. The media has constantly told you the opposite though for 14 years so you believe the Chavez = inflation meme instead of looking at the data.

This is proof of what Chomsky claims about how the media operates. They constantly repeat an easily disproved talking point, that just happens to line up with hawkish foreign policy. Whether it's true or not doesn't even register in this, they tell you whatever they need to tell you to shape your thinking on an issue.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I don't hate Chomsky as much as most do (holding to a fairly left-libertarian viewpoint will do that), but I don't think there's any denying he's degraded in quality. When your criticisms of America become reminiscent of Micheal Moore's something has gone very wrong.

[Reelya]

I haven't read his recent stuff, can you point me to some examples of this?

[Darvi]

You... don't happen to be talking about this guy are you?

[mainiac]

Chomsky's basic message is a no-brainer: people lie to you in the media because of who owns the media. No shit, right? FOX News is just the extreme example. You find the same type of yellow journalism everywhere if you do your research. The main difference is that FOX is bullshit for domestic politics and other corporate media outlets are bullshit about US foreign policy.

Let me give you an example:

You example of how Chomsky is not a liar is pointing out that other people are liars.

Which is the entire goddamn point with Chomsky.  He first claimed credance for his own lies by correctly pointing out that other people lied.  And then he calls you part of a system for not accepting his lies.

The movie I was thinking of was manufacturing consent.  Utter dreck.  Not all lies are propoganda.  Not all lies are intentional.  He projects malice upon everyone everywhere and the world will be a better place when that useless sack of lies dies.  He tells comfortable half truths to people and replaces the impulse for critical thought with groupthink and has them congratulation themselves on groupthink in another direction.

[SalmonGod]

Mainiac, my impression has been that's how you feel about anyone who thinks negatively of the dominant political/economic establishment.