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Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

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Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#21

Post by gizmo686 »

MichaelMoser123 wrote: post #11
theplatapi wrote: post #2

Chomsky wrote the foreword to a French book denying the Holocaust and spoke at the headquarters of Hezbollah - an internationally recognized terror group - amoung other asinine things. Why does anyone respect this guy?

Another problem is his position/denial of the Cambodian genocide by Khmer Rouge. What does Chomsky nowadays say on this matter? Does he acknowledge that his judgement was wrong? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_genocide_denial

>Chomsky and Herman have continued to argue that their analysis of the situation in Cambodia was reasonable based on the information available to them at the time, and a legitimate critique of the disparities in reporting atrocities committed by communist regimes relative to the atrocities committed by the U.S. and its allies. Nonetheless, in 1993, Chomsky acknowledged the massive scale of the Cambodian genocide in the documentary film Manufacturing Consent. He said, "I mean the great act of genocide in the modern period is Pol Pot, 1975 through 1978 - that atrocity - I think it would be hard to find any example of a comparable outrage and outpouring of fury."[8]

Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#22

Post by jondubois »

nemonemo wrote: post #13
MichaelMoser123 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another problem is his position/denial of the Cambodian genocide by Khmer Rouge. What does Chomsky nowadays say on this matter? Does he acknowledge that his judgement was wrong? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_genocide_denial

Chomsky is by no means a saint, but in the wikipedia article you cited, I could not locate any direct "denial" of genocide done by Khmer Rouge. He seems to have questioned the credibility of certain accounts, which seems a necessary role of any reasonable intellect. It was 1970s, so information from the other side of the globe was harder to confirm. To me, it seems quite understandable for someone to raise questions…

I agree, it's better to risk doubting the truth than to risk believing lies.

Once you believe something, it's harder to go back because you start stacking stuff on top.

Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#23

Post by krona »

RealityNow wrote: post #9
theplatapi wrote: post #2

Chomsky wrote the foreword to a French book denying the Holocaust and spoke at the headquarters of Hezbollah - an internationally recognized terror group - amoung other asinine things. Why does anyone respect this guy?

Because he's one of the most prominent, influential, and cited intellectuals of our generation.

Perhaps your generation. Of those things that gave him prominence and influence, they were done decades before I was born.

The guy is a linguist. I wish he would stick to what he's good at.

Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#24

Post by [deleted] »

nemonemo wrote: post #13
MichaelMoser123 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another problem is his position/denial of the Cambodian genocide by Khmer Rouge. What does Chomsky nowadays say on this matter? Does he acknowledge that his judgement was wrong? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_genocide_denial

Chomsky is by no means a saint, but in the wikipedia article you cited, I could not locate any direct "denial" of genocide done by Khmer Rouge. He seems to have questioned the credibility of certain accounts, which seems a necessary role of any reasonable intellect. It was 1970s, so information from the other side of the globe was harder to confirm. To me, it seems quite understandable for someone to raise questions…

[deleted]

Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#25

Post by auganov »

no2empire wrote: post #10
theplatapi wrote: post #2

Chomsky wrote the foreword to a French book denying the Holocaust and spoke at the headquarters of Hezbollah - an internationally recognized terror group - amoung other asinine things. Why does anyone respect this guy?

Faurisson was sentenced to jail for "denying the Holocaust" as you put it. Chomsky believed Faurisson had the right of free speech "even if Faurisson were to be a rabid anti-Semite and fanatic pro-Nazi" as Chomsky's statement said. Chomsky said to use his statement as wished, and it was put as the preface of a Faurisson book. When people ask him about this Chomsky says he has signed hundreds of free speech petitions…

Right, "terrorist" is a pretty relative term. Organizations calling for genocide of the Jewish people, descendants of those who tried, or allies of such. That's a mouthful but much more fitting.

Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#26

Post by k1m »

The last part is great:

Khalil: "It's not every day that a non-Googler gets to sit in a room full of people who work at Google, and are software engineers, and are advertising experts, and are you know market experts in different fields. Do you have anything that you'd like to ask us?"

Chomsky: "Why not do some of the serious things?"

:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C-zWrhFqpM&t=59m21s

Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#27

Post by aptidude187 »

k1m wrote: post #26

The last part is great: Khalil: "It's not every day that a non-Googler gets to sit in a room full of people who work at Google, and are software engineers, and are advertising experts, and are you know market experts in different fields. Do you have anything that you'd like to ask us?" Chomsky: "Why not do some of the serious things?" :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C-zWrhFqpM&t=59m21s

What does he mean by that? Can you elaborate please?

Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#28

Post by n3x10e8 »

aptidude187 wrote: post #27
k1m wrote: post #26

The last part is great: Khalil: "It's not every day that a non-Googler gets to sit in a room full of people who work at Google, and are software engineers, and are advertising experts, and are you know market experts in different fields. Do you have anything that you'd like to ask us?" Chomsky: "Why not do some of the serious things?" :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C-zWrhFqpM&t=59m21s

What does he mean by that? Can you elaborate please?

As a context just before that NC was explaining how advertising leads to distortion in rational decision making which is the basis for all of the current economic free market system.

Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#29

Post by gkya »

Veratyr wrote: post #19
contingencies wrote: post #16

20:00 has an interesting snippet where Chomsky relates the breakdown of working class cultural institutions and education then takes a stab at Google (one gets the sense the real audience response was edited heavily in post production).

I don't think I see what you see... "And they may not have gone to school. They certainly didn't go to Oxford, but the working class, the rising working class, had its own institutions of education and culture, which was significant. A lot of that has been destroyed in all kinds of ways. Google doesn't help." Maybe there's some extra context in the minutes prior that gives this a different meaning but it sounds to me…

Nope, he wasn't referring to google at all until the end of the video.

Re: Talks at Google: Noam Chomsky [video]

#30

Post by rantanplan »

krona wrote: post #23
RealityNow wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because he's one of the most prominent, influential, and cited intellectuals of our generation.

Perhaps your generation. Of those things that gave him prominence and influence, they were done decades before I was born. The guy is a linguist. I wish he would stick to what he's good at.

> I wish he would stick to what he's good at

Thankfully he didn't follow your advice, hence he revolutionized every domain he touched.

You really should read more about his contributions to various disciplines.

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