In these stupefying times we found ourselves in. It's always good to hear from someone like Noam Chomsky.
When asked about his thoughts of the 2018 midterms, Chomsky reminds us that most urgent threats that humanity faces is "environmental catastrophe and nuclear war."
"These were virtually ignored in the campaign rhetoric and general coverage," Chomsky said.
There was criticism of Trump, but "scarcely" were the criticisms about the "most ominous" aspects of Trump's administration: "Increasing the already dire threat of nuclear war, and racing to destroy the physical environment that organized human society needs in order to survive."
Although some states had ballot initiatives to deal with our looming environmental crisis, "the Democrats helped defeat these critically important initiatives by ignoring them."
The Republicans, Chomsky says, "leadership is dedicated to driving humanity off the cliff as soon as possible - in full knowledge of what they are doing, as easily demonstrated."
Chomsky goes on to condemn the "political, social, economic, and media institutions," if discussing "whether organized human society can survive in any minimally tolerable form, in the near future, is of little consequence."
Noam Chomsky brings up something from the Trump administration that you haven't seen discussed anywhere, and that's the fact that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration argues that emissions should not be regulated.
"In brief," says Chomsky. "Let's rob while the planet burns, putting poor Nero in the shadows."
Noam Chomsky argues that "this surely qualifies as a contender for the most evil document in history," yet, you'll hardly find it being discussed anywhere.
What also hurts humans chances for a viable future is Donald Trump deciding to withdraw the United States from the INF treaty, which meant short-missiles wouldn't be allowed in Europe and Russia.
The claim for withdrawing is that China is not a partner in the treaty, and that Russia is violating it. But as Chomsky points out, we hadn't even attempted diplomacy, or inspections before leaving the treaty.
Instead, humans will, "just blithely increase the threat of total destruction."
The other aspect of our current state of politics is that Trump "antics" were pretty successful in keeping "his white working-class constituency in line while his party stabs them in the back at every turn," by continuing to "serve" the parties "real constituency." Those with, "great wealth and corporate power."
Chomsky acknowledges that certainly some of Trump's support comes from "racism" and "xenophobic appeals," but wanted to remind people that Trump was not the first to use scare tactics about the southern border.
"Few seem to have recalled that Trump was pulling a leaf from Reagan's playbook," Chomsky says about Trump's fear-mongering of migrants coming to our border.
"In 1985, our intrepid leader strapped on his cowboy boots and declared a national emergency because Nicaragua troops were a two days' drive from Harlingen, Texas - and people didn't collapse in laughter."
Certainly racism plays a large role with regards to Trump's popularity, but Chomsky argues that it's also the "conditions of economic distress," that finds Trump with supporters.
Chomsky's explanation of Trump supporters who are living in "conditions of economic distress":
"A sense of hopelessness, justified contempt for institutions, and understandable anger and resentment about what is being done to them, people can become easy prey to demagogues who direct their anger toward scapegoats, typically those even more vulnerable, and who foster the symptoms that tend to rise to the surface under such circumstances."
The United States working class has "suffered 40 years of stagnation while wealth concentrates in very few hands, leading to staggering inequality."
"The Democrats have ignored all this," states Chomsky. "And worse, have worried forward the neoliberal policies that took off with Reagan and Thatcher and have imposed these consequences, by design."
Noam Chomsky mentioned that although unemployment may be low, it's been unable to keep up with inflation while corporate profits are "skyrocketing."
"The concentration of wealth and enhancement of corporate power translate automatically to decline of democracy."
"To take just one example," says Chomsky. "For 40 years of polling the population has strongly favored higher taxes on the rich - as taxes on the rich decline."
Although electoral politics should "not be dismissed," Chomsky says it also, "should not be the prime focus of serious radical political action," when asked about the popularity of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The point of "radical political action," is "to change the basic institutions that undergird the political system, to dismantle hegemonic ideologies, and to help develop the kind of mass consciousness that must be the basis for badly — even desperately — needed social and political change."
Noam Chomsky is a mother-fuckin' boss, and I would want my kids to go to a public school where they taught them about Noam.
There is a reason he doesn't get on Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and more. He threatens the liberal establishment, just as he threatens the conservative establishment.
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