The interviewer is exhibiting a classic symptom of I'm about to change my opinion.

You cant have discourse with the people who still think that this administration is right. Look at oreilly for example.

This is why I am frustrated, is that I refuse to voice my opinion to the conservative right, my family still thinks that what is going on now is the end time. They condemn me because I hold no religion. I tell them that we are the architects of our own demise, it is happening right now as we speak.

Sarcasm - "Our Righteous war on terror is justified and we are winning."

ab absurdum.

I would like to thank the sift for being a safe harbor for Opinion, in a world that may hate you for going against the majority.

This is the same guy that interviewed Richard Dawkins in http://www.videosift.com/video/CBC-Richard-Dawkins-interview-16th-dec-07 .. He was a cock there too.

host is from *canada, *1sttube

Adding video to channels (1sttube, Canada) - requested by doogle.

Chomsky: always succinct, yet equally forceful.

And in this he is correct. We cannot justify our our decisions by comparing atrocities, and we cannot justify our actions by simply negating the actions of others whose actions are equally monstrous. There is no black and white world, where we determine who is right and wrong, thus proving ourselves deified. Taking off the blinders and seeing the world for what it is, we should always be on the side of righteousness against those who would enslave humanity under a dictatorship, whether it be from a foreign sovereignty or in our own backyard.

I didn't really get the 'cock' vibe from the interviewer. It seemed to me that he was just putting up arguments to be knocked down intentionally. It's a common interview style, argue with the interviewee's points so they can then express their view more clearly.

Though he was interrupting at times, which does get him pretty close to being a cock.

Give me Hitchen's over Chomsky any day. Chomsky makes many very valid points, particularly about comparing atrocities. The problem is he turns around at least twice in this short clip to his own comparisons with Israel. As far as Israel is concerned, Chomsky seems to be too far down the idealist road in condemning Israel. Unless blame can be assigned to Israel from the original war of independence, they've never had any choice for a non-violent existence. Hamas, Hezbollah and their Iranian funders all still refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist in any form. Only an idealist can condemn a nation for violent self defense. Only an idealist can condemn a nation for the inevitable mistakes that come from having all your neighbors perpetually at war with you. Ideals are great, but at some point when applying them to the real world as though it were a vacuum creates atrocities.

So much uncomfortable truth.

I also didn't see a problem with the interviewer.

>> ^bcglorf:
Give me Hitchen's over Chomsky any day. Chomsky makes many very valid points, particularly about comparing atrocities. The problem is he turns around at least twice in this short clip to his own comparisons with Israel. As far as Israel is concerned, Chomsky seems to be too far down the idealist road in condemning Israel. Unless blame can be assigned to Israel from the original war of independence, they've never had any choice for a non-violent existence. Hamas, Hezbollah and their Iranian funders all still refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist in any form. Only an idealist can condemn a nation for violent self defense. Only an idealist can condemn a nation for the inevitable mistakes that come from having all your neighbors perpetually at war with you. Ideals are great, but at some point when applying them to the real world as though it were a vacuum creates atrocities.



Notice that iran doesn't believe in the existence of Israel because it isn't a democratic government because it refutes the Palestinian government.

Notice that iran doesn't believe in the existence of Israel because it isn't a democratic government because it refutes the Palestinian government.

That's utter nonesense. Israel has repeatedly stated their belief in the Palestinian people's right to their own nation. It is one of the single largest sources of humanitarian aid to the palestinians. Let's go further though, how do you explain Iran's refusal to recognize the holocaust?

Not all of the violence from Israel has been in self defense just like not all of what America has done has a "Just Cause". Thats what I took away from this clip, that intentions in the beginning could of been noble but after a while we refuse to look at ourselves. It is popular now for people to point out Americas mistakes (cause its getting exceedingly easier) yet it is still taboo to point out Israel's mistakes and that maybe they too are comparing to much of what crimes others have done, doing, will do, and refuse to look at their own.

I want a nasty little Jewess princess...

>> ^Jordass:
Not all of the violence from Israel has been in self defense just like not all of what America has done has a "Just Cause". Thats what I took away from this clip, that intentions in the beginning could of been noble but after a while we refuse to look at ourselves. It is popular now for people to point out Americas mistakes (cause its getting exceedingly easier) yet it is still taboo to point out Israel's mistakes and that maybe they too are comparing to much of what crimes others have done, doing, will do, and refuse to look at their own.


He likens calling the Taliban a terrorist state to calling Israel a terrorist state. As I said in my post, the problem is when idealists declare any nation that has ever done wrong loses the right to point out other nations that continually do wrong. Sadly, we live in a world were no nation is perfect. But just because a nation isn't perfect, doesn't mean it can't still be world's better than others.

Chomsky is a total nutcase.

He famously said that Cambodia was better off under Pol Pot, among a lot of other amazingly deluded things.

"Notice that iran doesn't believe in the existence of Israel because it isn't a democratic government because it refutes the Palestinian government.

Hamas (as opposed to Abbas) is widely considered a terrorist organization,1 and it's a stretch to suggest it's defendable for Ahmadinejad to deny the holocaust or threaten that "Israel is about to die"(June 2008).

Bcglorf I agree with you that extreme idealism kinda turns into a stale mate situation today since no one is perfect and you shouldnt have to be to point out wrong doing. However I do think its good to keep self analysis in check, something countries today are lacking in. We cant be perfect, no one can, but it doesnt mean we cant strive for it. So even if a nation is world's better than another they still shouldnt become complacent. To always work towards bettering themselves. I think countries like America have become blinded in what they think will make others better (at least thats what we tell ourselves) that they have taken their eyes off the ball. Same with Israel, there is still so much to be done yet i feel it is very hard to open up a critical discussion of what those things are without getting dragged into endless finger pointing.

>> ^Jordass:
Bcglorf I agree with you that extreme idealism kinda turns into a stale mate situation today since no one is perfect and you shouldnt have to be to point out wrong doing. However I do think its good to keep self analysis in check, something countries today are lacking in. We cant be perfect, no one can, but it doesnt mean we cant strive for it. So even if a nation is world's better than another they still shouldnt become complacent. To always work towards bettering themselves. I think countries like America have become blinded in what they think will make others better (at least thats what we tell ourselves) that they have taken their eyes off the ball. Same with Israel, there is still so much to be done yet i feel it is very hard to open up a critical discussion of what those things are without getting dragged into endless finger pointing.


I agree, my problem with Chomsky is that he deliberately closes that discussion of legitimate issues with idiotic statements like calling Israel a 'terrorist state'. Condemning specific actions from Israel is necessary, as it is with every country that makes mistakes that aught be condemned. There is a legitimacy to declaring a nation worse than others even if they have both committed similar acts when one has committed those acts systematically and for the other they are an exception that receives criticism from it's own citizen's for it.

fuck idealism, we need more apathy and death. right? who's with me?

You cant have discourse with the people who still think that this administration is right.

Without people of differing opinions, there is no discourse.

Merely insisting that you're right without listening to what other people are saying isn't discourse. The people who still think the administration is right aren't listening. They're just hitting their media points over and over without responding intelligently to the opposition.

Well in all fairness messenger (and i in no way am agreeing with them) they are probably thinking the same thing about people who always insist the administration is wrong. They say the same thing on how "they arent listening" and how they are just hitting liberal media points and are close minded. So its all perspective of each side accusing the other of the same crime. (though we all know this administration is wrong lol)

[edit: nevermind, the video is back up]