Happy to be the 10th vote for this.

That guy was a total twat. I only wish the camera had showed his face so that if I passed him on the street I could call him out for being a twat.

The actual comment from Paul Robinson in the New York Times in 1979 (which Chomsky paraphrased in this talk) is as follows:

"Judged in terms of the power, range, novelty and influence of his thought, Noam Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive today. He is also a disturbingly divided intellectual. On the one hand there is a large body of revolutionary and highly technical linguistic scholarship, much of it too difficult for anyone but the professional linguist or philosopher; on the other, an equally substantial body of political writings, accessible to any literate person but often maddeningly simple-minded. The 'Chomsky problem' is to explain how these two fit together."

Chomsky's coming to Japan next month and my wife and I are going to try to see him give a talk on linguistics (unfortunately his other talk on democracy and capitalism booked up as soon as it was announced).

Headshot!

I remember watching this a long time ago, after watching tons of talks where Chomsky was introduced with that New York Times quote and corrected and expanded on it. I've heard him do the same thing in a dozen interviews, so if this guy had listened to just about ANY Chomsky he would've heard him correct it before. He was glad Chomsky missed the correction this time and was using it to go for what he thought was his jugular.

I've read over 50 Chomsky books, dozens of his essays and listened to over a hundred interviews. I don't agree with him on several things and I would LOVE IT if anyone who wanted to argue with Chomsky would fucking bring any of those up.

Whenever Chomsky gives a talk there's either:

1. Worshipers who praise him for days without bringing up anything interesting.

2. Whiny Fucking College Kids who complain that it's really hard and my feet hurt after protesting a couple times. This dude has seen people stand up for things knowing they'd probably be killed for doing so, don't bore him with your stories of woe you little whiny hipster pussies.

Finally 3. People who hate him and frame their arguments in the stupidest way possible making it plainly clear that they have never read his arguments in anyway shape or form. You don't want to read or listen to him Fucking Fine, he isn't god he's just a dude. But mother fucker if you want to argue someone you have to at least hear what they're fucking saying first. Ya know who is most guilty of this by the way, fucking Communists. They come up and yack and yack about shit that Chomsky has never said or endorsed and then blame him for all of Americans actions around the world. It's fucking incredibly to hear and I'm sorry but I just want them to bite the curb because they don't fucking listen.

reminded me of that curb scene in American History X...
I can deal with blood and gore and violence, but that scene really makes me cringe.

*FTW
Anyone with privileges agree?

Invocations (ftw) cannot be called by newtboy because newtboy is not privileged - sorry.

Ahhhh, he must be a drone of the Cult of the Grand HR Machine in action. Simultaneously knocking down radical ideas and then capitalizing upon the innovations of the radical.

Intellectuals are specific cogs for creating ideas. But! their ideas should be designated for their specific quadrant of weapons/systems engineering and never seep into political culture.

WARNING, Noam Chomsky, your views violate the nature of the GHRM.

The GHRM has determined you no longer qualify as a person. Your designation is now: food. Be happy and exercise the remainder of your free will:

Would you like to be converted into solid food or liquefied supplements?

Chomsky is a class act and doesn't ridicule the questioner.

Too bad the poster could not follow suit.

I am used to seeing you well reasoned but man you have gone off the deep end on this one. So much inflammatory language in such a small package.

Actually, I was the one to ridicule the guy. I've never considered myself a class act. And @enoch specifically said he felt "twat" was too harsh, so I'm not sure why you're targeting him.

If you're referring to the title, though, I think it's pretty accurate. This guy is regurgitating right-wing bullshit media points without any thinking or attempt to validate the statements' truth on his own (hence, he's a zombie--attacking mindlessly, as zombies are wont to do). And because he didn't bother to check those facts for himself, he gets thoroughly (but politely) schooled here.

Yet, despite this schooling, he continues to cling to his completely misinformed beliefs about Chomsky.

He seems not interested in truth so much as clinging to a particular worldview that he's apparently heavily invested in. You know, actually, I've come to agree with you: he shouldn't be ridiculed... he should be pitied.

A few years ago a classmate of mine wrote an email to Chomsky about a philosophy debate he had with Foucault. To his surprise, Chomsky wrote a detailed reply, which was shared with the class.

"So you're not going to repent for killing the Jesus and raping small farm animals?"

Well I for one support and condone such inflammatory commentary and I appreciate the hell out of Yogi and his ginormous balls.....low-swinging door-knocker balls, all smooth and shiny and shorn

Erotic language? Now that I can get behind *wink*

Zombie indeed. I will use that term from now on.
Chomsky's composure was awesome. I have never sen him under attack.