Chomsky at Brandeis, Nov. 11th, 2010 (1/5)

"Israel's Escalating Policies of Apartheid"
Brandeis University, Nov. 11th, 2010

Noam Chomsky spoke on occupation, segregation, and "escalating policies of Apartheid" in Israel today, as part of Brandeis Israeli Occupation Awareness Week, hosted by Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine (BSJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Noam
• Chomsky
• Israel
• Palestine
• Apartheid
• Occupation
• Brandeis
• SJP
• JVP

[WilhelmDrake]

Happy Birthday Mr. Chomsky.

A true role model.

Thank you.

[flylotusfly]

Happy Birthday Prof. Chomsky! Thank you. 

[mattysavs]

@NiteAngel his name is Noam, not Norm...get it right before you try to tear him down.

[NiteAngel]

Norm is so foolish abut Israel, I'm starting to think he works for the Massad, he is using reverse psychology to Drum up support for Israel,

[Walnut1871]

Sounds like someone masturbating with too much lube in the beginning

[ButherLi55ett]

@MyMelancholyDodo No, I mean materially and spiritually (not in a religious sense) i.e social relations. To 'overcome' all existing political, social and economic relations. A big task, but absolutely necessary in my view not just for the survival of humanity but to live humanely, create our own history and organisation of life consciously and in our own interest on a global scale. An important part of this is for the working class in the West to realise and accept they are exploited too.

[MyMelancholyDodo]

@ButherLi55ett What do you mean transcend conditions? If you are talking metaphysics then I believe it is irrelevent. Being privilege is not so black and white, I agree. However, living in a society that enables you to use the internet to express freedom of opinion, then that is a privilege in comparison to those people in third world countries who are disciplined brutally for expressing freedom of speech. For this, one can denote that they have certain rights others do not have.

[ButherLi55ett]

@MyMelancholyDodo I don't want to make conditions better, I want to transcend them. The same goes for improving suffering and poverty. The exploited class in the 'West' is not privileged. This I believe is a major barrier to class consciousness....for example why many working class Americans think they are 'middle class' - perhaps cos they think they are 'privileged', they have it slightly better than others, or have some 'luxuries', they have a duty to help the poor etc.

[MyMelancholyDodo]

@ButherLi55ett I've been reading through your posts and think your stance to abstain from moral duty is troubling. It goes back to many enlightenment thinkers such as Rousseau, Kant, Locke, who wrote about the social contract. The contract varies between different thinkers, but the premise is that we are born into it whether we like it or not. From a position of privilege ie relative freedom, we can exercise our liberties in order to make conditions better for those who suffer.

[ButherLi55ett]

@ButherLi55ett Where do these views end up? In the 'first' world being responsible for the horrors of the 'third world'? Third Worldism? (labour aristocracy?) - which he was close to in previous decades...I don't think it's a question of responsibilty (for nation states), more or less in whatever case period. I disagree with you so and Chomsky so obviously I am 'an ideological brick wall'.

[ButherLi55ett]

@phooey108 It's not a simple observation Chomsky is taking a moralistic position as he frequently does....it's why he supports Chavez and talks about how they have the greatest democracy in the world. It also intertwines with his nationalism...some nations are more oppressive than others and how America is the greatest country on earth, the most free etc He rarely mentions the fact that these 'totalitarian state[s]' can only operate within the existing system and via the 'free', 'open' ones.