Noam Chomsky: Distorted Morality, A War on Terrorism? (with English subtitle) (2.2002)

The hypocrisy of the U.S. government is powerfully scrutinized in Distorted Morality, a scathing thesis presented by renowned scholar Noam Chomsky. Speaking before an intimate audience at Harvard University on February 6, 2002, Chomsky sets fair and logical parameters to his thesis (namely, we are all hypocrites and, for the purposes of debate, the U.S. government should always be given benefit of the doubt) before outlining, with academic precision and citation of real history (as opposed to biased written history), the reasons why America's post-9/11 war on terror is a logical impossibility.
This, according to Chomsky's carefully supported analysis, is because the U.S. government has been, and continues to be, a major supporter of state-supported terrorism, favoring retaliatory or preemptive aggression over mediation in the world court, and avoiding accountability by excluding itself from the globally accepted definition of terrorism. (To underscore his point, Chomsky repeatedly volunteers his sources, inviting scrutiny at every turn.) With an additional hour-long Q&A session (in some ways more compelling, since it offers Chomsky's response to opposing viewpoints), Distorted Morality deserves the widest possible audience. In the short period between Chomsky's Harvard speech and the start of America's war against Iraq in March 2003, Chomsky's thesis has attained the chilling status of prophesy. Inevitably, Chomsky will be labeled anti-American, but at least his morality is crystal clear, immune to the obfuscation of politics and mainstream news. --Jeff Shannon

Complete text:
http://www.chomsky.info/talks/200202--02.htm

Quotes:
"The idea of the reason why the world is so disorderly is 'cause, you know, now with the cold war gone, you've got all these ethnic groups killing each other and so on. Well, as usual, it's always a good idea to start by asking about the facts. Whenever you hear anything said very confidently, the first thing that should come to mind is whether or not that's true."

"The US is a powerful state, it's not like Libya. If Libya wants to carry out terrorist acts they hire, you know, some jackals or something. The US hires terrorist *states*. We are big guys!"

"There is an operational definition of "terrorism", the one that's actually used. It means "terror that *they* carry out *against us*". That's terror, and nothing else passes through the filter."

"State terror is far worse than individual terror; for the obvious reason that states have means of violence that individuals don't have, or groups."

"It's commonly said that terrorism is a weapon of the weak. That's completely false, at least if you accept the official US definition of terror. If you do that then terrorism is overwhelmingly the weapon of the strong, like most other weapons."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Noam
• Chomsky
• Distorted
• Morality
• War
• Terrorism
• Hypocrisy

[knowthetruth1492]

How is Lady Gagas new video more important than a great lecture like this?

[funknando007]

Fuck yeah! Gonna grab me a beer and watch this, thanks for uploading!

[moltenthoughts]

@infiniteinfiniteinfi

[juliegrimme]

Hypocrites one and all. xoxoxooxo Chomsky

[infiniteinfiniteinfi]

News stations:

Democracy NOW democracynow. org/

The real news network therealnews. com/t2/

The Alyona Show rt. com/programs/alyona-show/

Videos:

The corporation /watch?v=Pin8fbdGV9Y

Free Market Fantasies  /watch?v=ohwYrK5sYKw

Free Markets /watch?v=WHj2GaPuEhY&feature=r­elated

Profit Pathology and Its Alternatives /watch?v=eWy3U2coPM4

[infiniteinfiniteinfi]

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man /watch?v=yTbdnNgqfs8

CIA Veteran Ray McGovern /watch?v=M0Au_OqNCYk

Secrets of the CIA /watch?v=9QYZBMIBOck

Distorted Morality, A War on Terrorism /watch?v=urMxrdBDgnU

Securing Goals of Fascism /watch?v=Cz6Ik9Budu4

State-Corporate Complex /watch?v=PTuawY8Qnz8&feature=r­elated

Golden Rule: The Investment Theory of Politics /watch?v=VwbKcVy6JWE

The Assassination of Julius Caesar /watch?v=_IO_Ldn2H4o

[infiniteinfiniteinfi]

Myths of the Founding Fathers /watch?v=5UUKj-7_9rU

Lies, War, and Empire  /watch?v=CZTrY3TQpzw

The Contours of World Order /watch?v=xjSUGFzm_po&feature=r­elmfu

History of US Imperialism /watch?v=eAeWqBQr1GA

he War on Terrorism and the Uses of History /watch?v=V_Fc5W8amYM

Israel and Palestine /watch?v=bUsXt8TmVfU

A Critique of Madisonian Democracy /watch?v=TWvIWxh2yRs

Advertising & the Perfect Storm /watch?v=WNy9s5qR4i0

[infiniteinfiniteinfi]

The Political Economy of the Mass Media /watch?v=f6JqFtDWfxI

Propaganda And Control Of The Public Mind /watch?v=xzd4WiuKr7M&feature=r­elated

Psywar /watch?v=NXg70qJQ6O0

Chomsky explains anarchism /watch?v=pW7nnLNANtQ

Class War /watch?v=49J47OU2Rd8

Government in the future /watch?v=-kPlEJlmWuc&feature=r­elated

THE WAR ON DEMOCRACY /watch?v=fHj735t_knk

The Evilness of Power /watch?v=NWUKhNzmXsU&feature=r­elmfu

[athabascka]

@000000AEA000000: Actually, I do like Chomsky. Everything he says about the West is true. But the West isn't the only problem.

[000000AEA000000]

@athabascka after reading your chart, I think you are overly simplistic. The taliban worked together with america and britain against the soviet union. In fact, this is why they were supported. Please... I already got that you dislike chomsky and that you do not WANT to understand that the west (I am part of it) has a huge guilt in the "wrongs" on this planet. So can I please be spared from future weird messeges? I have been fed up enough by guys like this.

[athabascka]

@000000AEA000000: Its not just about solving the problem. Its about understanding the issue entirely. If the Taliban were to reestablish control of Afghanistan, that society would be in the hands of forces who never want to see the people progress, live better lives, or have any political power whatsoever. The US has been seeking to stop the Taliban, perhaps for its own reasons, but nevertheless. Chomsky hasn't introduced this into his analysis, which leads me to believe it is overly simplistic.