Chomsky: US public irrelevant

Americans blindly vote locally (or dont vote) for politicians that only cater to the special interest, IE Developers with cheap overprice housing, full of energy deficient devices. Buying them, under the pretense of quick fortunes and taking long wasteful drives to Wallmarts and KMarts on Sundays because there is no public transportation and very little culture and alternative activities to them. Politicians know full well that those pretensions fuel by your desperate consumerism in search of the ever elusive "Happiness" keeps them in position of power to offer only what you need in exchange for greed.

They know that you are getting fat eating pizza on Saturday nights and cranking your AC or Heater, and therefore catering to the interest of the electric and energy companies. They know that your lack of personality and self esteem drives you to buy bigger cars as if that would be the only reason to exist, so they cater to the local dealerships by plunging more money on roads instead of public transportation.
They also cater to your consumerism under the false pretense of full employment by allowing massive construction of Ugly subdivisions and Commercial centers, diverting money from education and culture into the hands of shameless developers trying to sell you the "American Dream" (More like a nightmare).

In the process killing thousands of species, natural reserves, taxing water beds, local businesses and you guess it (or maybe not) gulping more energy. So the US at work goes into other countries and take what you need so they keep you overweight and stoopid (eating pizza on saturday night) unaware of the rights you have under the constitution you claim to know (if only three or four amendments) with information that feeds your insecurities, by telling you that the world is full of bad guys and bad places and that only "Happy-land" is the place to be, that your decision to buy the biggest house and the grandest of cars and all those prozac pills and Viagra is protected by the 22th amendment of the constitution so help you god.

So there you have freedom but you dont know what to do with it, "gee I have to use my brain, I guess I will do it some other day, let me check Spike channel" IF YOU DONT VOTE WE WILL CONTINUE TO GO ON THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF DESPAIR. If people dont DEMAND the changes that are needed and practice restraint in their personal lives, gas not only will be 10 Dlls a gallon you will have no alternative energies, and without that you will have no pizza or TV on Saturday night. If you dont know your rights, they will use them against you. Politicians are prepared, locally or nationally to win your fantasies, but never to cater to your needs.

It is very simple VOTE even if your boss gets mad, inform yourself while you are eating that pizza, listen to different points of view while driving nowhere with your car, READ YOUR CONSTITUTION and understand it. Vote for politicians because the have the know, not because they look good. Do it because if you have sons or daughters in this pivotal moment in history, they may reap the benefits of a greater society globally, or if you dont they may be doom to suffering and extinction.

Bon apetite!

when Chomsky speaks, i listen. he's one of the most important and smart people on the planet.

At the bottom of the article page there are links to part one and two of the youtube interviews with Chomsky.

Here are my notes, in case they serve you to skim:
Chomsky on the election:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZuHAqjI3CY
2:05 - starts to talk about health care
4:00 - the public is irrelevant.
4:30 - talks of barack obama.
5:00 - 80% of the population thinks the country is going in the wrong way.
5:30 - wealth is going into very few pockets
6:20 - so if there's hope unity change, nice guy, ok fine. (funny, capture it!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biyK7NgdCDA
(part 2)
3:00 - for Iraqi people its a disaster.
3:20 - dealth penalty for Bush and Cheney.
4:45 - Invading a country is the crime but it includes all of the evil that follows.
5:30 - Bush just visited Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is favorite because it has the oil.
6:30 - there is a spectrum. Bush is way out on the extreme.

I'm glad people are finally standing up against our mind-bendingly stupid healthcare system.

yea that whole democracy thing where voters elect candidates! I always have a chuckle when people argue that spending exorbinant amounts of money to gain political influence is merely "freedom of speech." i always thought that meant corrupt

Yes, We the People are ignored by our government, plus our judges ignore the constitution. Everyone knows that money corrupts the system. We need fresh blood in both parties who are progressive pro-people and pro-society.

I think the funny thing is that Noam Chomsky believes the American public is irrelevant while a majority of the public probably doesn't even know who he is.

he is a person

I like chomsky, there is no question in my mind that he is brilliant but I feel that all the talk about how americans are irrelevant and how Bush is an extreme madman etc...is very counterproductive for change.

I truly believe that the American people are extremely relevant.

I think each american citizen is relevant in the sense that all war criminals are relevant.

He's right..he didn't happen to give an answer during the interveiw, did he?

i didn't read the article , but even liberals can be elitists - were he not a jew , chomsky would've supported the holocaust .

Whats his came Chovotsky isnt he a dead piano player/composer...oh he must be irrelevant...He isnt Warren Buffet somebody Relevant.

At this point I would have to agree. And we are to blame. Nothing gets a politician's attention more than a high voter turnout.This lets them know that we, the people are watching. There is no excuse. You can vote by mail, early vote, or really show your patriotism and go stand in line on election day. However you choose to do it, just do it! If you think that your vote doesn't count your right. It doesn't count because you didn't cast it.

I have been reading Chomsky for years. Even went to hear him speak twice when I was director of photography for a Long Island firm. He is widely considered one of the most intelligent men on the planet. However you must remember that in the US most people believe that a man born a millionaire in CT, raised in the finest prep schools New England has to offer, was a C student and cheerleader in an Ivy league college that his father had to buy his way into is a "good ol' boy" down to earth southerner they want to drink a beer with. Are you starting to see why they have cut funding for education 7 years straight? Why noone is worried that schools will only be in session 4 days a week instead of 5? This is a conserted and systematic attempt to make everyone as dumb as possible. Science and education are an elitist agenda to the masses of double digit IQ sheep who follow the Repubs. Can you say DDD!!!!

Chomsky maybe a brilliant scholar and philosopher but hes a traditional anarchist socialist. He's hated america for the last 40 years and he is the one who doesnt hold much relevance.

I'll freely admit that I don't like Chomsky. It's important to remember he is a professor of linguistics and not politics. Also, anyone over the age of 25 who still considers themselves an anarchist or a socialist is either delusional or has ignored history.

so...we should lobby the industrial sector for change?

ahh we need a farenheit 451 style bombing/ resurrection

as usual mr. chomsky is correct, the only reason many important issues ever get any attention is because corporations can profit from exploiting the situation.

a shining example is the new trend in [allegedly] being eco-conscious. the words green & sustainable are thrown around way too much especially in the corporate world which is still incredibly shortsighted & excessive in every way imaginable