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Noam Chomsky Turns 90: How a U.S. Anarchist Has More Than Survived
Levine, Bruce E.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2018/11/23/noam-chomsky-turns-90-how-a-u-s-anarchist-has-more-than-survived/Date Written: 2018-11-23 Publisher: CounterPunch Year Published: 2018 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX23078 A brief look back at the life and work of world reknowned linguist, philospher and social activist Noam Chomsky, who turns 90 on December 7, 2018. Abstract: -- Excerpt: Chomsky models an activist who neither denies nor self-flagellates about financial hypocrisies that are impossible to avoid in a society that requires money to survive. When employed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chomsky was candid about the reality that even though the U.S. government's Department of Defense was not funding him directly, because the DOD was funding other MIT departments, such funding allowed MIT to pay him. "As far as the moral issue goes," Chomsky remarked, "It's not as if there's some clean money somewhere. If you're in a university, you're on dirty money -you're on money which is coming from people who are working somewhere, and whose money is being taken away." Many anti-authoritarians have great anger. This anger has resulted from social injustices and their dissent being ignored; from authoritarian assaults on them; from witnessing the marginalization of their anti-authoritarian friends; and from resentment over being forced into constant vigilance. The manner in which anti-authoritarians deal with their anger is critical to tragedy or triumph. While one can see Chomsky's anger in his biting sarcasm, for the most part, he has not self-sabotaged with his anger. All anti-authoritarians are pained by illegitimate authorities, however, Chomsky has not compounded that pain with self-destructive or violent reactions that provide authoritarians with justification for oppression. Subject Headings |