Noam Chomsky: How Propaganda Works in the West

His assertion that educated people are more susceptible to propaganda because they read more reveals his print bias.

True, but less educated people tend not to watch the news as often either. There's a prevailing opinion amongst the working class, or, I suppose they're called lower-middle class now, that all politicians are corrupt, managers are all out for themselves, the cops are not to be trusted and, in general, the powers that stand over them are there to harm them. Hence, gay marriage and the right to life (distraction). Hence, affirmative action discriminating against white people instead of the reality which is the wealthy get most of the spots and folks from less advantaged homes are pitted against each other when they should be on the same side (obfuscation).

Also, the number of working class people who think that "the government should do something" about issues like their lack of health insurance, lack of job security or low pay is also quite high. Hence, the "free"-trade rhetoric, notice there's no free trade when it comes to lawyers, doctors, accountants and so forth. Domestic manufacturing workers are pitted against foreign, near slave, manufacturing workers, but never the "professional" class. Hence a system that tacitly accepts undocumented workers to work for next to nothing in exchange for underclass status. But the way it's portrayed is "they" are taking "our" jobs, not "they are employing people illegally." And the system is set up to favor and promote illegal employment since, an employer is required by law to check documents and required by law to accept them at face value. So that any forgeries are required by law to be accepted or else the employer would be breaking the law by discriminating. That has got to be the easiest system for employers to game since it's designed not to work. It's designed to maintain the underclass status of illegals, force them to take low wages which therefore, forces legal workers to accept low wages as well. And best of all, the parties of which are being taken advantage see each other as the enemy instead of those who are taking advantage of them.

Hence, the "free"-trade rhetoric, notice there's no free trade when it comes to lawyers, doctors, accountants and so forth. Domestic manufacturing workers are pitted against foreign, near slave, manufacturing workers, but never the "professional" class.

I was with you until you said this.

It is not true that professional jobs are not being 'outsourced'. Many an engineer, computer specialist and radiologist have seen there jobs sent overseas.

Some occupations, mostly professional, are, by their nature, 'un-outsourceable'. A family practice physician must be here, in person, to administer to his/her patients. (Which, by the way, is also the reason why our blue collar service occupations such as, our waiters and waitresses are not being 'outsourced', right?)

I would think that a similar, but not quite the same, reason exists for a lawyer. More than likely the schools that are better equipped to teach us law are in the us. Therefore the graduates of such schools are also here in us. That may change over time but for now it is a fact. Same can be said of accountants.

It is not true that professional jobs are not being 'outsourced'. Many an engineer, computer specialist and radiologist have seen there jobs sent overseas.

Some occupations, mostly professional, are, by their nature, 'un-outsourceable'. A family practice physician must be here, in person, to administer to his/her patients. (Which, by the way, is also the reason why our blue collar service occupations such as, our waiters and waitresses are not being 'outsourced', right?)

The real difference isn't that they're "outsourceable." The real difference is the power of the professional organization, the BAR, the AMA that can control how many lawyers or doctors. We could easily freely allow doctors to come to the US from other countries, and lawyers could get trained abroad. Sadly, engineers and computer programmers have not been around long enough to have a professional organization. And those tech jobs that are going over seas are replacing jobs where someone makes in the $100K with someone who makes $10-20k neighborhood, not like the manufacturing who are losing a $35k-55k job to a worker who makes $0-2k, so you can see the working class jobs face even stiffer competition proportionally.

I don't think he accused the US of being behind the Nazi propaganda machine,
it's more a nod to the advanced state of US advertising and the ability of the Nazis to capitalize on it.

We should always be aware of just how ahead of the game our advertising is; I think is the point there.

Dragging in the Nazis is like brandishing a whip and twirling one's mustache, I agree. BUT: His initial point in doing it has to do with the use of fear as a tool for narrowing discourse. And it is well-made.

KyleN

Way to prove Chompsky's point! I was thinking of writing a little bit of humor along those lines, but, you unintentionally beat me to it :(

It was described to me once as silo learning and it's effect is to narrow the focus. While it does yield more micro facts, it is at the expense of cross discipline or broader understanding. It's a perfect model for grooming corporate cogs but we are coming to the point where politics and health must collide and there is too much integrity in medicine and science in general, to keep the bluff to play the last hand, by my count anyway.

I think I am starting to understand. Being educated and not coming to the social/political conclusions that Chomsky holds makes you dangerous and part of the 'enemy' that is obviously suffering from propaganda otherwise they would be enlightened as he is.

When people disagree with you, that doesn't make them stupid or uninformed it just means they disagree with you. There isn't a grand conspiracy to make everybody not believe you, it's more likely what you believe does not seem compelling or reasonable to others. They aren't ignoring you by not believing it though many will ignore you when you scream about it. Any time you think that everybody else is deluded and you are the only sane one, stop and think what the probabilities are that the reverse might be the truth. I'm not saying the majority opinion is always correct but believing that everybody else is brainwashed is frankly crazy and condescending.

I find it an interesting form of attack that anybody disagreeing with Chomsky isn't 'free thinking', so if you can think freely you obviously will believe his form of radical socialism? I think not, and I think free far more free than he or his supporters would ever hope or want me or you to be.

I'm curious Kylen, how much have you yourself actually read by Chompsky? And what exactly was it that made you come up with the phrase "his form of radical socialism." I've read a good deal, by him and I don't know exactly what his form of socialism is. I'm not actually sure that, other than his linguistics, I've read anything other than criticism, that is to say, anything proclaiming "the world should be this way," in stead of "the world is this way, and that's a problem." It's pretty tough to have "form of socialism" when all you're doing is criticism.

When people disagree with you, that doesn't make them stupid or uninformed it just means they disagree with you

Is it possible that there ever could be reasons for why people disagree with you? And could those reasons be something other than something inherent in that person? If I come to the conclusion that 3^2+3^2=6^2 could we be having something above and beyond a disagreement?

Chompsky describes how media works and the connections among politics, the media and the interested parties (corporations) who pay both.

Any time you think that everybody else is deluded and you are the only sane one, stop and think what the probabilities are that the reverse might be the truth. I'm not saying the majority opinion is always correct but believing that everybody else is brainwashed is frankly crazy and condescending.

NO, this opinion is not based on any type of historical knowledge or reflection. When Montaigne witnessed (or heard about) a man from the New World visiting Europe that man could not understand why all of the people accepted their servitude and did not rip down the castle walls. No peasant even understood that his whole life was a grave injustice, nor did any aristocrat realize that their whole existence was parasitic, nor did any monarch realize that maybe he didn't speak for the whole nation, nor did any tradesman understand. Those times when people are able to step outside of their own surroundings and witness the truth of the structer are rare. The early christians, saying that their is no longer any jew/gentile, master/slave, male/female distinction, the civil rights movement, India's independence movement are the big 3 that come to mind, but these times occupy the slimmest portion of human existence. This is also why de Tocqueville's commentary and criticism is so enduring.

He has described his form of "socialism" as "Anarcho-syndicalism." This was a long time ago I heard him speak this, but I doubt his view on this has changed.

Kyle

Whatever man,
our civil liberties could whoop your civil liberties' butt any day!

you foreigners coming on our internet thinking you know everything should just go back where you came from.

You are where WE come from.

Greck: Yes sir! Actually I have gone back where i came from, that's why I know what I know and can compare ;-). I don't think I know everything, I am sure you know many thins I don't, but that works in reverse as well. So, you feel foreigners are contaminating your Internet, exposing you to ideas and thoughts you would not otherwise be exposed to? I would have thought this would be a good thing, just as the "foreigners" can enjoy what you and your countrymen are thinking on various subjects.

Since this seed is about propaganda, I venture the opinion that people who have equal access to foreign and domestic opinions, news and information would be less susceptible to brainwashing.

A Danish photographer has documented the slave farms of Florida, the site is called American-pictures. The following is a quote from the image subtitles of chapter 8. Are these the civil liberties you want to whip our civil liberties butt with? If that doesn't do it, try looking up "eminent domain" or why don't you just congratulate yourself on capital punishment, a kind of punishment you have reserved the right to "export" to other countries as you subjugate them (according to your reservation in the international rules of war). And didn't your president just abolish habeas corpus?

The prevalence of slave camps seems to be spreading after 2000. In North Carolina I now find bars where "slave catchers" come to kidnap drunks and winos for their camps.

These camps separate and destroy the black family just as slavery has always done. Wives and children are usually not permitted in the camps. Several men I talked to had not seen their families for up to eight months - and were nervous about what the situation would be like when they saw them again.

allright,
that's IT!
my civil liberties are waiting for yours outside the bar, RIGHT NOW!

Interesting observation songbird. I actually logged back on to comment that I have read a great deal of Chomsky, and i am not certain that this article was written by Chomsky. In fact, I'm inclined to think it wasn't due various subtle observations. Either the article was rushed together and (more or less) unedited, or some plagiarism may be occurring. In other words, the "ideology" of Chomsky is there, but the spirit is missing. If someone can confirm this, that would be good. I have no time.

Then again, maybe that is the spirit and the editors are missing? lol...

We do look for it and some of us look for name changes as signs of fishy stuff too. Add that to the original Fish name and there may be a story here B Johnson-Perkins (Babel Fish), whatever it is, thank you for going in stages so it's not impossible to catch on. :~)

What I see as the split in the propaganda, is the dividing line between those in the corporate pockets and those in the public interest. The words mislead but the spending draws a pretty clear line and on both sides the same media moguls of Wall Street offer two sides of the same token. The Park Avenue Cowboys operations are still classified and it's not radio tube technology they're protecting.