[Peace-discuss] "Isolate Unvaxxed From Society" says Noam Chomsky

[J.B. Nicholson]

"Isolate Unvaxxed From Society" says Noam Chomsky -- Jimmy Dore with Max Blumenthal 
analyzing Noam Chomsky's most recent interviews
https://youtube.com/watch?v=IpEch0McjZ0
https://rumble.com/voa4ds-isolate-unvaxxed-from-society-says-noam-chomsky.html

Source material: Noam Chomsky's most recent interview with Primo Radical
https://youtube.com/watch?v=TzWcP2b4uZ4

(excerpt from above) Noam Chomsky on Vaccine Mandates
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Cc_neyVp-rI

(excerpt from above) Noam Chomsky on Biden Forgiving Student Loan Debt
https://youtube.com/watch?v=GEtvBxYz-gU


I think that Jimmy Dore has better arguments than Chomsky on multiple points in this 
and Dore has the evidence to back the argument that Chomsky's views are 
indistinguishable from what Dore calls the "shitlib" view when uttered by others. I'm 
glad Dore pointed out that Chomsky is frequently allowed to get away with making 
assertions without sources.

I also disagree with Chomsky's focus on speeches and talking points from politicians 
instead of analyzing voting records. That Primo Radical interview has Chomsky not 
referring to votes but reacting to party talking points on issues of substance. In my 
view, the talking points don't matter. They're glib PR statements designed to corral 
progressives and the left into supporting the neo-con/neo-lib Democratic Party. Max 
Blumenthal touches on this in Chomsky's support of AOC. But virtually every AOC video 
Jimmy Dore has done shows how she talks progressive to sheepdog progressives into the 
Democratic Party (or she gives word salad nonsense to run out the clock on an 
interview when she doesn't have better talking points to hand). Nowhere in Chomsky's 
analysis do you find critique of strategic voting (like letting some "Squad" members 
vote 'present' while others support/reject a bill) which allows just enough votes for 
something to go the way the big donors want.

I agree with quite a bit of Chomsky's past work (such as Manufacturing Consent) and I 
think highly of it (both the book and documentary in which Chomsky starred). I never 
agreed with Chomsky's 'lesser evil' electoral advice and I don't agree with his 
distinction between enthusiastically supporting Democrats vs. holding one's nose and 
voting Democrat -- either way one is voting for the Democrat. That is a bullshit 
distinction aimed at trying to trick/manipulate people into voting for the Democratic 
Party. But this Primo Radical interview, like one of the letters Chomsky recently 
signed which echoes his advice to keep voting Democrat even as that party does 
horrible things, shows what Chomsky now stands for. Perhaps it's good that, as 
Chomsky said in that Primo Radical interview, he doesn't care a whit for his legacy.

The one point raised on the Jimmy Dore segment I don't agree with is Blumenthal's 
decision not to interview Chomsky because doing so (which would include countering 
Chomsky's evidenceless views) would be "elder abuse". Max Blumenthal mentioned this 
early on and gets into this more in detail around 44m 44s. I don't know where Chomsky 
gets his information, and I don't think he spoke a lot of truth in this interview. 
But I also don't think he's lost his mind akin to a person with dementia. Chomsky is 
speaking full and complete sentences (of largely rubbish) with his full consent and 
knowledge, he's holding forth on matters of the day as he's done for decades. There's 
no evidence that anyone tricked Chomsky into doing these utterly embarassing 
establishment-serving interviews. Primo Nutmeg's questions put to Chomsky were to the 
point, remarkably open-ended, and in no way manipulative. Chomsky had no problem 
challenging questions which he thought ought to have been reframed, made more 
specific, or with points that need to be divided up and addressed separately. It's 
fine for us to disagree with what Chomsky said even as we defend the eminent sense he 
used to say in his interviews and speeches. The "elder abuse" response seems to me 
like Blumenthal is saying that by not interviewing Chomsky, Blumenthal is looking out 
for Chomsky's better interests here but that's not Blumenthal's call to make.