chomsky vs buckley

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droid

Guest
I'm not sure I fully agree with that, but nonetheless, claiming 'he writes the same book everytime' is a puzzling accusation - you could level that charge at almost any historian or political commentator...

Yeah, Buckley did admit that Vietnam might have been a "tactical error" in thr end, lol.

Yeah. Classic. A perfect illustration of Chomsky's observations re American intellectuals.
 

four_five_one

Infinition
Chomsky at SOAS tonight...

Actually totally forgot about it, but heard someone in the supermarket an hour ago talking about it - that was about fifteen mins before it was due to start, meaning no chance of getting in presumably. Met a few friends that were going down just after that though. I'm more excited about Zizek(!) at Birkbeck next month really...
 
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droid

Guest
Met the man, shook his hand and had a very brief chat on Monday at a linguistic talk I was filming for work.

Nice fella. Very unassuming but quite frail and Yoda like in person.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
There's a good documentary on Netflix ATM about Buckley vs Vidal. "best of enemies" I believe it's called.

I read a bit of Chomsky a few years ago and it all seemed terrifically persuasive to me so I'd like to see these disparaging remarks about him elaborated upon. It seems the main accusations are that 1. He has a naïve view of human nature (in which case, how does this square with his criticism of man-made institutions?) 2. He uses pieces of evidence which are actually not credible and/or important.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Watched another film about Chomsky last night on Netflix. Seemed pretty convincing to me, especially in the light of recent events.

Still intrigued to know what the beef is re: Chomsky. I'm a very credulous person and I tend to believe whatever I'm told, even if it's something apparently subversive such as 'Western democracy is a sham designed to hold power and money in the hands of the few'.
 

luka

Well-known member
isnt there something about srebrenica and the khmer rouge or something? craner despises him more than almost any other commentator
 

luka

Well-known member
buckley was so sinister. imagine the baroquely perverse sexual practices he would have been into. covering his victim with a layer of translucent slime he secretes from his anal gland, secreting tanning oil from a duct in the anus as a sex lubricant.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Re Srebrenica, I wonder if this is it:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/nov/17/pressandpublishing.corrections

The readers' editor has considered a number of complaints from Noam Chomsky concerning an interview with him by Emma Brockes published in G2, the second section of the Guardian, on October 31. He has found in favour of Professor Chomsky on three significant complaints.

Principal among these was a statement by Ms Brockes that in referring to atrocities committed at Srebrenica during the Bosnian war he had placed the word "massacre" in quotation marks. This suggested, particularly when taken with other comments by Ms Brockes, that Prof Chomsky considered the word inappropriate or that he had denied that there had been a massacre. Prof Chomsky has been obliged to point out that he has never said or believed any such thing. The Guardian has no evidence whatsoever to the contrary and retracts the statement with an unreserved apology to Prof Chomsky.
 

droid

Well-known member
Srebrenica thing has some tiny legs, but the main offender there is Herman.

Cambodia is an oft repeated slur, only mud to stick concerns the treatment of a particular French source.

Faurisson is the other one. Complete nonsense.

After acres of text over about 50 years, its amazing that there are so few substantive or defensible criticisms and the main source of much of these comes from his legendary prickliness built up after decades of constant attacks from liberal (and not so liberal) morons.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
He's one of many who let their anti-Americanism bleed over into borderline pro-Russianism, I think. I mean, claiming that Russian bombardment of cities in Syria somehow isn't imperialism? Jog on, mate.
 

droid

Well-known member
Full segment here. Dont see anything hugely controversial there, but I too am an apologist for Russia.

 

firefinga

Well-known member
He's one of many who let their anti-Americanism bleed over into borderline pro-Russianism, I think. I mean, claiming that Russian bombardment of cities in Syria somehow isn't imperialism? Jog on, mate.

It's only imperialism if the US and/or Israel is being involved. Anything else is always about preserving peace or order or something.
 
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