Noam Chomsky Addresses Thousands at Riverside Church
By Jacquie SimoneJune 13, 2009 | Posted in IndyBlog | Email this article
NOAM CHOMSKY ADDRESSES THOUSANDS AT RIVERSIDE CHURCH
BY JACQUIE SIMONE
Renowned leftist intellectual, linguist and author Noam Chomsky discussed democracy, the economy and global crises June 12 at Riverside Church in Harlem.
More than 2,000 people attended the event, which benefited the social change group the Brecht Forum. The event’s co-sponsors included The Indypendent, Bluestockings Books, WBAI-99.5 FM, Manhattan Neighborhood Network and the Just Seeds Collective.
Chomsky’s hour-long talk, entitled “Crisis and Hope: Theirs and Ours,” addressed a range of social and political topics. He examined U.S. political policies over the past few decades and encouraged the audience to challenge neoliberalism, military intervention and capitalism.
“There is a striking gap between public opinion and public policy on a host of major issues, domestic and foreign, and based on my judgment public opinion is often a lot more sane,” Chomsky said.
The evening began with a separate reception for the Brecht Forum. Alternative, politically-charged music performed by Earthdriver and Mahina Movement filled the sanctuary as the audience entered. Following welcomes by Rev. Robert B. Coleman from Riverside Church and three representatives of the Brecht Forum, Amy Goodman introduced Chomsky.
Goodman, the host and executive producer of the news program Democracy Now!, expressed Chomsky’s commitment to social causes and his impact on public thought.
“I bet almost everyone here tonight in this sanctuary has a story about discovering Noam’s writings or his voice or his words and how it has changed your life,” Goodman said.
The crowd rose as Chomsky walked to the podium. The 80-year-old MIT professor explained the title of the lecture by contrasting the so-called crises of the first world countries with more pressing humanitarian concerns amongst impoverished peoples.
“Bailing out banks is not utmost in the minds of the people now facing starvation, not forgetting the tens of millions enduring hunger in the richest country in the world,” he said.
Following this observation, he challenged Western intervention in other countries’ affairs. He cited imperialism and U.S.-supported coups, such as the overthrow of a democratically elected regime in Haiti in 1991, as evidence that meddling by the West is often not in the best interest of native peoples.
Chomsky, a longtime opponent of neoliberalism, also criticized capitalist notions of progress. He explained that since the post-war “Golden Age of Capitalism” ended in the 1970s, real wages have stayed the same, work hours have increased, benefits have decreased, and social indicators have dropped. He finds these figures problematic to the general public of the United States.
“There has been economic growth, but it is finding its way into very few pockets, increasingly into the financial industries, which have grown enormously while productive industry has significantly declined,” he said.
As a libertarian socialist, Chomsky believes that workers should control their own industries. This would change the current disparity between the wealth and resources of corporate leaders and the difficult situation of laborers. Instead of simply ameliorating the current economic crisis, Chomsky advocates a reexamination of the capitalistic framework.
After criticizing the current economic system, he turned to the amount of taxes spent on military projects. He pointed out that the United States spends significantly more on military endeavors than any other nation, which he deems an unnecessary waste of taxpayer money. During the Cold War, increased military expenditures were explained by the government as necessary to prevent an attack by large, powerful countries. According to Chomsky, this reasoning should have been eliminated with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. However, military spending has increased since then, but with a different explanation by the government. Chomsky expressed that this justification, specifically the exaggerated threat from the Middle East, is unconvincing and that military spending should be reduced.
“In brief, everything will go on exactly as before, but with new pretexts,” he said, satirizing the government’s position. “So we still need the same huge military system, but for a new reason: literally, because of the technological sophistication of third world powers.”
He then discussed the increased role of NATO despite the end of the Cold War and challenged similar efforts of “Western imperial domination.” Chomsky stated that the questionable policy of U.S.-run intervention will not end under the Obama administration, since many members of the current cabinet were adherents to neoliberalism in Clinton’s administration. Chomsky went on to criticize Obama’s efforts to undermine democratic referendums in Iraq, claiming that Obama is worried that Iraqis might reject a measure that would delay U.S. troop withdrawal. Chomsky further criticized the military strategies and huge civilian tolls in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He urged people to pay more attention to the environment, discussing greenhouse gas emissions and the increased threat of global warming. Similarly, he noted the lack of efficient rail and other public transportation in the United States and suggested that workers from the struggling auto industry be put to work in building environmentally friendly transportation. In general, he advocated more rights for workers and a greater commitment to the environment.
According to Chomsky, policies that do not benefit the public result from the “constrained version of democracy” in the United States. He explained that James Madison and the other Founding Fathers sought to protect the interests of an elite group of people from the opinions of the majority. Such aristocratic principles are built into the U.S. Constitution, which has limited the political power of the general public. Common people gained some power during the 1960s and other activist eras, but Chomsky still sees a “democratic deficit” between what is in the best interest of the people and what is actually done. He encouraged the audience to stand against faulty policies and economic systems.
“That means tearing apart the enormous edifice of illusions about the markets, trade and democracy that have been assiduously constructed over many years, and to overcome the marginalization and atomization of the public,” he said. “Of all the crises that afflict us, I believe this growing democratic deficit may be the most severe.”
The crowd gave a standing ovation as he concluded his final statements. Chomsky joins a list of other prestigious politicians and activists to speak at the historic Riverside Church, including Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Llama and Desmond Tutu.
16 Responses to “Noam Chomsky Addresses Thousands at Riverside Church”
June 13th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I was there, Beside the fact that he sounded old and tired, the information was excellent. You can tell that what he passed on to us in attendance is just the tip of the iceberg of the knowledge he has. The information about our government’s deceitful and ignorant practices was very enlightening and his intelligent criticisms of Obama were refreshing compared to the mainstream media.
My criticism of Chomsky is that I do not believe he goes far enough. His viewpoints see government as the ultimate power but in reality, finance is. Those who control the flow of money are the most powerful and have international influence. They fiance governments, movements, uprisings and all the like. Chomsky touched on a few facts relevant to his truth - The Goverment gives in to the demands of the financial sector, and the government, especially in Obama’s care, is made of many members of the financial elite.
Because of these facts, money making is setting public policy, often behind the back of the public, with organizations such as The Bilderberg Group. Among Chomsky’s other revelations, he spoke on the Democratic Defecit and James Madison’s insistence that the constitution protect the minority of the wealthy from the indentured minority.
One thing I did not get out of the event was the Hope. Why this word was included in the title, I am not sure. But that doesn’t mean i’ve lost any bit of it.
June 13th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
actualy te baybute, chomsky states that he thinks corporations are the ultimate “totalitarian entity” and the reason is that while govt. actually has some formally democratic features and in theory is accountable to the public, corporations are just structured to bring profit to their owners and shareholders. chomsky has pointed out that this potentially is much more dangerous than any govt. and that this is why he views an economic system put forth by the likes of ron paul and murray rothbard as a “totalitarian monster”
June 13th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Good point, Muntasir. Perhaps Chomsky is only one voice, one person. Others are responsible for the doing. Also, others are responsbile to share in the work that Chomsky does, the intellectual disseminating and talks, etc.
June 13th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Té Baybute, i think Chomsky sounded good, he didn’t sound “old and tired.” Also, you may have miswrote your comment about Chomsky because he DOES talk about the power of the “virtual senate” which consists of investors and lenders.
I thought Chomksy was great, I was there and handed out about 850 flyers about my YouTube Channel which promotes Chomksy. Here is the test of my flyer for those who didn’t get one: http://representativepress.blogspot.com/2009/06/more-info.html flyer
Let’s secure a foothold in “the world’s largest town hall.” You can help by subscribing to my channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=representativepress
Subscribe Here
June 14th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Just echoing what Andy said in response to te baybute. Chomsky often quotes John Dewey - “As long as politics is the shadow cast on society by big business, the attenuation of the shadow will not change the substance”.
June 14th, 2009 at 3:02 am
I love prof.Chomsky,and his place in intellectual discourse and history is secure,however as someone who has read listened to and interviewed him, I feel he’s a bit redundant. This is due to the fact that the issues he addresses don’t significantly change. I can almost predict what he might say on most topics. However I’ll always check to be sure.
June 14th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I was there among the few last people that were allowed in.. hated the sound quality of the venue and the fact we were in a church. I wish it would have been on a park or somewhere else more public. I also hated it was 25 dollars to get it in, plus when I got in, the black lady in the entrance refused to give me five dollars change from the thirty I gave her even if her colleague had visible change on him.
Besides stuff as such, one can always enjoy the Chomsky’s anarchic views when he for example suggested that the workers of all those GM plants should take over the ownership of their cars… Even if he is a Chavez apologist, its always refreshing to listen to alternatives to our maxed out debt government. I wouldn’t be surprised Chomsky will die in the next few years.. he as someone else said in this forum sounded tired and old. Good stuff, no question
June 14th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Waiting for comment to be approved so I post this without links. (just GOOGLE “A free and easy way to propel facts Chomsky talks about into the public sphere on a large scale is subscribing to the Representative Press channel on YouTube” or just Google “representativepress” and from there you should be able to find links to my channel and blog)
Té Baybute, i think Chomsky sounded good, he didn’t sound “old and tired.” Also, you may have miswrote your comment about Chomsky because he DOES talk about the power of the “virtual senate” which consists of investors and lenders.
I thought Chomksy was great, I was there and handed out about 850 flyers about my YouTube Channel which promotes Chomksy. Here is the test of my flyer for those who didn’t get one:
Let’s secure a foothold in “the world’s largest town hall.” You can help by subscribing to my channel.
June 15th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I look forward to reading a transcript of the speech. Please, could someone post a link when it’s online? Thanks. I think Chomsky is great.
June 21st, 2009 at 8:13 am
Chomsky opened a lot of perspectives and windows for me to understand the current wars raging in South Asia. Particular the civil war in Pakistan and polyarchic governments in India.
Chomsky is an unending well of knowledge and facts. However despite being the superman that he is, he cannot dissect every political scenario in completeness.
My question is - who are the other Chomsky’s of this world?
Are there Chomskys in Latin America, South Asia, Middle East etc
Any names?
A
June 21st, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I’ve just watched this address this morning on C-SPAN 2, though I missed the first hour.
I’ve watched and read Chomsky for years, with great admiration. It is discouraging that the issues he addresses have changed so little over the decades, but I still find his truth-telling bracing. Bells ring, and you realize how little truth you ever get from the mainstream press on these matters.
The tentacles of the military industrial complex are more insidiously pervasive than ever before. By design, I think. I live in a town where the economy is largely driven by military spending and know a couple of people who work in high tech firms here. Their work is exclusively for the military, mostly missile defense.
They don’t see themselves as benefiting from corporate welfare; they’re convinced they’re providing a vital service to the nation and quote the Constitution’s “provide for the common defense” phrase. They’re not evil people; they just love making the good livings they’re making. (I think it was Upton Sinclair who said it’s hard to convince a man that something’s right when his livelihood depends on it being wrong.) And these people vote, while the less affluent in the community long ago gave up on that.
I’d also love to see video, or at least a transcript, of Chomsky’s address. I’ve looked around but haven’t yet found one. C-SPAN 2 doesn’t list any future airings at the moment.
June 21st, 2009 at 8:07 pm
In response to the question by PseudoChomsky, looking for
a Chomsky-like author in South America, Edward Galleano
comes to mind, the author of the book “Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent.” That Chavez gave to Obama
See the story here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/19/obama-chavez-book-gift-latin-america
Solidarity,
A.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Thats for all the rsponses to my post. I want to reiterate the good points that I thought he made and not just focus on where I was let down. Many of your responses point out that Chomsky does acknowledge the corporate world as holding the decision making power and that is true, i may have not elaborated enough.
I feel he doesn’t apply the truth of corporate to international diplomacy decisions such as the funding and support of Saddam, The Shah and countless other ponzie governments, only to then be toppled by our government. The is a much more sinister motive, it seems, the the generation of wealth.
Leaders of the world get together in private to decide that they will sink the world economies and seek a world currency and seek the destruction of real health (codex alimentarius) to proliferate mind controlling pharmaceuticals. There is an evil at work greater and more secretive than greed.
That is a conclusion that is hard not to reach when considering all of the totalitarian evidence but great intellects like Chomsky could only take it so far and it is up to the next generation to build upon what they have exposed so far and maybe one day we can truly be free.
June 24th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Té Baybute,
Your comment is quite inaccurate. Chomsky has over and over quoted John Dewey in saying, “Government is the shadow cast by big business.”
In fact, he often goes on to say, ironically, that the problem with government (in the eyes of elites) is that it’s “potentially democratic”.
As for his lack of commenting on the secret evil at work and the mind controlling pharmaceuticals, I dunno, maybe adjust your tin foil hat.
June 26th, 2009 at 12:06 am
… If there is an audio/video posted of Amy’s intro and Noam’s speech, I haven’t found it yet.
…any G-2 on the topic would be most appreciated.
…On the topic of corporations, I can see two ways to “level the playing field” between citizens and corporations:
1) End the legal fiction that “corporations” are an entity unto themselves, and rip down, never mind “pierce,” the corporate veil. This will never happen, of course. It would take away Delaware’s sole reason for existing, among other things.
2) Instead, every family, every individual, couple, group (whatever) needs to incorporate as a business in the business of raising families or acculturating/making beneficial societal contributors (individuals), or legislative action. Legislation might be simpler/quicker, but otherwise, existing unions might form the organizing force behind getting virtually all American citizens incorporated as what I call Domestic Domestic Corporations (Domestic as “of the state” and Domestic2 as “of the home, the domicile.”).
See http://DontMarry-Incorporate.blogspot.com for more information.
This would mean either private contractual action between “employees” and “employers” to convert all “wages” into INTER-CORPORATE transfers of money, in return for goods (if any) and services rendered.
June 13th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Wise words as usual, but I’m beginning to wonder if we need to try a different way to get the truth out to the masses. Because the way that Chomsky and others have tried, though they were as straight up as can be, have not affected a vast change. Maybe it’s supposed to happen gradually, but frankly can the world afford to wait?