Customer Reviews

Free Market Fantasies Capitalism in the Real World

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great summation of thought on the American "ideal" of Capitalism. Mr. Chomsky says things so well and effortlessly that you drink in the information in gulps. He simplifies and exposes the political system that has used Capitalism to keep people happy and oblivious. His ideas are intense and powerful but easy to grasp and see. You actually see how things like the defense industry; unions and laws have been used to turn America's "Capitalism" into a tool of power and corruption.

This is a great introduction to the issue of how the American Government and Corporations have teamed up to use the working class of the USA and other countries. The economy does "well" which makes it possible for the "haves" to get more of what the "have-nots" don't have.

there are some complaints here about the quality of the recording... well, it's a lecture for crying out loud. this isn't a live recording of music where recording quality complaints would be very reasonable. is the quality good enough to hear mr. chomsky? certainly. in fact, the recording sounds like what you'd expect to hear if you attended a lecture. so it's not a soundboard recording... big deal. as for the actual content of the cd, this is chomsky at his eye opening best. it helps to have a good base in chomsky theories & recent american history, as not all is explained in detail. but overall the lecture is very accessible. surely there is something here to get anyone with an open mind thinking about capitalism & the US role in the world.

When this CD was recorded (in 1997!) there was no way for Noam Chomsky to know how economist Milton Friedman's Laissez-faire ideology on financial markets (as adopted by Ronald Reagan from 1980 going forward) would fail by 2009, and lead to complete financial collapse in global markets. All of Chomsky's 1997 commentary here on so-called free markets for the masses - with a nanny "bail-out" state for the rich - is so prescient as to be uncanny. Chomsky's 'old' material is like a ten year audio road map to the present and how/why we are burdened with a failed economy today. Chomsky's eleven-year old observations on "free markets" are so precise, this material is actually far more relevant today than it was in 1997! Trying to find the right adjectives here, Noam Chomsky proves again that he is truly an astounding intellect, and one of the profound commentators of our time. Five stars.

Noam Chomsky has the unique distinction of being on the ultimate list, that is, of being one of the top ten most quoted in the world while still being alive. Right up there with Shakespeare and the Bible. In this audio speech given in 1995 he outlines the difference between the facts that can be verified and the wide spread and commonly held ideas of market forces in a Capitalistic society. If you don't mind being challenge to question why you believe what you do, then you will find this most enlightening and refreshing. And now more than ever you may be motivated to get involve in changing the way things work for the sake of yourself and your children and their children and the world's future.

This one was done at Harvard; having heard his other lectures and other lectures released by Alternative Tentacles Records this is a disappointment. The content and track listing is great, but you can hear the microphone peeking (as it does before feedback comes). I currently work at a college doing live audio and let me say that this should be either remastered or just plainly re-recorded. As for the lecture, Chomsky, the great leftist has done it again telling people what is wrong with corporations is the fact that corporations are greedy, out-for-their-own evil purposes, and need to be abolished. I enjoy ALL his books and readers (even the works he merely edits).

If one is looking for an honest assessment of, say, the economy, or of where our country appears to be heading, the "mainstream" media are NOT the source. In fact, that's one of Dr. Chomsky's primary claims; he often refers to government/media plots (without using the word plot.)

In this lecture, he refers to the media, while referring to Massachusett's then-governor William Weld as a religious, free-marketer, NOT making reference to Weld's heading to Washington "hat-in-hand" to collect money to make up for the deregulation that over-fished some of the most productive fishing waters off the Massachusetts coast. (There was, of course, an excuse for that over-harvest. In this case, it was an alleged predator--not then, or ever found, but, well, there MUST have been one, right?)

I've listened to this several times, often do while doing yard work or other menial tasks seldom undertaken by area Republican "conservatives." Suffice it to say it puts economic myths to rest.

If you read the papers, or, even worse, rely on radio or television for information, what you're hearing is of about as much intellectual substance as any fairy tale. However, the vast majority of us do not live happily ever after. This is among the lectures describing why that's true.

I've returned it and the replacement copy has the same problem - skipping. It skips so badly that it really is unlistenable.

The parts I could listen I enjoyed very much.

His arguments are very enlightened and his wit is acid sharp. He exposes the true nature of the markets and the tactics used by the wealthy to appropriate more wealth. This audio CD is well worth the money.

While Noam Chomsky has written many books on both politics and linguistics, he is at his best during interviews or speeches. Chomsky has a talent for making complicated, intellectual issues accessible to the listener (or reader of his interviews.) This CD focuses on capitalism and it's flaws.