Keeping the Rabble in Line: Interviews with David Barsamian [Hardcover]

Noam Chomsky (Author), David Barsamian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1994 | ISBN-10: 1567510337 | ISBN-13: 978-1567510331

recent interviews (1992-1994) w/David Barsamian

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Barsamian, the founder of Alternative Radio, and Chomsky, allegedly the most quoted author in the modern era, have forged a symbiotic relationship that manages to distill Chomsky's political philosophies and make them accessible. Barsamian's historically grounded, well-informed and probing questions prompt Chomsky to deconstruct concepts of class, media and economics. Chomsky deftly addresses domestic and foreign conundrums including health care, the recent crime bill and NAFTA. While these interviews span a two-year period and end early in 1994, they remain provocative and timely, with Chomsky's insights on Haiti, Northern Ireland and the Middle East proving especially resonant. Ultimately, Rabble serves as a Chomsky primer that is without condescension, and the question-and-answer format shows him at his most concise and adroit. His criticism exposes democracies as business-run societies that render the general population isolated from politics, persuasively suggesting that we are on the verge of a social breakdown. What sets this work apart from other reluctant messiahs who simply intellectualize suffering, is that Barsamian and Chomsky discuss avenues for activism-strengthening unions, following grassroots organizations or simply reading between the lines. Together they act as a lens, enabling the reader to see what has been there, hidden in plain sight.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Together they act as a lens, enabling the reader to see what has been there, hidden in plain sight." -- Publishers Weekly --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 319 pages
• Publisher: Common Courage Press (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567510337
• ISBN-13: 978-1567510331
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,274,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Chomsky starting point, February 16, 2000

By 

kathy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keeping the Rabble in Line: Interviews with David Barsamian (Hardcover)

Ok, so I read the longish review a couple down from this, and although it seemed to be well laid out, there is one point of reference missing. Noam Chomsky takes no "political" stance against "conservatives", "liberals", "communists", "libertarians" or any other names one can come up with. He seems only to be interested in defending human beings not their ideas, whatever they may be; capitalism, communism or any other faction (I am using "faction" here deliberatly, as all political thought seems to stem from a faction of the larger thought of "control"). Which, if your studying foreign policy, can be very confusing at first, because those classes work under a set of assumptions which includes pitting one abstraction against another. That thought process has one conclusion; death of individuals. Chomsky is patiently repeating this idea to us; giving us example after example of atrocities committed all over the world. This book is a great introduction to understanding how the world works.

Chomsky is an observer, and gives no real answers as to what to do except for this: Individuals need to find out what is wrong and try to fix it. Work on a grassroots level in your community for whatever injustice you witness; and don't give up.

Now, late-capitalism has bloated itself to covering most areas of the earth, either by economic control (i.e. controlling dictatorships with our purse-strings) or out right absorption of every aspect of an individual culture, so I can understand how one may assume that Chomsky aligns himself with an "other." If you read his stuff, and listen to him talk his only alliance (that with humanity) becomes self evident. Find out for yourself.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding insight on a variety of topics, April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Keeping the Rabble in Line: Interviews with David Barsamian (Paperback)

This book was a refreshing alternative to mainstream media coverage of world issues. If your tired of reading the same old "rabble" in the newspaper or watching it on the nightly news, you'll enjoy certainly enjoy this. One can't help but wonder just how out of touch the average citizen is with the true motives behind the decisions made within the corridors of power throughout the world. Mr. Chomsky brings up some good points regarding the economy which just cannot be overlooked. If corporate profits are reaching record levels, wages are stagnant, and social programs are non-existent, then where is all of the money going? Read the book and find out.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite A Lot Published Elsewhere, September 22, 2002

By 

miles@riverside (Indio, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keeping the Rabble in Line: Interviews with David Barsamian (Paperback)

I thought I should mention that about 66% of the material in this book is also contained in the smaller volumes SECRETS, LIES, AND DEMOCRACY and THE PROSPEROUS FEW AND THE RESTLESS MANY. I'm giving RABBLE here 4 stars since that's what I would give the two micro-volumes.

Chomsky has published an impressive quantity of political material, so if you have already read those two micro-books (which I think are easier to find), you might want to skip this one in favor of another.