Customer Reviews

Keeping the Rabble in Line: Interviews with David Barsamian

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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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.

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.

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.

a very good book. In it contains chomskys thoughts on virtually every subject. and excellent introduction to his thoughts

This interview is a lively introduction to Chomsky and what motivates him. Maybe it will motivate you. The most common theme in Chomsky's written work is a concern for the well-being of individuals and maintaining their right to self-determination in spite of elite power structures. This is a point that is frequently overlooked by people who quickly dismiss Chomsky because he "hates America". He doesn't hate America. If you sit down and read through this excellent book of interviews, you will come to know Chomsky as a man who has wholly committed his intellect to understanding the true workings of social and political institutions, and how these institutions can hurt or help individuals, all to try to help people. His strength is his intellect, and he has made it his life project to use his talent for analysis and thought to try to help people.

With Chomsky, it is really about putting up or shutting up. Chomsky draws much attention to the positive change that has come about in the last century because of individuals working together for a common cause of improving human well-being. He advocates for everyone to do the same thing, if they really want change. In the end, people can argue all day from the vantage of nebulous groupings like "conservative," or "liberal," communist, etc... But Chomsky eschews the idea of forming the world to fit an ideology, and instead opts to form his ideology to the world and human nature. For this reason, the interviews can be a bit confusing, as they lack overarching expository organization.

However, this is the world we live in. It is complicated. You could spend a lifetime reading all the books describing the ins and outs of power structures and how they have come to benefit the few at the cost of the many. Or, you can realize that what it comes down to is ceasing to distill reality and human beings into abstractions, and simply getting out and improving the world for other people. That is the most important thing to take away from this book. Chomsky' uncanny intellect and talent for reasoned discourse, and how he chooses to apply it, is inspiring. It motivated me to use my skills and talents to get out and help other people. It's that simple. If all the losers on all the news networks and comment threads got off their microphones and keyboards, went outside, and started improving things for other people, then the world be a less crappy place than it is. Not perfect, just less crappy. Yes, Chomsky talks the nitty gritty about geopolitics and corporate hegemony, but don't miss the forest for the trees. These interviews are really inspiring.