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"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not himself become a monster. And when you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you"
Friedrich Nietzsche
"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."
From 1984
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw
"And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom"
Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings
"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."
From 1984
"If you feed a terrorist or fund a terrorist, you're a terrorist."
George W. Bush
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist"
Dom Helder Camara
"It is arguable that the success of business propaganda in persuading us, for so long, that we are free from propaganda is one of the most significant propaganda acheivments of the twentieth century."
Alex Carey
"Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the [U.S.] media "
Noam Chomsky
"An important fact about our intellectual culture is that people can read and write about our long-term policies of defending market democracy from the Communist threat without laughing. That takes no little talent. It is real tribute to the educational institutions and the information system."
Noam Chomsky
"The mass media are not a solid monolith on all issues. Where the powerful are in disagreement, there will be a certain diversity of tactical judgments on how to attain generally shared aims, reflected in media debate. But views that challenge fundamental premises or suggest that the observed modes of exercise of state power are based on systemic factors will be excluded from the mass media even when elite controversy over tactics rages fiercely."
Noam Chomsky
"The treatment of refugees in the mass media and by U.S. official action seems to depend, once again, on political-economic-ideological, rather than human rights considerations. The earlier classification of terror in Volume I is fully applicable to the refugees as well: (1) benign (e.g., Burma, where no one cares); (2) constructive (e.g., Latin America, where the flow stems from actions serviceable to U.S. interests); (3) nefarious (Indochina, where the blame can be placed on the evils of Communism-overlooking the insignificant matter of the legacy of U.S. intervention). Refugees of the first and second categories can be shipped back to tyranny or left to rot in oblivion wherever they may land (as long as it is not here). But refugees of the third category call forth stirring cries of indignation, editorial denunciation, passionate speeches in the halls of Congress, outraged protest from spokesmen for human rights, and moving words-rarely deeds-of compassion in keeping with the lofty traditions of Western humanism."
Noam Chomsky
"Deluded and manipulated by the system. We're not analyzing the media on Mars or in the eighteenth century or something like that. We're dealing with real human beings now who are suffering and dying and being tortured and starving because of policies that we are involved in, we as citizens of democratic societies are directly involved in and are responsible for, and what the media are doing is ensuring that we do not act on our responsibilities, and that the interests of power are served, not the needs of the suffering people, and not even the needs of the American people who would be horrified if they realized the blood that's dripping from their hands because of the way they are allowing themselves to be deluded and manipulated by the system."
Noam Chomsky
"As long as some specialized class is in a position of authority, it is going to set policy in the special interests that it serves. But the conditions of survival, let alone justice, require rational social planning in the interests of the community as a whole, and by now that means the global community."
Noam Chomsky
"The beauty of the democratic systems of thought control, as contrasted with their clumsy totalitarian counterparts, is that they operate by subtly establishing on a voluntary basis--aided by the force of nationalism and media control by substantial interests--presuppositions that set the limits of debate, rather than by imposing beliefs with a bludgeon. Then let the debate rage; the more lively and vigorous it is, the better the propaganda system is served, since the presuppositions (U.S. benevolence, lack of rational imperial goals, defensive posture, etc.) are more firmly established. Those who do not accept the fundamental principles of state propaganda are simply excluded from the debate (or if noticed, dismissed as "emotional," "irresponsible," etc.)."
Noam Chomsky
"The general subservience of the articulate intelligentsia to the framework of state propaganda is not only unrecognized, it is strenuously denied by the propaganda system. The press and the intelligentsia in general are held to be fiercely independent, critical, antagonistic to the state, even suffused by a trendy anti-Americanism. It is quite true that controversy rages over government policies and the errors or even crimes of government officials and agencies. But the impression of internal dissidence is misleading. A more careful analysis shows that this controversy takes place, for the most part, within the narrow limits of a set of patriotic premises. Thus it is quite tolerable--indeed, a contribution to the propaganda system--for the Free Press to denounce the government for its "errors" in attempting "to defend South Vietnam from North Vietnamese aggression," since by so doing it helps to establish more firmly the basic myth: that the United States was not engaged in a savage attack on South Vietnam but was rather "defending" it. If even the hostile critics adopt these assumptions, then clearly they must be true."
Noam Chomsky
"I�m not a charismatic speaker, and if I had the capacity to be one I wouldn�t. I�m really not interested in persuading people. What I like to do is help people persuade themselves."
Noam Chomsky
"More generally, people have little specific knowledge of what is happening around them. An academic study that appeared right before the presidential election reports that less than 30 percent of the population was aware of the positions of the candidates on major issues, though 86 percent knew the name of George Bush's dog. The general thrust of propaganda gets through, however. When asked to identify the largest element of the federal budget, less than 1/4 give the correct answer: military spending. Almost half select foreign aid, which barely exists; the second choice is welfare, chosen by 1/3 of the population, who also far overestimate the proportion that goes to Blacks and to child support. And though the question was not asked, virtually none are likely to be aware that `defense spending' is in large measure welfare for the rich. Another result of the study is that more educated sectors are more ignorant--not surprising, since they are the main targets of indoctrination. Bush supporters, who are the best educated, scored lowest overall"
Noam Chomsky
"It is only in folk tales, children's stories, and the journals of intellectual opinion that power is used wisely and well to destroy evil. The real world teaches very different lessons, and it takes wilful and dedicated ignorance to fail to perceive them. "
Noam Chomsky
"It is probable that the most inhuman monsters, the Himmlers and the Mengeles, convince themselves that they were engaged in noble and courageous acts."
Noam Chomsky
"A further effect of state terror [is] to drive many people to join the guerrillas�.But this too is a victory for the US, since it shifts the struggle away from the political arena, where the US and its clients are weak, to the arena of force and violence, where they reign supreme. Furthermore, as state terror undermines the opportunities for peaceful organization and meaningful political action, its victims either submit or turn to violence themselves; and as state terror mounts they are likely to lose their popular support because they cannot defend the population and because they may be driven to adopt more brutal methods, either in self-defense or as the advocates of force gain positions of dominance in an escalating struggle that is restricted by the outside power to the military dimension. These consequences can then be exploited by the propaganda system to provide retrospective justification for the initial resort to violence that is responsible for them, in the familiar manner already discussed. The dynamics are obvious, and undoubtedly are well-understood by US planners and propagandists, who have ample experience in these matters."
Noam Chomsky
"That's true, I agree with him. The intellectual tradition is one of servility to power, and if I didn't betray it, I'd be ashamed of myself."
Noam Chomsky on being accused of betraying the intellectual tradition
"The educated classes have mostly supported the propaganda apparatus throughout history, and when deviation from doctrinal purity is suppressed or marginalized, the propaganda machine generally enjoys great success. This was understood by Hitler and Stalin, and to this day both closed and open societies pursue and reward the complicity of the educated class."
Noam Chomsky
"People who are sophisticated enough to apply class analysis and trace actions to their economic roots should apply the same kind of analysis to intellectuals and their interests... If it is plausible that ideology will in general serve as a mask for self-interest, then it is a natural presumption that intellectuals, in interpreting history or formulating policy, will tend to adopt an elitist position, condemning popular movements and mass participation in decision making, and emphasizing rather the necessity for supervision by those who possess the knowledge and understanding that is required (so they claim) to manage society and control social change."
Noam Chomsky
"As a final example of this failure of skepticism, consider the remarks of Henry Kissinger in concluding his presentation in a Harvard-Oxford television debate on American Vietnam policies. He observed, rather sadly, that what disturbs him most is that others question not our judgment but our motives�a remarkable comment on the part of one whose professional concern is political analysis, that is, analysis of the actions of governments in terms of motives that are unexpressed in official propaganda and perhaps only dimly perceived by those whose acts they govern. No one would be disturbed by an analysis of the political behavior of Russians, French, or Tanzanians, questioning their motives and interpreting their actions in terms of long-range interests, perhaps well concealed behind official rhetoric. But it is an article of faith that American motives are pure and not subject to analysis. Although it is nothing new in American intellectual history�or, for that matter, in the general history of imperialist apologia�this innocence becomes increasingly distasteful as the power it serves grows more dominant in world affairs and more capable, therefore, of...unconstrained viciousness....We are hardly the first power in history to combine material interests, great technological capacity, and an utter disregard for the suffering and misery of the lower orders. The long tradition of naivete and self-righteousness that disfigures our intellectual history, however, must serve as a warning to the Third World, if such warning is needed, as to how our protestations of sincerity and benign intent are to be interpreted."
Noam Chomsky
"In every society, there will emerge a caste of propagandists who labor to disguise the obvious, to conceal the actual workings of power, and to spin a web of mythical goals and purposes, utterly benign, that alledgedly guide national policy. A typical these of the propaganda system is that 'the nation' is an agent in international affairs, not special groups within it, and that 'the nation' is guided by certain ideals and principles, all of them noble."
Noam Chomsky
"Another poll revealed that "faith in God is the most important part of American's lives." Forty percent "said they valued their relationship with God above all else"; 29 percent chose "good health" and 21 percent "happy marriage." Satisfying work was chosen by 5 percent, respect of people in the community by 2 percent. That this world might offer basic features of a human existence is hardly to be contemplated. These are the kinds of results one might find in a shattered peasant society. Chiliastic visions are reported to be particularly present among blacks; again, not surprising, when we learn from the New England Journal of Medicine that "black men in Harlem are less likely to reach the age of 65 than men in Bangladesh.""
Noam Chomsky
"Several moral issues arise in protests concerning atrocities and violations of human rights. If the purpose of such protests is self-aggrandizement, service to one's state, establishing credentials with one's compatriots or deity, or other self-serving motives, then it is clear how to proceed; join the chorus of protests organized by the government or the media with regard to the iniquity of the current enemies of the state. Such protest may be directed towards genuine abuses of human rights, but it is at the moral level of protest for pay. Suppose some Russian intellectual condemns U.S. behavior in Chile and Vietnam. What he says may be quite true, but we do not admire his courage or moral integrity. Similar remarks apply here, and for the very same reasons."
Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman
"The phenomenon has long been familiar. In a study conducted for the group of historians who enlisted in the service of the U.S. government in World War I, Victor S. Clark concluded that the "voluntary co-operation of the newspaper publishers of America resulted in a more effective standardization of the information and arguments presented to the American people, than existed under the nominally strict military control exercised in Germany.""
Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman
"The mass media everywhere tend to serve the important interests that dominate the state and select and suppress facts so as to convey the impression that national policy is well-intentioned and justified. Much the same is true, quite commonly, of those areas of academic scholarship that deal with contemporary affairs or social issues. The difference between a society with official censorship (e.g. the Soviet Union) and one without (the United States) is real and significant, but the extent and especially the policy consequences of such differences are often overrated. There is a corresponding tendency to underestimate the significance of self-censorship and the strength of the underlying factors that make for unified mass media support for foreign policy-notably, the force of nationalism, government pressure and resources, and the overlap and community of interest among government, media, and business leaders, who jointly dominate state policy-making. Thus, if the dominant interests of a free society call for a policy of foreign aggression, the mass media will voluntarily mobilize the population as effectively as under a fully censored system."
Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman
"CNN is one of the participants in the war. I have a fantasy where Ted Turner is elected president but refuses because he doesn't want to give up power."
Arthur C. Clarke
"It seemed to me that a newspaper is always a weapon in somebody's hands, and I never could see why it should be shocking that the weapon should be used in what its owner conceived to be his best interest. The hired journalist, I thought, ought to realize that he is partly in the entertainment business and partly in the advertising business -- advertising either goods, or a cause, or a government. He just has to make up his mind whom he wants to entertain, and what he wants to advertise. The humbug and hypocrisy of the Press begin only when newspapers pretend to be "impartial" or "servants of the public". And this only becomes dangerous as well as laughable when the public is fool enough to believe it."
Claud Cockburn
"It's to the point where Brit Hume, the ABC correspondent at the White House, plays tennis with George Bush.... You find these relationships are so close that reporters don't challenge the subjects of their stories, they just tell you what the government is saying. In other words, they have become stenographers for power and not journalists."
Jeff Cohen
"The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media."
William Colby, former director of the CIA in "Derailing Democracy" by Dave Mcgowan, published by Common Courage Press
"If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things."
Rene Descartes
"Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress."
Thomas A. Edison
"Private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information. It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights."
Albert Einstein
"Every intellectual who is called before one of the committees ought to refuse to testify; i.e., he must be prepared for jail and economic ruin, in short, for the sacrifice of his personal welfare in the interest of the cultural welfare of his country. [If such a program is not adopted then] the intellectuals of this country deserve nothing better than the slavery which is intended for them."
Albert Einstein, during the McCarthy Era
"People wish to be settled: only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool."
Richard Feynman
"The enemy aggressor is always pursuing a course of larceny, murder, rapine and barbarism. We are always moving forward with high mission, a destiny imposed by the Deity to regenerate our victims while incidentally capturing their markets, to civilize savage and senile and paranoidal peoples while blundering accidentally into their oil wells or metal mines"
John T. Flynn
"De flesta m�nniskor [...] �r som fallande l�v som dalar och sv�var och v�nder sig i luften innan de sjunker till marken. Andra - fast det �r inte m�nga - �r som stj�rnorna som g�r sina fastst�llda banor, ober�rda av vinden, och har sina lagar och sina banor fastst�llda inom sig sj�lva."
Fr�n Siddharta av Hermann Hesse, s 59
"De flesta politiska debatter kan l�sas genom att titta i nationalencyklopediens ordbok"
The One and only Me!
Latest update: 2003-10-04
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