Noam Chomsky's America
Leftist activists like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn have spoken at great length about an America that is completely Democratic, in which corporations do not dominate electoral politics or the economy and the American armed forces do not police the world. My question is has the United States ever functioned like that? Did American democracy have a golden age, where it actually did benefit the people, or has it always been unbearably corrupt?
[ 17 April 2008: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]
Sure. 1491 was probably fairly uncorrupt. Then Columbus arrived. Read Howard Zinn in [i]A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present [/i] for more information.
quote:
Originally posted by N.Beltov:
[b]Sure. 1491 was probably fairly uncorrupt. Then Columbus arrived. Read Howard Zinn in [i]A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present [/i] for more information.[/b]
Do you think it's possible to create the kind of United States people like Chomsky and Zinn dream about? Or is it an impossible utopian project? After all, even in the European states. The North American left idolizes (Finland, Sweden, Norway, etc.). There is still a certain amount of corruption and racism.
quote:
Originally posted by CMOT Dibbler:
[b]Do you think it's possible to create the kind of United States people like Chomsky and Zinn dream about? Or is it an impossible utopian project? After all, even in the European states. The North American left idolizes (Finland, Sweden, Norway, etc.). There is still a certain amount of corruption and racism.[/b]
I would be surprised if either Chomsky or Zinn idolized Finland, Sweden, Norway, or Denmark!
By the way, CMOT, corrupt [i]compared[/i] to what other country?
I mean, we can all imagine perfect little utopias and nowhere lands. But that won't get us a flea hop closer to anything, will it?
So get off the couch, slacker!
[Sorry. I couldn't resist the temptation of using your self-description.]
quote:
By the way, CMOT, corrupt compared to what other country?
Ummm...Iceland? [img]redface.gif" border="0[/img] [img]wink.gif" border="0[/img]
They've got their problems as well. The women of Iceland went on strike, for the day I think, as a form of protest against their second class status a number of years ago.
They probably complained that the men were a bunch of slackers! Are you hearing me, CMOT? Put that bong down and give me 20, right now! Ten-hut!
quote:
Originally posted by N.Beltov:
[b]They've got their problems as well. The women of Iceland went on strike, for the day I think, as a form of protest against their second class status a number of years ago.
[/b]
And, of course, they're oppressed by capitalism [img]wink.gif" border="0[/img]
I think the word I'm looking for is anti democratic rather than corrupt. Was there ever a time in the past 200 years when the American government wasn't dominated by corporate interests and the American people participated fully in their democracy?
Noam Chomsky: America Has Built A Global Dystopia
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/noam-chomsky-america-has-built-a-globa...
"In a remarkable two-part interview Chomsky and renowed left-wing thinker Robert Scheer meet to discuss topics ranging from the type of dystopian future we face to the unfortunate, brutal success of the US empire..."
An empire and dystopian future with which Canada has chosen to collaborate not resist.