Learning the Chomsky methods of geopolitics

 

Learning the Chomsky methods of geopolitics

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYHQcXVp4F4

On Being Truly Educated

Not what they cover in a class but what YOU uncover

To question doctrines, formulate questions and be able to pursue answers; beyond memory, know research methods, cooperation,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CFwSQiTu3I

What We Really Want

Material comfort is no. 1. Beyond library, work, study, we’d like to watch entertainment and eat and just selfish+material comfort.=advertising directs people to superficial consumption – children targeted, despite not having money, but they nag. Baseball used to have no ads in the stadium. Actually, humans wish to be independent, creative, and work in coal mine for dignity, rather than social security and shopping. Unnaturally sloshed to become sth lesser than what they want to be. Want dignity rather than industrial/wealth. Wage labour is slavery. Artisans are different. Human nature can also be contrived with effort. Uninformed, irrational choices are supported despite market economy originally striving for rational and informed consumers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiCeqySVhCE

on Trump, Capitalism, and the U.S. Role in the New Cold War

Reagan – gov is the problem not the solution – it’s accountable to the public – decisions have to be handed over to private power = foundation principle of neoliberalism

US unprepared for pandemic – response team dismantled, research cooperation with chinese counterparts killed off, we know what to do but we have to DO IT. Further pandemics to come.

Fake news – one attributed to Chomsky stating that the virus was created in a us lab and circulated – people wrote thank you for finally telling the truth! Thatcher – society doesn’t exist, just individuals tossed into market to somehow survive – marx criticised those who treated people like a sack of potatoes – can’t resist or anyth. Concentrated private power – Reagan and thatcher demolished labour unions first, eliminating means to organise and act collectively to drive decisions – all becomes private. Most wealth is in hands of a few. Obama was a hope, but then housing bubble crashed, and congress had to pass 2 parts – 1. Bail out the banks who’d done evil actions, 2. Support those who’ve lost everything – only one was passed, and people were very angry. A media watcher. China as a dominant power in asia, but not like the old days of imperialism. International relations – the world is run like a mafia. The godfather can smash up the small states that don’t pay protection money. China still way behind, particularly since US military is worth the 10 countries below it, and Russia is stronger too. Sean Star of HK, wealth concentrated in multinational corps. 50% of the world’s wealth is in the hands of US multinationals, in every category – retail to finance. China’s wealth doesn’t stay there. Most apple phones are made in China but the profit goes to foxconn, with most back to apple. Apple uses Ireland to avoid paying taxes – made legally possible after Reagan. Apple diverts money to financial rather than R&D. negative effects on economy. WTO, free trade is a joke. IP patents monopolise drugs. Same for climate and nuclear weapons – countries must cooperate rather than cold war. Negotiation and diplomacy not force. Allowing china to develop – we all benefit. But leaders pursue their own interests. US vs China on HK Taiwan, Vietnam etc – repression has to be reduced but not by force. Cuba and US history of warfare, overthrowing and economic strangulation, also threats to any other countries who may support Cuba. History – Monroe – domination of western hemisphere. Change has to be from within US – people have to know. Humanitarian aid treated as a crime. Trump sent paramilitaries rather than the army to Portland, but they withdrew due to white men and women, and instead destroyed an aid centre in the desert for refugees. Thankfully 2/3 support BLM, and juries won’t convict those who leave water for refugees. Books on the media – half of republicans think they have the right to close down the media if they don’t like them it’s dangerous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfG5IyMc89w

slaves and colonisation, wars in each year of US history – cotton created prosperity. Value judgement – US has done more good than bad? Many crimes. Depends who you ask, and about where? Blacks and Latinos. Post-Stalin Europe under Russia was better than US Latin America rule. Cambridge companion on cold war book chapter by Coates. Japan’s recovery was due to Korean and Vietnam wars. They served as backup and didn’t get poured in money by the US. Japanese democratisation horrified US and so they reversed it by 1947. They didn’t want radical stuff like working people etc. after WW2, Russia had half of Europe while US had the other. By getting the colonies in Asia back, primary materials could be sourced, and US made Europe rely on oil rather than coal. To get veto power over allies. And American multinationals expanded into Europe. Is US the captain right now? Not perfect, but are they better than alternatives? Or is it possible for no leader to exist? Certainly for Vietnam, after they became free it should have been left alone rather than be ravaged. It didn’t need to be, since the message had already been sent by Indonesia’s dictator occurring due to US desire for materials on the outer islands. Independence was not a risk anymore. Israeli and Palestinian conflict is historical and complex, but one cannot say that one has done more to befriend. Truth is the opposite of propaganda. Use AU and China as analogy for some points: if Jewish were the Chinese, and owned 7% of land, is it right for them to then demand 55% of the land? Ridiculous for Australians! If Chinese used to live in AU 2.5k yrs ago, and now return to claim it, it’s also ridiculous. Organised violence under the state system is hugely violent. For an author to state that the modern age has less violence than the past is wrong unless talking about post-1945. 95% of past society was hunter gatherer. Europeans later recognised after WW2 that they’d destroy themselves if war continued. Pinker’s better angels of our nature seeks to place the Enlightenment as the saviour – rather, it was the cause of all bloodshed – 80 million people. Look at facts not nice ideas. Having sensitivity, political correctness fundamentally is to overcome racism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs-k1npk0Q8

deaths of despair in the working class. Anger resentment contempt of institutions. With confidence, trump’s performance manages to befriend the trampled and benefit the rich. 40 yrs of policies destroyed the people. Democrats left the working class in the 70s. Humphrey Hawkins act which wasn’t vetoed by Carter but only watered down to meaningless. And Obama not implementing the second half of helping those who lost everything but only ridiculing it in the few discussions on it, gave away the voters to trump. Guru Milton friedman, special rights are granted to corporations but his 1981 articles says self-enrichment is the only goal, no other responsibilities. 47 trillion given to the wealthy from general population. Tax havens shell companies legalised. Evidence is only from leaks like Panama papers. Congress doesn’t want to see data. OTA and NAFTA thrown out. Trump threw out all the remaining science. Structural problems we face today. We have opportunity to accept social responsibility but we’re also distracted by perverse incentives. Being a criminal or exploiter, slave owner, aggressor, with much to gain and positions of power. But some people also care about the common good. Prophets of the bible, and false prophets who were praised and later condemned, and pattern repeats. And now false prophets are technocratic/meritocratic intellectuals – articulate views and ideas of people in power. Critics and dissidents – marginalised or killed/imprisoned, tortured. Natural history. Dreyfusards as the origin of the term ‘intellectual’, and the average guy only looks at surface while the wild men in the wings, criticise, its aims and motives, and look at internal docs and plans. Work for common good or be a rich corp lawyer. A choice. In hard sciences, rational and evidence is important, but others – less disciplines – we know less, power interests have a greater effect. But don’t accept it! 2003 SARS – the aftermath of ours will be similar, and sbd has to roll the ball. Anti-free trade free trade agreements protecting the medical related professions. Most research for vaccines etc is done in public sector, funded by government. Public can’t share the profits. Once done, you hand over to private tyrannies. They market and profit. Happens in all domains – e.g. yr computer. Everything is ready for action except capitalist logic=don’t waste money on sth you make little profit from. Senate passes laws for the super rich, doesn’t deliberate on laws from the house, and staffing of the courts with young ultra right lawyers who block anything for a generation. Regardless of the public, these ultra reactionary policies persist, activists seek change beyond merely changing people but not the overall structure. They must ask, how can proposals be formulated so that policies will create public understanding and support? Not just to make oneself feel good and alienate people. Feel good vs do good tactics. Feel good get rid of police – impossible, or take away responsibilities that others could do better and police should never have had – community /defund but increase pay = do good tactics. Activists often die away because they’ve ignored those they protest for, and create anger and only feel good themselves. Create constructive consequences. Cancel culture – good gift for the one who’s cancelled. Doesn’t increase understanding. Should allow them and do counter meetings. Turn into an educational opportunity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W1gCzbQr2k

 neoliberal assault, deep state assaulting our saviour trump – every court case he loses makes him more powerful. McConnell as senator will make things very difficult, if it’s not in his hands it’ll never pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Huy82PVaCzs

most are unrepresented in politics, and robbed, for it’s the donors that matter. Soulful corps. Worker owned enterprises – lincoln’s republican party stated wage labour is like slavery – worker representation on management boards. Many options. Organisers should have gone down to the border and appealed in Spanish that the fossil fuels have to be changed but that they will have a better future as a result and will be supported in the transition. Instead they were ignored, for they aren’t their constituency so trump was voted for. Can working class work together – either those on the left, who don’t work for the labour movement, or those on the right who fake-pander for those workers and the struggles corp execs face, tax scam and stem etc there’s no alternative – democrats for the rich, republicans speaking nice friendly words but stabbing backs – who to vote for? Or just abstain? Frustration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUWmTXkpHjE

on Jung, Wittgenstein, and Gödel

some ideas can’t be in words. Only loosely conveyed. Temporary wage slavery. Slogan of major working class. Beginning of industrial revoln. Not to be subjected to a ruler. Unravel the subservience that covers our true forgotten autonomy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lcDT_-3v2k

science doesn’t have to tell us human nature, which it can reveal nil about. whether one wants to rule over a world of slaves, or mutual benefit/aid/support – which one is taught by schools? Trump is of the former, and they pulled out of COVAX. And just selfishly getting the vaccines also doesn’t mean getting it for the poor in US. Others create shelters. Schools train for obedience and passivity. Teaching to test. Forced to take a course you’re not interested in. get an A and 2 weeks later forget all about it. Passive automaton who follows orders, de-schooling is not the right way. It has to be a creative experience, developing abilities. No such thing as good student in dewey schools. Everyone encouraged to do their best. Structure not funding. School was fun. In academic oriented schools, schools are a burden. Defunding public sector means students move off to private schools. Less democracy. Less development of educated people. Raise tuition, attract foreign students to pay for full, classes to adjunct, but in sciences, creative education is done, against strong pressures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeWWz4y1coU

state media in US doesn’t exist. Academics defend status quo and not change. Online education removes peers, you learn more from peers than sitting there.

With Foucault, FR and EN with translator worked well in the end, and it was not so much a debate – rational discourse on many serious issues with which most agreed. They walked in the country side a lot too.

With Ali G, BBC wanted to make comedy, and so he didn’t take it seriously.

What in postmodernism is not a triviality cloaked in policy, or is false,

Routine – get up early , take out dogs, read news, read emails,

Books, internet not libraries and microfilm.

After Vietnam war, right side said it was a noble cause – hawkish, Obama agrees, left side said it’s a blundering attempt to do good but some years later was clearly a mistake. General public polls showed they thought it morally wrong – for US lives lost or perhaps Vietnam?