I spend my days working at an office, it's secure, it's comfortable, and it's easy. It also makes me miserable. And when it's the weekend and I don't "do something" I hate myself even more. I crave for a sense of accomplishment , a sense of meaning, and a sense of impact.
Fight for the revolution comrade, capitalism is causing unimaginable amounts of pain, but we have been tricked by those who benefit from it, into thinking that the solution is worse. It is not. Abolishing private property is the solution. That's how we end consumerism, that's how we end poverty, wars, the modern slavery of wage labor, and our only hope to develop a society that is sustainable socially, economically, and ecologically. I used to think it was a stupid idea until I actually started looking into it. There has been so much propaganda against it. The ruling class doesn't want to loose their power, they can't allow socialism to exist because it threathens their existence as rulers. I'm bad at motivating people, I probably sound like a cult reader right now, but I'm only asking you to investigate the subject. Educate yourself. Learn the principles of communism/socialism. Learn about Karl Marx, and his analysis of capitalism. It explains in great details the contradictions of this system, and how it will fail. Every single one of his predictions are terrifyingly accurate. There has been problems with previous attempts at socialism, but these problems have been greatly exagerated, their acomplishement are never talked about, and the reason that is often brought up for their flaws (communism itself) has most of the time not much to do with communism. The millions of deaths and the immense suffering caused by capitalism meanwhile, is mostly ignored, or normalized. But don't listen to me, keep an open mind and go search for yourself, this is where you will find a sense of meaning, something pure and worth fighting for in this fucked up world
You should consider getting a job in the arts (even an office job, if you're nervous to stray too far from that - in a live theater, you will still be making an impact, because you'd be helping a team of people bring the arts to people in your city); in a theater, museum, concert hall, etc., learn a craft; carpentry/woodworking, baking, cooking, metalworking, etc., learn something artistic; acting, dance, painting, singing, etc. or become a teacher of something you're passionate about, either to kids or adults. There are also jobs that are very useful and needed in society that are not the arts, like being a firefighter, working in a hospital, working in local government, etc. I think you probably lean toward having an interest in one of the things I mentioned and can explore one as a hobby, volunteer, intern or part time position on weekends at a hospital or interning at a theater, or working on a local political campaign, taking classes in something artistic you're curious about trying, etc. see if you might want to do something similar more full time. Think of your boring weekends as two days to take acting classes or volunteer at a hospital or work on a campaign or teach something or make something. Trying things and getting into something is often what leads people to develop a passion of they didn't previously have one. I have faith that you will find your passion and your calling in this life. Good luck! Don't give up! You can really do almost anything. Just try different things if you're not sure what you're into and your passion will develop and lead the way.
Good for you that you can at least see this and realize it. You will change it. The title is bad but I recommend: “Think and grow rich” by Napoleon Hill. Anything worth doing is worth doing to perfection.
But who is to say what is a irrational choice or not ? If you proclaim to be rational and to know what is and what isn´t a rational choice concerning consumption then you are rather smug and believe your superior.
It is, just be sure to properly critic his work and look for flaws on it as much as you can. Else you will find yourself with a new dogma and nothing much learned. For instance the suggestion than the rich purposely engineer the life of the poor without immersing themselves into it is ludicrous. Isn't it possible that the "poor", the majority have an equal pull over them by determining what is popular and what is not. Look at the entertainment industry right now. It is obvious that they cant push whatever they want and make it be culture defining. Isn't also the consumer the ultimate arbiter of what culture becomes? Aren't also huge corporation dancing to the whim of the average consumer wants? I see blockbuster films losing millions left and right, because they push politics, or just doesn't have "it". I think this ideas are a good point to start, but a far cry of a true representation of reality. That is simply too complex for ape minds to fully grasp. But that wont stop us for trying. Closer to truth even a few steps is better than farther isn't it? To what I say: Maybe.
@@klaussone You're pretty much describing Dialectical Materialism. The concept that the material (money put forth in advertisment) shapes the culture (what people like), and then that culture shapes how future advertisiment money is allocated.
@@sudovirus3285 Its one of many possibilities. Consider that one doesn't have all the factors to properly evaluate every situation, leave only the sensible assumption that other similarly plausible possibilities are also likely as long as they really are plausible.
he is Human and all the rest is not so important. But yes, I know the difference about what you mentioned. In general, I divide people by good and bad and not by religion, skin colour, etc. so by his words I put him in a basket of people of good will
@@DrDress He's a political dope. Chomsky does a bad job of understanding Realpolitik. He does an even worse job of understanding the fundamental difference between trying to kill civilians and accidentally killing civilians in pursuit of those who are trying to kill other civilians . Despite his claims otherwise, he's more or less the last survivor of a group of intellectuals who thought systemic political violence and totalitarian control were essentially good things. He babbles about human rights all the time, but when you look at the regimes and groups he's supported or is neutral on in criticism, it’s a very bloody list indeed. Chomsky allows people to feel justified in their refusal to think. They never have to ask themselves any difficult questions or provide any difficult answers. It’s a forum of heavy stats, bias, and intellectual cowardice. Sure, America has meddled, and mucked things up. We have a lot of power, and we've done some stupid things in hindsight. But is America the infinite evil of the world that calls for the annihilation of entire peoples? No. And we have the power to do that on any given day. Would you trust Muslim countries, Russia, or N Korea to behave? No. They would be worse. All countries are selfish and this is not to excuse America but it’s knee-jerk haters are not on mark. It's OK to call a bad game when you see it. But his entire rhetoric is basically anti America and that incites the nuts in the world. If we are the bad guys, then i guess he wants us to hand over the reigns of control to the other worst guys? I want our bastards in power. We would have taken over Mexico and Canada if we were Russia. The US is not that nice but there are much worse places. If Chomsky mentioned that the US had decent intentions on some occasions and at the same time selfish intentions, as all countries do, he might even find a larger audience and I would find the guy to be tolerable. I look at social and political outcomes (casually not professionally) and he is off the charts as far as reaching the average US citizen. But more importantly he might be contributing to agitating and unhinging an already unhinged angry group of people. If the US vanishes, who replaces us? Russia, China, Iran, N Korea?
@@abegohr2576 Nonsense. There are no human races anymore apart from all of us. There is tiny genetical difference between people from different regions adapting to there living conditions the last 2000 - 6000 years. Which is not even a second for evolution. so your statement is based on a completely false asumption. Reaching an old age can be influenced by genetic factors, mattering on if your family has a history of hereditary disease. Other than that the most important factors for reaching an old age are: - a healthy diet - an active life, sport, but not to much or extreme - healthy social relations. There might be other factors for sure, but these are the essentials.
I feel awful that our creativity and potential has been intentionally targeted to fail. I have this mantra that I say everyday: I want not to need and need not to want. This is helping me find out who I am truly, without influence.
But you shouldn't be surprised. There is no exception in history, where the "ruling class", which translates better to those people who have the capacity to use force/violence in ways that will maintain their existing power and expand it where possible. So many people are forced to struggle alone, with what you pointed out: identity. Who am I? And this is a humane question, meaning institutions should be put in place to help you develop "yourself". But, we obviously don't have that. We have abominations like "school", "church", and the like
There is no truly you, it's a void, it's the search of consciousnesses itself. Also impossible without influences, humans are social animals, we create ourselves through others (how you learn language, logic, to walk, etc). You do not exist in a vacuum. But you won't learn this from Chomsky.
is disappointing our wants have been manufactured ... we would like believe that we are making choices of our own volition regarding our purchases and lifestyles... when in fact everyone of them is marketed to us from snobby wine taster to communal hippie. resistance is futile...
@Renkinjutsushi Yes, much of what we are as individuals is a social construct - we are what we are in relation to others and our social environment. But although Chomsky may not be not explicit about the social construct of self, I see that concept as implicit in many of his arguments. E.g. considering 'dignity' as a human need.
WHICH people aren't 'just selfish'? Who doesn't want to be selfish at times and dignified (whatever that means) at other times? But there is a lot of money in promoting selfishness, and not much money in promoting 'making do with less'.
No, people are in fact just selfish. Every single decision you make is based on some aspect of selfishness, whether it be for gratification or avoiding negative emotion.
DoJo Starfox i had a talk with a friend who also has a similar perspective, I'm not sure if avoiding negative emotion can be looked at as selfish, is wanting to be happy selfish or would wanting to be happy at the expense of others selfish, i thought there was a difference there. I don't think both should be looked at as selfish as it has a more negative connotation.
I'm amazed that Wallace Shawn asked such an interesting philosophical question phrased in a relatable way. And even more impressed that Noam Chomsky STILL had an analysis to give back that was historically rich and even personable.
I know I’m super late to these comments but Wallace Shawn made a whole movie about having engaging conversations like this called dinner with Andre and it’s pretty much this.
I will occasionally find myself getting obsessively wrapped up in a video game, and while I enjoy it, I do have to recognize and remind myself that it's the false sense of accomplishment that I find most satisfying.
@@alfonsomartineztorres5749 how is it not false? it's happening in your head.. nobody else in the real world gives a shit about your "achievement" pixels.. and most likely the game won't matter to you in a few days/weeks/months/years from now.. time you could have invested in a career.. you literally waste sitting down looking at a painting..
@@ginofoogle6944 Well I guess that is what happiness is, its subjective and we still dont understand this concept of qualia. I dont think its fair to dismiss a video game just coz of a career, At the end of the day the whole point of many careers is to make money and you make money to have more freedom, The video game represents various human needs the need for fantasy, escapism, adventure, achievement and getting away from the mundane world just as with movies and amusement parks. But of course the enlightened individual knows that all these "pleasures" have diminsihing returns and they dont give off everlasting happiness. All pleasures get boring eventually.
video games are not only a waste of time keeping you from growing and learnng. they distract and undermine you from the start. they exploit human weakness like ciggies, booze or crack.
Deep down I don't think Grand has a God damn clue what he's talking about. Sitting at home by yourself watching a show or movie is extremely lonely and depressing. The thing that makes it truly rewarding is sharing that time with people you care about and/or discussions about it with others afterwards.
there are aspects of the human condition which are universal. when talking about human condition, you don't talk about the system because otherwise, you'd be talking about the system and not the human condition
You can blame classical liberal philosophy for that one. Its unproven fundamental principles are just accepted by people, regardless of their political persuasion. What passes as a rational position in western society is just another, relatively new, ideology.
Another reason I'm a fan of Noam Chomsky. He understands most people want to feel useful. They want to work, and feel the dignity that comes from providing for yourself. And people like that deserve to be paid enough to afford a decent lifestyle.
Genuinely! I'm in my 20s and have had to delete my socials because not only do I get bombarded with ads but when I check out what my friends are doing, all they post about are things they want/have, so it's endless ads being forced down your throat! It's almost parody how much the need for commodity comfort is pushed down our throats these days !
been out of work since the banks went under, suffered bad blues for a while, went from a government job to watching day time TV , Chomsky saved my sanity in a way...
bill kingston try your own food/garden, take care of an animal, that is how MAN creates his soul, the system is the free Masonic world of the dead, and only enables the mental/intellectual mind to develop, but their no soul, no heart that inspires the living man to LIVE, he comes a HUman, a type of man...
Look up “internal family systems therapy” it’s got a default secular spiritual part that seems to be a corner of human experience, but doing self ifs def I would say makes the soul
you can die of hunger if you prefer. or you can go into crime. or you can pretend to have some illness of some kind and you get money from people who are working.
Sergio or if the system didn’t kill off all the native Americans and steal the land, we all could grow our own food and be fully responsible for ourselves... why is it so impossible for anyone to think of life outside of the system without money?
Chomsky is so clear-eyed. When he dreams, instead of imagining things, he probably sifts through his mindbase of facts from the hundreds of thousands of books he's read.
Oh, yeah! Billions of trillions super smart books of pure wisdom and knowledge... That's our dear leader! He should not be questioned simply because he is never wrong.
"Get your parents to get this thing for you or you're gonna die, then they get it and you throw it away after 5 minutes." My brother had so many events like this. I can't count the number of special items my parents had to chase down, the last weird trending toy in stock, and how it became forgotten in the closet in a few weeks, the happiness it bought him lasting less time than the misery spent pleading for it. I'm glad I grew up poor and I was the older child who had to suck it up and deal with having less. It made me not give a crap about material trends and instead value a few material things more (because they enable my creativity or passionate interests) and value them in a way that isn't tied to my self esteem. I got lucky I guess. Nothing special about me to make me that way, just deprived I suppose in the right proportions.
Perhaps you agree that deprivation is relative to what people around you have. But you seem to have had the gift of avoiding envy and the desire to consume. I wish you well, and hope this gift becomes more general.
"Deprived in the right proportions" I really like that! My parents were children of the depression and taught me and my siblings the joy of living a life that was simple, but filled with intellectual curiosity.
Christopher Bradley "......And yet for aught I see, they are as sick that surfeit with too much as they that starve with nothing. It is no mean happiness, therefore, to be seated in the mean. Superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer." Shakespeare - The Merchant of Venice.
Fuck. I was like your brother. My family was thoroughly middle class and would buy me every toy I demanded. We even had a whole extra room called "The Toy Room" full of toys and coloring books and the likes that I simply never--or rarely--played with. It was actually kind of cool in a way because I had my own personal forest of "stuff" to go and discover. Who knows what I would or could find in there. But really I was just hording toys. I've come to reflect on and question my decadence as a child. It didn't make me a better person. It made me entitled and spoiled. I kind of live below my potential by a lot. I suppose that led me to middle-class anti-capitalism and Chomsky though because people would guilt me for how "good" I had it and I thought "well, maybe this wouldn't happen if everyone had what I have. Why can't everyone have it as good as I do?" I probably wouldn't have gotten here if I wasn't so materially spoiled. But I don't think it's worth it. I played my family and "won", just as the advertisers intended.
Mr Chomsky is so right!! I worked in the advertising industry as a consumer behaviour insights analyst & media strategist - just the fact that these "job titles" exist and that the marketing machine is FULL of research, researchers, analysts & strategists that earn HIGH salaries (much higher than a teacher, nurse, policeman, soldier, miner, factory worker, construction worker.....) speaks VOLUMES. My job was specifically to take research statistics and find out what people buy, what they desire, how & where they live (type & size of home, appliances, etc), their attitudes & desires, how & what time of day they travel, specific magazines, TV stations, websites, time of day, how long they spend commuting, purchase behaviours & patterns, ... to statistically define exactly when & where & how impactfully advertiser's can target consumers (us y'all) and are likely to be most receptive to the advertised message. Then it was specifically to analyse the media options, cost out the correct 'weight' of campaign to deliver a given level of sales/profits to a marketer and negotiate the price of that campaign down to the lowest level. And post analyse it all against success measures. When you see court cases like Zuckerberg and the personal data fiasco and them asking him to change his business model so as to NOT use personal data .....🫣🤣🤣🤣🤣 It's laughable that people as educated and senior as senators have ZERO idea that Google was set up precisely TO derive sellable personal data; so very unaware of the MASSIVE media machine - set up specifically to 'sell' demographic & behavioural data to marketers. Further, these media houses find themselves in powerful situations where they ARE the news. They ARE the conduit to educate & inform people. So they are intimately entwined in the CREATION of the government's & political entities'/individual's social, racial & political agendas. Never before in the history of humankind have humans handed over their 'rights' as an individual free thinker to be manipulated (and frequently consciously manipulated) by the media machine funded & manipulated by powerful companies and entities of 'rule' in our various countries. Beware of things like Zuckerberg's Metaverse. Beware of 'computer chips' (read 'powerful AI) under the skin to increase convenience in your life. You would be 'dead from the neck up' to think this is positive progress. It is now outright marketed personal control of every aspect of your life, including disruption of your neuro network, thought processes and individuality (common access to the Cloud - an artificial reality AR and AI dominated 'space') via marketing the first generation of these technologies as if they are a fun computer game that can interact with your real life - like access to bank accounts, purchasing & management of credit. Eventually, a future 'generation' of Metaverse & AI chips can literally override your independent thought process by messing with the way we collectively experience 'reality' and people who resist or 'deviate' in the desired effect the powerful agents desire (government programme) can literally 'switch you of', deny you access to your bank accounts, deactivate your cards, in the blink of an eye, en masse if they so wished. If you think this is crazy talk, take a clear sighted look around you. It is in place and has been building to this point for a couple of decades.
its real and gross and sneaky af. I wanted to make a comment similar to the second half of yours and then didn't bother knowing that to the majority of people i just sound like a crazy person
I know many ex-eastern block citizens and according to some of them one of the favorite ways of spending a Sunday afternoon for young girls was to dress up and go to a museum and maybe meet some guys there.
That’s what I was thinking, they don’t go to the mall cuz they must spend, they don’t go to the museum because they study antiquities; they go to these places because that’s where their peers are, by societal design, perhaps.
This is a REAL intellectual discussion because I genuinely see both points of view, since both were so clearly and eloquently presented. Most of the time, I'm rolling my eyes at one side or another. It's refreshing when both participants are interested in *listening* to one another. So rare.
let's not forget that based on the evidence and arguments presented, one of these views was rendered illegitimate - to the point maybe of not being considered "intellectual" at all. i wonder if the person asking the question did not exactly believe what he himself purported to believe... but instead was pretending ("acting" one might say) to have his own philosophical foundations and ego dismantled in front of a live audience... something which arguably made an even greater impact on the audience (both the audience in attendance at the event and those who might later watch the exchange on youtube) than Chomsky's words alone could have had. he was very consciously focused on getting to the heart of an important issue and to provoke a particular response from someone very well equipped to respond
Sometimes i find Chomsky a little depressing when he runs through the list of awful things our free democratic countries have been up to. I like this interview because he gives you the opportunity to question yourself, what you do and why... I'm in my mid 50s and when we sit round the table at a cafe, we're all trying to remember, a name or something? Chomsky must be pushing 90 and he's sharp as a needle.... How many books has he written? more than a hundred?
@Mike Girard Have you found that having a supercilious attitude towards those you're trying to help has resulted in the advancement of the cause or a greater promotion of the radicals you prefer?
Then again, he does this for a living. You’re probably very sharp at what you do still! It’s all about training that part of the brain. I find Chomsky more validating than depressing. I am often very critical about the world around me and it depresses me too, so knowing I am not alone in my view of the world and in wanting to change it makes me feel better
I have always hated reading, and school for that matter. However, I find myself watching Chomsky (who has a monotone voice) and lots of political videos for hours. I guess it's because I am actually interested in this and not what I'm learning in school.
I think most human beings just don't want to be forced to learn something... I didn't care about the last 4 years of school at ALL, barely made it through.. and found myself learning pretty much everything taught in school and a lot more in the 2 years after in my free time, suddenly getting interested in things I had never imagined...
Cool---and with all respect, give reading (the good old stuff) another chance. I too had it ruined for me by schools and idiots, but it's like lifting mental weights that very few others take good muscle from...
Anyone interested in what Chomsky is saying towards the end of the clip about "informed consumers making rational choices" - in economics this idea is tightly linked to the concept of asymmetric information, which undermines the effective functioning of free markets and in effect constitutes market failure which means that free markets seize to be effective (and which in theory could justify government intervention). Anyone interested in this, go ahead and study it at uni, we need more people doing research in this field.
Wallace Shawn is so good here. Says the right things to provoke this great response from Chomsky and then just let's him talk. It made me think about how little of My Dinner With Andre is Wallace talking and made me wish that he had had interview series
Chomsky's description/explanation of the human nature was so heart-warming. I guess such realizations is what has given him strength for all these years to carry out his tireless war against the neoliberal agenda. We should all be grateful for having a guide like Chomsky!
Professor Chomsky is so refreshing! I almost completely agreed with the host’s opening statement until Chomsky began to speak. We all need to remember we all are intellectual, productive beings. Hugh efforts are being made every second of our lives to take our mind away from the important matters
"I've had the best possible chance of learning that what the working-classes really need is to be allowed some part in the direction of public affairs, Doctor-to develop their abilities, their understanding and their self-respect." - Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People, English adaptation by Max Faber (1970), act II, p. 28. Mr. Hovstad is speaking
Never thought I’d see the guy who said “Inconceivable!” in The Princess Bride sitting across from Noam Chomsky and asking him a complex philosophical question. But here we are
Chomsky is a person you want to turn the volume up just to make sure you heard every word. Even though there are some outside the norm of what he's saying right now, the point is that Chomsky is amazing.
Thanks to youtube for allowing me to work in the kitchen and simultaniousely listen to those enlightening interviews with the wise men of the world!! love Noam Chimsky!and many others!!love youtube for that opportunity!
All I know is when I hear Noam Chomsky, I realize - I am in love! So happy I was able to see him a couple years ago in an interview with Lawrence Krauss at Arizona State.
I haven't watched a TV ad in years, and these days I barely watch TV at all, just some sports, and I record those events so I can skip the ads. The older I get, the more I hate advertising altogether. I can just sense intuitively how it's an attempt at f---ing up my brain to get me to buy something I don't need. Very unhealthy.
but much of the propagandizing is contained within the CONTENT of the programming, itself (consider the term, "programming", for openers.) What MESSAGES were being communicated in shows like "Leave it to Beaver" or "Father Knows Best"? Teo easy examples where subtlety wasn't the strong suit. But as mass manipulation has become far more subtle & sophisticated, we are more readily sucked in - BEFORE we've watched a single commercial. BEWARE...commercial Radio & Television (along with religion) and now the internet, are marvelous methods of manipulation and crowd control.
@@Laid2Sleep Exactly. Most advertising today isn't just within commercial blocks. Most content today is filled with product placement. Snoopies, just pay attention to what people talk about, what is shown. You can't fully escape it. There's a reason the NBA finals play 6 games. Money & power is behind every media decision.
I’ve only recently discovered Noam Chomsky and have been watching a lot of his videos. I also am going to be reading his books. Manufacturing consent actually should be coming in the mail today and I’m super fucking excited to read it. But I remember saying exactly what Noam said about the human nature being to desire a sense of purpose and self-worth and dignity yesterday. I’d never heard anyone say that before, I kind of just came to that on my own. So I fully agree with what he says there.
knowledge is power. That's why going to the library is really about your material comfort (evolutionarily). It's not just that you rationally know this, it's also what you feel.
Noam Chomsky nails it; I always wanted to simply accomplish creative constructive things, and that this is my natural state of mind. Social forces are what separate me from this most of all
