I agree Helen. Noam is that rare bird these days, a leftist who can think AND who is NOT ignorant. I've seen this video. It's especially good, IMO, when the future soldiers of America from Philosophy 201 at West Point get to ask questions. Brush up on what Article 51 of the U.N. Charter is first.
Thanks for stopping by at my blog, BZ. Your presence is appreciated.
whoa!! i think you are doing yourself a HUGE dis-service by thinking that military personnel, particularly those coming from the service academies of the united states, are "uneducated."
west point and annapolis (and i assume the air force academy as well, but i do not know anyone who attended there) do not summarily spew out right wing ideologues. while there are certainly a lot of people who classify themselves as 'of the right' who send their kids there, teach there and study there, it's not a given that that it is the case in all instances. just the fact that west point invites someone like chomsky to speak on war says something.
the scholastics at west point and annapolis are as rigorous and challenging as the military and physical training. and, something you might find suprising, they are very much in the tradition of a classic, intellectually challenging and broad-based liberal arts education. This is something which, paradoxically (and extremely unfortunately), is swiftly disappearing as an educational option for the children of the middle class.
i consider myself "left of center" ... but believe me, if i had a kid, and he or she qualified for and had the desire to attend one of the service academies, they would be there in a flash.
I just have a hard time understanding how someone who has read philosophy, read Chomsky, knows their history, and is educated can still fall into line and become a soldier. Where does that drive to kill come from? I guess I have to start understanding that some of these people actually believe that what they are doing is right, but that seems absurd for anyone who understands the history of the US government. How can you study Chile in 1972, or Iran in 1953 or Indonesia under Suharto and still believe in the idea that the US is fighting for freedom?
Unless, of course, we understand that these soldiers are aware that the US is an Empire, and they are at West Point to help promote the very imperialism they study. They are not the grunts or the kids from the Bronx and other poor towns getting killed. These kids are the brains behind the empire.
And if there are graduates who are not spewing right wing ideology as you say, where do they go. We could use them on the left to counter the bullshit the military is always spewing.
I love Noam. I will come back & watch this when I have time - have too much to do this a.m. but you can bet I'll watch. He is awe-inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI agree Helen. Noam is that rare bird these days, a leftist who can think AND who is NOT ignorant. I've seen this video. It's especially good, IMO, when the future soldiers of America from Philosophy 201 at West Point get to ask questions. Brush up on what Article 51 of the U.N. Charter is first.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by at my blog, BZ. Your presence is appreciated.
whoa!! i think you are doing yourself a HUGE dis-service by thinking that military personnel, particularly those coming from the service academies of the united states, are "uneducated."
ReplyDeletewest point and annapolis (and i assume the air force academy as well, but i do not know anyone who attended there) do not summarily spew out right wing ideologues. while there are certainly a lot of people who classify themselves as 'of the right' who send their kids there, teach there and study there, it's not a given that that it is the case in all instances. just the fact that west point invites someone like chomsky to speak on war says something.
the scholastics at west point and annapolis are as rigorous and challenging as the military and physical training. and, something you might find suprising, they are very much in the tradition of a classic, intellectually challenging and broad-based liberal arts education. This is something which, paradoxically (and extremely unfortunately), is swiftly disappearing as an educational option for the children of the middle class.
i consider myself "left of center" ... but believe me, if i had a kid, and he or she qualified for and had the desire to attend one of the service academies, they would be there in a flash.
I just have a hard time understanding how someone who has read philosophy, read Chomsky, knows their history, and is educated can still fall into line and become a soldier. Where does that drive to kill come from? I guess I have to start understanding that some of these people actually believe that what they are doing is right, but that seems absurd for anyone who understands the history of the US government. How can you study Chile in 1972, or Iran in 1953 or Indonesia under Suharto and still believe in the idea that the US is fighting for freedom?
ReplyDeleteUnless, of course, we understand that these soldiers are aware that the US is an Empire, and they are at West Point to help promote the very imperialism they study. They are not the grunts or the kids from the Bronx and other poor towns getting killed. These kids are the brains behind the empire.
And if there are graduates who are not spewing right wing ideology as you say, where do they go. We could use them on the left to counter the bullshit the military is always spewing.
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ReplyDelete