This note was in response to a private communication re my Chomsky note.
Have you seen the movie ' A Few Good Men"? In it a young military lawyer, played by Tom Cruise, is questioning a crusty old colonel played by Jack Nicholson. Cruise says he wants to get at the truth about a murder and cover up. Nicolson responds with the now famous line: ' You can't handle the truth'. Chomsky relentlessly presents us with the awful truth. And by truth here I mean factual evidence and proof that can't be refuted. eg Nicaraqua. , Haiti, East Timor, El Salvador, Chile... As to his motives I believe it has to do with scientific rigour. He digs and searches until he gets his hands on documents that leave no doubt. And it also has to do with his interest in education. You likely noticed his sarcastic comments that of course students are being taught these facts in history classes in western 'democracies'. I can relate to your sense of helplessness re some of the ' conditions' Chomsky so graphically describes. However I can't seem to ignore the suffering he describes. It has to do with what I teach. I've read and discussed Orwell's 1984 perhaps 10 times with 100's of students. I've just finished reading a recent biography on Orwell and it included a letter by A. Huxley, author of 'Brave New World" (1933). Huxley wrote to Orwell just after 1984 was published (1948). His comments chilled me to the bone. He said that he didn't think the overt oppression described in 84 is necessary in this part of the world. He said an obsession with efficiencies is what he saw as the means to 1984's ends. I also just recently reread the afterword that Erich Fromme wrote in the 1984 special edition of Orwell's novel. Fromme sites many examples of doublethink that are so blatantly obvious to him. >What's so wondrous about Orwellian processes is that they tend to be very >well camouflaged -- part of the normal scenery. Day in and day out, we >take them for granted. And we're apt to stay away from uncharted mental paths. > >In "1984," Orwell wrote about the conditioned reflex of "stopping short, >as though by instinct, at the threshold of any dangerous thought ... and >of being bored or repelled by any train of thought which is capable of >leading in a heretical direction." > >Orwell described "doublethink" as the willingness "to forget any fact that >has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to >draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed." > >In his afterword to "1984," Erich Fromm emphasized "the point which is >essential for the understanding of Orwell's book, namely that >`doublethink' is already with us, and not merely something which will >happen in the future, and in dictatorships." > >Fifty-two years ago, Orwell wrote an essay titled "Politics and the >English Language." Today, his words remain as relevant as ever: "In our >time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the >indefensible." > >Repression and atrocities "can indeed be defended," Orwell added, "but >only by arguments which are too brutal for most people to face, and which >do not square with the professed aims of political parties. Thus political >language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer >cloudy vagueness." > >National security. Western values. The world community. War against >terrorism. Collateral damage. American interests. Tough stuff to swallow, isn't it? I would like to share an anecdote; I find some anecdotes very powerful ( I know Keith put down Ray's 'Charles Dickens' piece because it did not 'prove' anything; however Keith then proceeded to share a personal anecdote to make a point about Britain's chaotic NHS). Perhaps 10 years ago, my University hosted a visitor from El Salvador. She was a petite 50 year old elementary school teacher. She described how 80,000 people had been killed by the death squads. Many of the victims were teachers. Their crime was that they taught children how to read. They used an approach described by Paulo Freire in ' Pedagogy of the Oppressed". During the question and answer period after her talk, I asked her if ,by giving her talk, was she putting herself in danger. She replied of course. I then asked her why she would take such a risk. She said that she hoped her talks would help put an end to the slaughter of her people. She was then asked why she would return to her country. She said because she had to continue to teach young children to read. It was their only HOPE. I was profoundly moved by her stories and especially by her courage. She en-couraged me. Since then I ask all of my English literature students if they know where courage might be found. Many say that certain novels, movies, plays, poetry, songs have greatly influenced them. Examples they mention include: To Kill A Mockingbird, Heart of Darkness, Romero, Cry Freedom, Death of a Salesman, Merchant of Venice,The Wasteland, The Road Less Travelled, Imagine, The Unforgiven. They also mention teachers who changed their lives. I tell them the story of the petite female teacher from El Salvador. Their concerns about all the standardized testing insanity that has gripped the world of education (efficiencies!!) doesn't seem quite so formidable. They might lose their jobs ie Thatcher's ' name, blame, shame and fire' (via Chris Woodhead); but for the time being their lives aren't in jeopardy . Here are a few quotes to ponder as well: Edmund Burke The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion. Miguel de Cervantes The man who fights for his ideals is alive Ralph Waldo Emerson The corruption of man is followed by the corruption of language. Adolf Hitler The great strength of a totalitarian state is that it forces those who fear it to imitate it. I am liberating man from the degrading chimera known as `conscience'. The primitive simplicity of their minds renders them a more easy prey to a big lie than a small one. Success is the sole earthly judge of right and wrong. The victor will never be asked if he told the truth. What luck for rulers that men do not think Thomas Jefferson I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of the country. Samuel Johnson How come we hear the loudest yelps for liberty from the drivers of negroes? Power is gradually stealing away from the many to the few, because the few are more vigilant and consistent. Power is not sufficient evidence of truth. Martin Luther King, Jr. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it. Henry Kissinger Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Baron Lane Loss of freedom seldom happens overnight. Oppression doesn't stand on the doorstep with toothbrush mustache and swastika armband-it creeps up insidiously . . . step by step, and all of a sudden the unfortunate citizen realizes that it is gone. Martin Niemoeller In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up. George Orwell If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. Thomas Reed One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils of this world are to be cured by legislation Enough for now, Brian At 05:47 PM 12/22/2001 -0500, you wrote: >Have been thinking over my last post to you re: Chomsky. > >I think what bothers me about his writings are the following: > >1. In life we run into a number of situations. Some of the situations are >problems and can be solved. Others are conditions we just have to live >with. Geological faults, aging and winter are conditions. Other things are >problems and can be solved: do I sell my car, do we build a community >centre, what about trafic plans and patterns in the city, etc. > >2. Great powers do great good and great harm The US is no different. It >has done great harm. Chomsky seizes on that harm and writes with a >religious zeal about the harms done by the US. He has appointed himself a >one man band fighting for the US to change its ways. I think he is fighting >a condition, not a problem. He is drawing attention to himself. Which is >maybe really what he wants after all. (Compare Chomsky to Ralph Nader. >Nader really takes on problems and single-handedly brought change to the >world viz, the auto industry and running for Pres on the Green ticket.) > >3. There is an arrogance of righteous indignation about Chomsky's >work....and it goes on and on with the same themes no matter which condition >he is writing about. The words are pretty much the same, the righteous >indignation as well. May be this is an aspect of religiousity, dealing with >conditions by telling people to mend their ways. > >Hope this helps. I don't think Chomsky is seeking truth, I think he is >seeking more of the spotlight for Chomsky. Perhaps another sort of truth. > > > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Brian McAndrews [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >Sent: Friday, December 21, 2001 12:23 PM >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Chomsky's perception of truth > > >I'm thinking about starting a winter term course with the following >article. Following the reading I will begin our conversation by >asking my future high school English teachers if they think Chomsky >is right. And then we might explore what would count as evidence and >proof one way or the other. And then what they would do differently >as teachers if Chomsky is speaking the truth. What do you think? > > http://www.zmag.org/GlobalWatch/chomskymit.htm > >Brian McAndrews
