Collateral Language
Noam Chomsky examines the use of language during wartime. Reports in the corporate media reveal another victim of the invasion of Iraq: language. The use of words is a powerful tool in shaping public opinion. In military briefings repeated by the media, we have “collateral damage” instead of civilian deaths. There was no assassination attempt on Saddam Hussein; the military took advantage of a “leadership target of opportunity.” A “coalition of the willing” is a coalition of the bribed and coerced. It all makes the bloody reality of war a more palatable sell to the American public.
Interviewed by David Barsamian.
Recorded at KGNU.
Speaker
Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky, by any measure, has led a most extraordinary life. In one index, he is ranked as the eighth most cited person in history, right up there with Aristotle, Shakespeare, Marx, Plato, and Freud. His contributions to modern linguistics are legendary. In addition to his pioneering work in that field, he has been a leading voice for peace and social justice for many decades. Chris Hedges says he is “America’s greatest intellectual” who “makes the powerful, as well as their liberal apologists, deeply uncomfortable.” The New Statesman calls him “the conscience of the American people.” He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT and Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Haury Chair in the Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona. At 97, though having health setbacks, he continues to inform and inspire people all over the world. He is the author of scores of books, including Masters of Mankind, Consequences of Capitalism, Chronicles of Dissent, and Notes on Resistance. He is co-author with Edward Herman of Manufacturing Consent. His latest books are The Myth of American Idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World and Surviving the 21st Century.
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