Chomsky nails it

[Paul Mackin]

On 5/19/2011 12:55 PM, Joseph Tracy wrote:
> A headline from Democracy Now
>
> President Obama is scheduled to deliver an address today billed by 
> aides as his most important on the Middle East since his speech in 
> Cairo in June 2009. Obama is expected to announce billions of dollars 
> in aid for Egypt and Tunisia following criticism of U.S. support for 
> both countries’ former long-term heads of state. A U.S. official said 
> Obama will announce "a single standard," including the renunciation of 
> violence for groups including Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and others 
> seeking engagement with the United States. In response, the MIT 
> linguist and political analyst Noam Chomsky said: "It follows that the 
> U.S. will no longer engage with Israel, which has long relied on 
> violence to impose its will and has highly discriminatory laws and 
> practices targeting [Palestinians]. And the U.S. will not engage with 
> itself, given its longstanding commitment to violence to impose the 
> domestic arrangements of its choice, including political change. Since 
> Obama doesn’t mean that, the 'single standard' is just more of the 
> familiar deceptive rhetoric."
>
> This is the essence of the Chomsky critique; simply reverse the stated 
> standard of behavior and apply it to those in power. Not 
> sophisticated, not reliant on obscure philosophical premises- just 
> good old fashioned do what you say.
>
Chomsky's critique is that the U.S. doesn't live up to it own principles 
or values.  He hasn't happened to notice that in the REAL world (where 
unlike Chomsky Obama is forced to reside) people very often don't live 
up to their principles.

Principles and values are certainly a good thing we can all agree, but 
aren't we also forced to acknowledge that sometimes they cannot be 
followed  to the degree we would like.   Competing principles and values 
intrude.

Take the example of abortion.  Most people probably consider abortion 
wrong to varying degrees.  That's a perfectly good principle.  However a 
majority also probably believe a woman shouldn't have motherhood forced 
upon her if she doesn't want it.  The situation is troubling, but what 
can you do?

I wonder if there's a Mrs. Chomsky.

p



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