[metaphorm]

Chomsky's politics have gotten him nearly blacklisted by mainstream media sources. They have not impacted his academic career in any meaningful way that I can detect. In fact, they have almost certainly amplified his fame and notoriety amongst academic circles, including in Linguistics, which has similar politics to most of the rest of academia i.e. it is extremely left wing.

as for the man's personality and interpersonal relationships, he is quite calm, even-tempered, and respectful. he is not known for ad hominem attacks or public meltdowns. quite the opposite. he's a bit dry and boring to be honest.

[andreasvc]

He's hugely influential in the field; arguably dominant in a way that is unhealthy for a field. Acolytes will say he's influential because of merit, detractors will say it is because of rhetorical skill, sophistry. I hope there will come a time when press releases no longer breathlessly announce Chomsky's theories falsified for the umpteenth time, but rather actual progress.