Way to throw the hyperbole, Noam. "Right now" doesn't even crack the top five most historically-important periods in the past century, much less all of human history. There are some unusual things going on right now, but the only one that's going to be remembered in a few decades is Covid. By most other metrics, it's business as usual.
From an American perspective, it's absurd to elevate "now" above the Great Depression, World War 2, the Vietnam War, and the massive social and political changes accompanying each, to name just three eras in the past century. Tack on another century, and now doesn't even make it into the textbook.
Yeah, there's never been another moment like this, but that's true always and forever. There are some big things going on all the time. Add them all up, and this is a pretty bland time in the grand scheme of things.
I disagree. Covid is a catalyst, instant communication and misinformation is out of control and as someone who has boots on the ground, I’ve never seen such worry and lack of hope in my life.
There's a bit more to the linked article than the headline.
> Chomsky said the current age is a “point of confluence of severe crises,” including the threat of nuclear war, climate change, a raging pandemic, economic depression and racial unrest in the United States.
Other events might or might not turn out to be more consequential in the long run, and it still be true that there are more things happening all at once than ever before.
That's only if things turn out fine. It seems like he thinks nuclear war is actually possible and the effects of climate change are coming soon and big. If that's so (I'm not saying it is) then what could possibly be comparable?
> It seems like he thinks nuclear war is actually possible and the effects of climate change are coming soon and big. If that's so (I'm not saying it is) then what could possibly be comparable?
That is a tautology kinda.
If we assume something that's bigger than anything else happens, what was bigger.
Nuclear war is silly, because The Cuban Missile crisis was scarier and probably would have been worse if it had of kicked off.
If climate change all happens in a year instead of 100 years, it's big, but not that big. You'd notice it less that the coronavirus.
The Cuban Missile crisis didn't pan out though whereas WW2 did. I consider WW2 to be the biggest thing that has happened so far which I suspect he might as well, so I take it as him predicting that what is coming will actually be worse than than which The Cuban missile crisis did not turn out to be even though it could have been.
> If climate change all happens in a year instead of 100 years, it's big,
He must not agreee with you on this is what I'm saying.
> tautology
Just a nitpick but please learn what the word means.
> If climate change all happens in a year instead of 100 years, it's big, but not that big. You'd notice it less that the coronavirus.
That's interesting. Can you say more about that? It's very much counter to the conventional wisdom (mass death, mass migration, mass starvation, destruction of coastal civilisation, etc..)
So there will be no mass starvation long term, after this super climate change year.
But I see no reason in the USA and Europe if they know what will happen with climate in a year, all the big farms won't adapt within that year.
To put all that change into a year will hammer the poor, but they will adapt within years and I'd see no reason the richer countries couldn't prop them up during the change over.
It's a tough hypothetical. The Netherlands probably couldn't do 100 years of climate change in a year for their dykes... I'm not sure. Maybe they could.
The coronavirus is also a big deal, you'll feel it for decades. What worries about it, is lost time. We are destroying time doing nothing during C19. Climate change 100 years -> 1 year, you'd lost a lot of stuff, but things would plod along.
If he means human history = US history then maybe. 1 out of those 5 are very US specific right now (racial unrest). The raging pandemic is once again regional where US is the worst globally but I'd not apply to the same to Europe and not at all to East Asia. The remaining 3 for sure a global problem but even then I do not
think a chance
for a
nuclear war is
higher than before say in the Cold War
Doomsayers should understand that opponents hear the following:
"This time is different. The end is nigh. Our only hope is for heathens to ascribe to our morally superior political ideology and central planning. Heretic unbelievers must accept the gospel truths of technocracy and scientism!"
Make what you will of that, but there must be a more effective way to communicate. Doomsaying is not uncommon. Nor are ideologues seeking power while claiming the mantle of "collective good". Suspicion is not unwarranted.
Please don't read this as a denial of the existence of backward and regressive individuals. Thanks.
If they hear that then they must not know that Chomsky has spent his life arguing against central planning and "technocracy." He's literally an anarchist. [1]
From the summary of: "Internationalism or Extinction", his new book.
>The introduction and accompanying interviews place these dual threats in a framework of unprecedented corporate global power which has overtaken nation states’ ability to control the future and preserve the planet. Chomsky argues for the urgency of international climate and arms agreements, showing how global popular movements are mobilizing to force governments to meet this unprecedented challenge to civilization’s survival.
He's an anarchist who doesn't regard himself as an "anarchist thinker". He's against central planning, but laments the state's failing ability to "control the future and preserve the planet". He argues for supranational governance to protect civilization.
The proposed solutions seem at odds with the assertion that he is against central planning. I'm not sure if it is fair to define him as an ideologue within narrow political terms. Perhaps it is a case of pragmatism overtaking ideals?
That's a very narrow viewpoint. Several species and ecosystems are certainly going through eco-pocalypses even right now. Lots of very poor people have also gone through their own versions of eco-pocalypses
> Noam Chomsky said humans are living through the darkest and most consequential time in history.
> Chomsky said the current age is a “point of confluence of severe crises,” including the threat of nuclear war, climate change, a raging pandemic, economic depression and racial unrest in the United States.
The period between 1914 and 1945 would probably beg to differ.
I've found it interesting to read "left" and "right"[1] pundits on Twitter recently. Each "side"[2] believes that this is the last chance to save democracy and all hell will be unleashed if their candidate loses. Ten years ago we had the "Tea Party", on average a deranged bunch of lunatics without the ability to see or think clearly. In response one could validly and amusingly proclaim "facts have a notoriously liberal bias". Fox News was extremely partisan and contributed to a sort of radicalisation of the right. In 2020 the same lunacy seems to have taken over the Democratic party as a whole. Facts are out of the window on both sides. Fox News and CNN and a whole host of other media outlets are contributing to radicalisation of both sides.
In 2016 the media convinced me that Trump would turn into Hitler 2.0. I'm glad and embarrassed to realise that what he has turned into is an average Republican president except he understands the working class and he hasn't started any wars.
This is "the darkest and most consequential time in history" for people who want to push an agenda (right-wing commentators will claim the same, not just left-wing ones) and for media outlets who want to increase their ratings. We are facing deep, deep problems that need overcoming, but only people whose worldview was based on the assumption that the growth and stability of '92-'08 would last forever are going to be swayed by claims of this being the worst ever.
In order to be able to tackle the challenges on our plate society needs to be able to think clearly. What we need at the moment are calming forces, not the inducement of more panic.
Thinking clearly has been effected ever since a Like count showed up next to every human thought.
Misguided people are surrounded by misguided people. And Like count made sure they all upvoted each other. Reinforcing Beliefs and Behavior.
Its not a coincidence the Tea Party grew along with social medias rise. Similar groups have emerged all over the planet.
Remove/Hide/Delay the Like Count and Behavior will change.
That will be the calming force. Social medias current control rods to stop chain reactions are too ineffective.
I think he understands that a large swath of working class Americans (particularly, but not only, white men) have had the wind knocked out of their sails by the social changes of the last approximately thirty years, and the economic changes due to offshoring their jobs to the developing world over the same period.
The fact that you're already getting downvoted for a completely unsided viewpoint is pretty much proof in the pudding for what time pool calls trump derangement syndrome.
People have actually lost the plot, I think trump is a horrible person but the way people react to anyone even remotely suggesting a viewpoint inline with his and you're a scumbag racist that needs to be cancelled.
Ah yes, good point! I also forgot to mention that the Tea Party had "Obama Derangement Syndrome". It was obvious that they took everything Obama said or did in the worst possible light. Sometimes they even made things up! Now almost the entire Democratic party and left wing in the US (and indeed around the world) has Trump Derangement Syndrome. He can't say anything without it being misinterpreted and broadcast all around the world within five minutes.
From an American perspective, it's absurd to elevate "now" above the Great Depression, World War 2, the Vietnam War, and the massive social and political changes accompanying each, to name just three eras in the past century. Tack on another century, and now doesn't even make it into the textbook.
Yeah, there's never been another moment like this, but that's true always and forever. There are some big things going on all the time. Add them all up, and this is a pretty bland time in the grand scheme of things.