There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
The media are a corporate monopoly. They have the same point of view. The two parties are two factions of the business party. Most of the population doesn't even bother voting because it looks meaningless. They're marginalized and properly distracted. At least that's the goal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the influence of media and politics, suggesting that both are controlled by corporate interests, leading to voter apathy.
Noam Chomsky meticulously analyzes the interplay between media and politics, articulating how corporate monopolies shape public perception and diminish the democratic process. He suggests that the two major political parties serve not the interests of the people but rather the business elites, creating a sense of futility among the populace regarding voting. This critique unveils a broader narrative about systemic control and the manipulation of citizens, who are often kept marginalized and distracted from the real issues that affect their lives.
Themes
MediaPoliticsCorporateVotingApathyManipulationDemocracy
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the role of media in a political science class.
More from Noam Chomsky
All quotes →The 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
Noam ChomskyRead
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
Noam ChomskyRead
There are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster;' instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do.
Noam ChomskyRead
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
Noam ChomskyRead
There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
Noam ChomskyRead
Similar quotes
Show a people as one thing, only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.
Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieRead
We are reassured almost as foolishly as we are alarmed; human nature is so constituted.
Victor HugoRead
Faith in the resurrection of Jesus says that there is a future for every human being; the cry for unending life which is a part of the person is indeed answered... God exists: that is the real message of Easter. Anyone who even begins to grasp what this means also knows what it means to be redeemed.
Pope Benedict XviRead
It's like if you're an astronaut and you've been to the moon, what do you want to do with the rest of your life?
Paul MccartneyRead
In every author let us distinguish the man from his works.
VoltaireRead
In theory it is easy to convince an ignorant person; in actual life, men not only object to offer themselves to be convinced, but hate the man who has convinced them.
EpictetusRead