Chomsky Necessary Illusions.pdf

Noam Chomsky:

«Necessary Illusions: Thought

Control in Democratic Societies»

Sprache: Englisch

Taschenbuch

422 Seiten

South End Press

Erscheinungsdatum: 1. Juni 1989

ISBN: 0896083667

What role do the media play in a capitalist democracy? Based on the Massey Lectures,

delivered in Canada in November 1988, Necessary Illusions argues that, far from perfor-

ming a watchdog role, the «free press» serves the needs of those in power. With this book,

Chomsky rips away the mask of propaganda that portrays the media as advocates of free

speech and democracy:

In short, the major media are corporations «selling» privileged audiences to other busines-

ses.... Media concentration is high, and increasing. Furthermore, those who occupy mana-

gerial positions in the media...belong to the same privileged elites, and might be expected

to share the perceptions, aspirations, and attitudes of their associates, relecting their

own class interests as well. Journalists entering the system are unlikely to make their way

unless they conform to these ideological pressures, generally by internalizing the values....

Those who fail to conform will be weeded out...

-- from the Massey Lectures

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••••• content

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chapter 1_

DEMOCRACY AND THE MEDIA 8

Notes 34

CONTAINING THE ENEMY 41

Notes 71

THE BOUNDS OF THE EXPRESSIBLE 76

Notes 114

ADJUNCTS OF GOVERNMENT 122

Notes 160

THE UTILITY OF INTERPRETATIONS 167

Notes 209

1. Propaganda Model: Some Methodological Considerations 217

2. On Critical Balance

chapter 2_

chapter 3_

chapter 4_

chapter 5_

appendix 1_

248

Notes

275

appendix 2_

1. The Containment Doctrine

286

2. The Red Scare

293

Notes

299

appendix 3_

1. The Sanctity of Borders

303

Notes

309

appendix 4_

1. The Craft of «Historical Engineering»

311

2. The Obligation of Silence

324

3. The Summits

337

4. The Media and International Opinion

341

5. Demolishing the Accords

348

Notes

398

appendix 5_

1. The U.S. and Costa Rican Democracy

412

2. «The Evil Scourge of Terrorism»

421

3. Heroes and Devils

439

4. The «Peace Process» in the Middle East

446

5. The Best Defense

490

6. La Prensa

496

7. «The Courage to Preserve Civil Liberties»

514

8. The Continuing Struggle

524

Notes

538

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PREFACE

1988 Massey lectures I delivered over Canadian Broadcas-

ting Corporation radio in November 1988. These lectures sug-

gest certain conclusions about the functioning of the most ad-

vanced democratic systems of the modern era, and particularly,

about the ways in which thought and understanding are shaped

in the interests of domestic privilege. Following these ive chap-

ters are appendices that are intended to serve, in effect, as ex-

tended footnotes amplifying some of the points raised, separa-

ted from the text so as not to obscure too much the continuity

of the discussion. There is an appendix, divided into sections,

for each chapter. Each section is identiied by the part of the

text to which it serves as an addendum. These appendices

should be regarded merely as a sample. As references indicate,

some of the topics touched upon in the text and appendices are

explored in further detail elsewhere. Many of them merit se-

rious research projects.

The issues that arise are rooted in the nature of Western in-

dustrial societies and have been debated since their origins. In

capitalist democracies there is a certain tension with regard to

the locus of power. In a democracy the people rule, in princip-

T he ive chapters that follow are modiied versions of the ive

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