Noam Chomsky is an American hero to millions of people who
have counted on his important insights and intellectual firepower to advocate
for truth and common sense in government and society.
He recently spoke at a local university under the umbrella
topic, “Public Education.” Of course,
Chomsky didn’t miss the opportunity to use his lecture to essentially model
what Public Education ought to be: a
connective dissertation revealing the ways in which Americans can be
uneducated by the mass media and corporatizing climate woven throughout modern
institutions and the political process.
We need to consider this possibility.
To think outside the box of status quo ideals signals the essential nature
of democracy and individualism – the cornerstones of Americanism.
At age 85, for over two hours of lecture and discussion, Chomsky
never skipped a beat. His hearing was a
little less acute, and he asked the moderator to repeat a question or two,
leaning in closer to him, or even walking out from behind the podium to hear
the question in closer proximity.
Besides this understandable impairment, Chomsky was delightfully cogent
and succinct, warm and wise, sensible and, at times, sentient!
In fact, one of the striking things about him is his
non-intellectualistic manner. He is
completely the “man on the street.”
There are no formal airs, despite the fact he’s debated Piaget, Skinner,
and Buckley, and has been placed in history (by philosopher, Justin Leiber) as
sitting somewhere between Einstein and Freud for his relevant contributions to
original thought in social and cognitive sciences.
It was really quite an honor to shake his hand, give him a
box of Girl Scout cookies (which he promptly thanked me for, saying his grandchildren will love them - "anything with chocolate!" he said), and have him pleasantly sign my book, Media Control,
written by him in 1997. I thanked him back, for "keeping us awake." He raised his eyebrows and slightly smiled, and I knew he understood my sentiment.
The seed of Dr. Chomsky’s potency as a thinker is his
commitment to common sense. Of course, as
a linguist first and foremost, his ability to express himself through language
is unequaled. But it is not just his
prose which is penetrating, but his clarity and, therefore, absolute sincerity
which carry his ideas to the open ears, mind, and central beingness of the
listener.
Charmed by his amazing spirit, he's a kind of Zen master in disguise. I wish he was my Grampa!
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