Occupy

by Noam Chomsky

Paper Book, 2012

Description

PRAISE FOR NOAM CHOMSKY''SOCCUPY AND ZUCCOTTI PARK PRESS: "Occupy is another vital contribution from Chomsky to the literature of defiance and protest, and a red-hot rallying call to forge a better, more egalitarian future." --Alternet "For decades, Chomsky has been marginalized for his insightful, levelheaded, and accurate observations about how our society functions. InOccupy, Chomsky... sets the record straight. And he''s got an answer for everything. "It''s necessary," Chomsky warns, "to get out into the country and get people to understand what this is about, and what they can do about it, and what the consequences are of not doing anything about it."Occupy begins with a powerful editor''s note from Greg Ruggiero, who comments on ''the heartlessness and inhumanity of the system,'' where ''people''s stolen homes are sold off to the highest bidder.'' And if it isn''t obvious to those who are still asking what the demands of Occupy Wall Street are, Ruggiero puts it plainly: ''Occupy embodies a vision of democracy that is fundamentally antagonistic to the management of society as a corporate-controlled space that funds a political system to serve the wealthy, ignore the poor.'' One can only cringe at the thought of what will happen if we continue to ignore the wisdom of Noam Chomsky. He gives a clue inOccupy...." --The Coffin Factory, The Magazine for People who Love Books Chomsky advocates intelligent activism by those who see the divorce between public policy and public opinion. He is both optimistic and realistic towards this "first major public response to 30 years of class war." --IRISH TIMES, PICK REVIEW "Occupy, is at once a vivid portrait of the now-global movement and a practical guide to intelligent activism, infused with Chomsky''s signature meditations on everything from how the wealthiest 1% came to steer society to what a healthy democracy would look like to how we can separate money from politics. Alongside Chomsky''s words are some of the most moving and provocative photographs from the Occupy movement." --Maria Popova, Brain Pickings "Having spent so much time thinking about and engaging with social movements, Chomsky is both optimistic about the energy of Occupy and realistic about the challenges it faces. He appreciates the "just do it" ethos and embraces its radical approach to participatory democracy...What makes Chomsky''s perspective so interesting, aside from the wealth of his political experience, is the range of his interests. He draws from examples around the world to demonstrate his points. ...It''s a big agenda that Occupy has identified, nothing less than a complete renewal of U.S. society and the U.S. role in the world. Chomsky sees not only the radical agenda but also the radical practice of the Occupiers. "Part of what functioning, free communities like the Occupy communities can be working for and spreading to others is just a different way of living, which is not based on maximizing consumer goods, but on maximizing values that are important for life," he concludes in this valuable set of remarks and interviews." --John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus, Pick Review In this updated and expanded edition ofOccupy, Chomsky speaks to and with supporters of the Occupy movement about the structural injustices of the current economic and political system and the prospects for real change. The new edition includes all the material of the first edition plus four new in-depth interviews. Throughout, Chomsky encourages people to continue organizing, to continue struggling, and to continue defending citizenship and community-driven democracy from predation from the relentless encroachments of corporate powerand wealthiest few. What counts most, says Chomsky, is solidarity.… (more)

Collection

Publication

London : Penguin, 2012.

Pages

121

User reviews

LibraryThing member the.ken.petersen
The Occupy movement has been a breath of fresh air in a world that has fallen off the rails. The movement is amazingly elastic; defying attempts to pigeon-hole it. This book follows a similar line: the analysis is almost beyond dispute, and Chomsky, wisely, avoids the temptation to be didactic as
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to the solutions. Nothing destroys unity quicker than a leadership issuing diktats.

This book may be short on answers, but, it is full of hope: the hope that the 99% will reassert themselves. The main problem, which I foresee, is that capitalism has been clever: it is no longer defined by nation states. The big companies are world-wide and, until there is a world government, our chances of catching up are limited.

The prospects of world agreement must be on a par with England winning the next World Cup so, Occupy works from the bottom. There is a logic to the idea that those being disenfranchised by the system should pull together but, sadly, in reality, there are many on the bottom rung who accept what they are told: namely, that this is the only way that things can be. The ruling class have the right to rule. We have moved very little from the time at which the King had divine right upon his side. It is just, that now, those with the divine right operate behind the scenes, leaving politicians to dance to their tune so that the politician may appear to be making decisions.

This book offers hope, but little else.
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LibraryThing member MarcusBastos
Mobilizing the (American) Public
"The only way to mobilize the American public that I've ever heard of - or any other public - is by going out and joining them". The texts published in this book (communication, interview, conference) give a glimpse of Chomsky think about political action and
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society's organization. The emphasis resides in the Occupy movement and the challenges it poses and endures. Along the way, one can reflect in some concepts such as the meaning of anarchism ("... a highly democratic conception of a structured, organized society with power at the base") and the best way to political activism. The book ends with a homage to Howard Zinn. Enlightening reading.
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2867
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