Noam Chomsky Quotes About Obedience

• Capitalism is a system in which the central institutions of society are, in principle, under autocratic control. Thus, a corporation or an industry is, if we were to think of it in political terms, fascist, that is, it has tight control at the top and strict obedience has to be established at every level. [...] Just as I'm opposed to political fascism, I am opposed to economic fascism. I think that until the major institutions of society are under the popular control of participants and communities, it's pointless to talk about democracy.

  Noam Chomsky

  Thinking, Community, Political

  "One Man’s View". Interview, chomsky.info. May, 1973.

• The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.

  Noam Chomsky

  Smart, Passivity Is, People

  Noam Chomsky (2013). “How the World Works”, p.234, Soft Skull Press

• The uniformity and obedience of the media, which any dictator would admire...

  Noam Chomsky

  Media, Politics, Anarchy

  "Turning the Tide: U.S. Intervention in Central America and the Struggle for Peace". Book by Noam Chomsky, 1985.

• Putting it in plain terms, the general public must be reduced to its traditional apathy and obedience, and driven from the arena of political debate and action, if democracy is to survive.

  Noam Chomsky

  Political, Democracy, Apathy

  Noam Chomsky (1989). “Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies”, p.3, Pluto Press

• Andorrans deserve much better than the rule of superstitious hysterics and extreme authoritarians, who try to instill obedience to their Holy Texts and chosen Divinities - and we should not fail to see that the terms are appropriate, if anything too kind.

  Noam Chomsky

  Trying, Divinity, Kind

  Source: chomsky.info

• International affairs is very much run like the mafia. The godfather does not accept disobedience, even from a small storekeeper who doesn't pay his protection money. You have to have obedience otherwise the idea can spread that you don't have to listen to the orders and it can spread to important places.

  Noam Chomsky

  Running, Order, Ideas

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

• Millions of people are getting the vote, and we have to educate them to keep them from our throats. In other words, we have to train them in obedience and servility, so they're not going to think through the way the world works and come after our throats.

  Noam Chomsky

  Thinking, People, World

  Source: www.truth-out.org

• The rascal multitude are the proper targets of the mass media and a public education system geared to obedience and training in needed skills, including the skill of repeating patriotic slogans on timely occasions.

  Noam Chomsky

  Patriotic, Media, Skills

  Noam Chomsky (2011). “Deterring Democracy”, p.363, Random House

• The Republican Party has pretty much abandoned any pretense of being a traditional political party. It's in lockstep obedience to the very rich, the super rich and the corporate sector. They can't get votes that way so they have to mobilize a different constituency. It's always been there, but it's rarely been mobilized politically. They call it the religious right, but basically it's the extreme religious population.

  Noam Chomsky

  Religious, Party, Political

  "Noam Chomsky on America's Economic Suicide". Interview with Laura Flanders / GRITtv, www.alternet.org. May 4, 2012.

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