You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Fifth Column
By the left... about turn
2003-12-17
Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance, Noam Chomsky’s latest opus, has already been reviewed in these pages, including amusing correction of a jacket-quote:
Arguably the most important intellectual alive" - The New York Times
This very old quotation in fact was:
Arguably the most important intellectual alive, how can he write such nonsense about international affairs and foreign policy? - The New York Times
A new UK review by Nick Cohen, reprinted in al-Guardian of all places, craps all over Chomsky again. Long, amusing, EFL
Whatever other crimes it committed or covered up in the twentieth century, the Left could be relied upon to fight fascism. A regime that launched genocidal extermination campaigns against impure minorities would be recognised for what it was and denounced.
Ummm... Yeah. Okay. With the proviso that the "impurities" had to be confined to geneaology...
Not the least of the casualties of the Iraq war is the death of anti-fascism. Patriots could oppose Bush and Blair by saying that it wasn’t in Britain’s interests to follow America. Liberals could put the UN first and insist that the United States prove its claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction before the court of world opinion. Adherents to both perspectives were free to tell fascism’s victims, ’We’re sorry to leave you under a tyranny and realise that many more of you will die, but that’s your problem.’
snip
Noam Chomsky is the master of looking-glass politics. His writing exemplifies the ability of the Western Left to criticise everything from the West - except itself. He is immensely popular; but his popularity is mystifying on the first reading. His work is dense and filled with non sequiturs (here he seeks to use the Cuban missile crisis to explain the Iraq war, which is a little like using the first Moon landing to explain the dotcom boom). He claims to confront the comfortable with uncomfortable facts they don’t want to face. Yet his audience is primarily a comfortable Western audience.
snip
The lesson of 11 September is that no constraints of morality or conscience would stop al-Qaeda exploding a nuclear weapon. If however, it is all our fault, as Chomsky says, perhaps we can avert catastrophe by being nicer and better people. Perhaps we can, but Chomsky is as reluctant to admit that al Qaeda is an autonomous movement as he is to admit the existence of the democratic and socialist opposition to Saddam Hussein.
Dunno if these ilk of reviews help the book biz much.
Posted by:Glenn (not Reynolds)

#4  um...sorry, the above post was a bit longer than needed. Oh well.
Posted by: B   2003-12-17 12:43:06 PM  

#3  Well, here's what a quick google brings up...


"I think it shows that exposure may not be particularly favorable, but it will always add to some degree of sales increase."—
Gennaro Castaldo, HMV spokesman. Record stores in Britain reported a surge in sales. Virgin Megastores said sales of Jackson's 1982 Thriller album were up 473 percent from last week. His greatest hits package HIStory was up 383 percent — sending both albums into the lower reaches of the chain's Top 100 chart."

lower reaches, yes. But would we have even noticed he HAD an album out? I mean, when was the last time you rushed down to get Michael's latest. He's been pretty sucky for a long time.

and...

"Washington, Nov.24 (ANI): Pop star Michael Jackson's new album 'LP Number Ones' has become a chart buster in Britain and has sold 120,000 copies in its first week.
Jackson, however, has been in the limelight for reasons other than music. According to rate the music.com, Jackson's record label Sony is claiming that the publicity surrounding the 'Thriller' star over his arrest on child molestation charges, will push sales of his new album up and also help him to retain his record at the number one position".

As for OJ (and Kobe)...he was selling an image. He damaged the product, which is different. It's doubtful it would have hurt his sports career.
Posted by: B   2003-12-17 12:12:10 PM  

#2  B, what has happened with Michael Jackson's album sales? It might help your premise. I think they went up in Europe.

Still, O.J hasn't gotten a t.v. or film roll in some time.
Posted by: ruprecht   2003-12-17 11:14:06 AM  

#1  Dunno if these ilk of reviews help the book biz much.

I know, I know..everyone disagrees with me, but I still say that "bad publicity" is an oxymoron.
Posted by: B   2003-12-17 3:38:09 AM  

00:00