market politics

Listening to the podcast from Noone’s Listening that features Noam Chomsky:

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/12/11/noam_chomsky_on_noon.html

I’m reminded of similar insights from Thomas Frank’s talk at UVa:

http://www.virginia.edu/flashaudio/centerforpolitics/frank_051019.mp3

Both thinkers articulate how and why the media and politics have gotten so far removed from public opinion. Both talk about consumer culture and how the public has been indoctrinated and has lost perspective.

It is particularly encouraging that Chomsky is optimistic that change is possible; though he is also realistic that it will be difficult given how atomized we are as a people.

Interesting that Chomsky sees our best time historically was mid-19th C. That is a time, also, that Franks extols when populism in the mid-West was strong and vital.