Wonderful Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky at forty-two is undoubtedly one of the wonders of the age. Everywhere he goes he pronounces and everywhere he pronounces the (student) young flock to listen. They flocked in their many hundreds to listen in Cambridge last week. Why they
'No! No! No! I'm looking for someone with great theatrical experience — someone who's been an MP—someone who's fought the Industrial Relations Bill.'
flock is not so clear. Is it to hear the pro- fessor who made a major contribution to the technical study of linguistics before he was thirty? Is it to hear the pundit who has attached to his exact linguistic discovery a general philosophical doctrine? Or is it to hear the ignorant American radical who so clearly believes that the corruptions of government and responsibility are very much greater than the corruptions available to those who pontificate politically without having to exercise power?
Although Chomsky leaves the impression that there is one continuous thread connect- ing his linguistics, his philosophisings and his politics, there is in fact no connection at all except that they all issue from the same mouth. It is obviously thought smart to be- lieve that this spurious connection exists and lends a much-nbeded and much-desired re- spectability to political positions which otherwise would be too naïve even for those who hold them. (I wonder how pleased Pro- fessor Chomsky may be to find [p. 191] Mr Endch Powell agreeihg with his conclusions about 'the military futility' of the American operation in Vietnam?)
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