Crisis and Hope: Theirs and Ours

Talk by Noam Chomsky, Brecht Forum, Riverside Church, New York City, June 12, 2009

Well, let me say a couple of words about the title, which, as always, is shorthand. There’s too much nuance and variety to make any sharp distinction between us and them. And, of course, neither I nor anyone else can presume to speak for us. But I’ll pretend it’s possible.

There’s also a problem about the word “crisis.” Which one do we have in mind? There are numerous very severe crises. Many of them will be under discussion here in a couple of weeks at the United Nations in their conference on the world financial and economic crisis. And these crises are interwoven in very complex ways which make it — which preclude any sharp separation. But again, I’ll pretend otherwise for simplicity.

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