Noam Chomsky

When I look at public opinion, I'm not far out of the mainstream. I'm in it, in many respects. In some respects, public opinion goes beyond anything I've ever said.

There is massive propaganda for everyone to consume. Consumption is good for profits and consumption is good for the political establishment.

The public is not to see where power lies, how it shapes policy, and for what ends. Rather, people are to hate and fear one another.

Concentration of executive power, unless it's very temporary and for specific circumstances, let's say fighting world war two, it's an assault on democracy.

To some degree it matters who's in office, but it matters more how much pressure they're under from the public.

Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.

For 500 years, since European explorers came, Latin American countries had been separated from one another. They had very limited relations. Integration is a prerequisite for independence.

The 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.

History shows that, more often than not, loss of sovereignty leads to liberalisation imposed in the interests of the powerful.

The respected intellectuals are those who conform and serve power interests.

The 'anti-globalisation movement' is the most significant proponent of globalisation - but in the interests of people, not concentrations of state-private power.

How people themselves perceive what they are doing is not a question that interests me.