Noam Chomsky - Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror?: Amazon.ca: Noam Chomsky, John Junkerman: DVD

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The hypocrisy of the U.S. government is powerfully scrutinized in Distorted Morality, a scathing thesis presented by renowned scholar Noam Chomsky. Speaking before an intimate audience at Harvard University on February 6, 2002, Chomsky sets fair and logical parameters to his thesis (namely, we are all hypocrites and, for the purposes of debate, the U.S. government should always be given benefit of the doubt) before outlining, with academic precision and citation of real history (as opposed to biased written history), the reasons why America's post-9/11 war on terror is a logical impossibility.

This, according to Chomsky's carefully supported analysis, is because the U.S. government has been, and continues to be, a major supporter of state-supported terrorism, favoring retaliatory or preemptive aggression over mediation in the world court, and avoiding accountability by excluding itself from the globally accepted definition of terrorism. (To underscore his point, Chomsky repeatedly volunteers his sources, inviting scrutiny at every turn.) With an additional hour-long Q&A session (in some ways more compelling, since it offers Chomsky's response to opposing viewpoints), Distorted Morality deserves the widest possible audience. In the short period between Chomsky's Harvard speech and the start of America's war against Iraq in March 2003, Chomsky's thesis has attained the chilling status of prophesy. Inevitably, Chomsky will be labeled anti-American, but at least his morality is crystal clear, immune to the obfuscation of politics and mainstream news. --Jeff Shannon

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3.8 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An alternate view of our country, Jun 25 2003

By

bear99 "Anime Aficionado" (Gilroy, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noam Chomsky - Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror? (DVD)

Despite what people may say, I would never call Chomsky a liberal. He critizies all Americans, not just the "conservatives and liberals", because he knows that despite these labels, they have most of the same or similar positions. Call him radical liberal or anti-American, but none of these labels can fit Chomsky. Call him a distorter and a liar, but truth is he presents all his resources up front (unlike the mass media in America), so that you can interpet it all for yourself. He never says, "this is the truth, now believe me." He says, "here is the truth, its your choice to believe them or not." If you have read any of Chomsky's books (not just the ones on politics, but also his ones on language) you'll see that Chomsky is thorough and precise. You can chose to believe that Chomsky is a liar, but everyone should at least try watching this DVD. There really are alternate views and opinions out there besides what the mass media provides.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Most of the previous reviews are delusional, Sep 25 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Noam Chomsky - Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror? (DVD)

I have read some the reviews that criticize Chomsky as being some kind of nutcase. This man is one of the most important intellectuals alive today.

I notice the reviewers have to resort to personal attacks on Chomsky, as they are unable to convincingly attack his work. I doubt whether they have either read his work or watched these documentaries, if they have then they are simply in denial.

I do not see anyone saying "oh he got this bit wrong because..." and that is precisely because this man is clued up about the reality of society, American foreign policy and life. It is also the reason he is one of the top ten most quoted sources in the humanities up there with Marx, the Bible and Shakespeare and the only one of the ten who is still alive.

Both this and Manufacturing Consent (along with Chomsky's huge back catalogue of books) are essential reading. Get your head out of the sand and open your eyes!

"They who put out the people's eyes, reproach them of their blindness." - John Milton

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent DVD. I learned so much!, Mar 27 2003

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W. D. J (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Noam Chomsky - Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror? (DVD)

I have not read much by Noam Chomsky but this DVD makes me want to. In-depth thought and analysis of our War on Terror in two lectures. The first one delivered shortly after 911 at MIT and the other at Harvard. Most of us have little historical understanding and perspective of world events since 911. This very good DVD title was an eye opener for me. It introduced issues that are so easily (and more comfortably) overlooked. Most importantly, Professor Chomsky addresses the possible reasons why America is disliked by many abroad - a question that most of us would rather ignore. I've learned that history and knowledge are not anti-American. Knowledge has the power to make us better people. Buy this now and really learn something.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good to watch if you have 2 hours to kill
Good movie, but I think the watcher could be disappointed to see that it was taken from one of his talks. Read more

Published on Feb 17 2008 by R. MCLEAN

1.0 out of 5 stars An argument without support is not even an argument.
The main topic of this documentary is "state-supported terrorism," and Mr. Chomsky's objective is to prove that the US is a country that condemns terrorism but conducts... Read more

Published on Dec 15 2004 by consumer99