> No question. Any intellectual worthy of the title would have to admit
> that contemporary intellectuals are doing a pretty piss-poor job getting
> the masses riled up, stripping away false consciousness, exposing the
> follies and snares of the consumer society, revealing the inherent
> brutality of capitalism and fulfilling all the other recognized
> prerequisites of getting the Revo airborne.
>
> The population doesn't detest intellectuals. It's oblivious to them.
> No wonder intellectuals don't like themselves.
Intellectuals do not make social change happen and in this American society, with all of its media diversions, the words of any intellectual will get lost in the noise.
Intellectuals are very important, but what we need more action from the people who are influenced by intellectuals.
This seems obvious to me.
Lobbying officials to change government policies and election campaigns are not "actions".
Intellectuals would have more influence if there was a mass movement doing actions in relationship to their ideas.
You can read Chomsky all day long and understand why things work the way they do, but it's a waste of time if you aren't riffing off of those ideas by doing some kind of organizing, agitation or activism.
Chuck