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Chomsky and Edward S. Herman
Herman, who was working on media analysis, wrote to his friend David Peterson: My collaborations with Chomsky arose out of shared interests and views, and a perceived synergy in working together we could meld together our individual ideas and ways of saying things, benefit from mutual editing, and get things done faster and better working collectively. From the beginning we rarely saw one another, but had an active correspondence, exchanging papers and ideas and comments on the passing scene. (12 Aug. 1992)In summarizing the advantages of working with Chomsky, Herman validates Chomsky's belief in the value of collective endeavors: "There is also a psychological benefit in occasional joint work, knowing that your ideas are appreciated and that you are not alone in your otherwise marginalized thoughts." In his 1992 talk "Creation and Culture," Chomsky makes a similar point in a typically droll and ironic manner: "People are just too dangerous when they get together" because then "they can have thoughts, and ideas, and put them forth in the public arena, and they begin to enter that area where they don't belong, namely influencing public affairs." He then goes on to discuss various aspects of thought control, a subject that also held fascination for Herman. "Separating people, and isolating people, is a technique of control. . . Television is inherently an isolating device. You are alone watching the tube. That is very advantageous for control of people. As long as you can keep people isolated. . . as long as each person thinks thoughts individually and nobody else knows that they have this crazy idea, it is not a problem...." |
