Secrets, Lies and Democracy (The Real Story Series)

Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Chomsky Lite, March 14, 2001 By  Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) – See all my reviews

Chomsky at his inciteful best! Taken from interview transcripts by David Barsamian, this book reflects the Chomsky you may have heard on the radio or on a cassette. He presents information in a more casual manner than his "written" books. This book is a great introduction and a fast read (I knocked it off while waiting to see a doctor).
A great reference work for middle school kids writing social studies papers. Lots of facts, but not mind numbing scholarship to slog through. The book is well indexed, and contains a list organizations working to correct some of the problems he points out.
Chomsky continues to reiterate the thesis, which has made him famous, namely, that our democracy has been sold to the highest bidder. We do not live in a representative democracy, but rather a corporate oligarchy. While we go through the motions of free elections, in reality the choices have already been constrained to eliminate anybody who would reform the system.
In this short book (less than 100 pages of Chomsky), the first half is spent considering the failure of democracy in the United States. He then looks at the implications for the world, drawing some interesting conclusions. He notes that while the indigenous peasants of Chiapas (home of the Zapatistas) are nearly as oppressed as the chicanos living in East LA, the Angelenos are in much worse shape because of the destruction of Community.
Bottom line? It’s a fast read. If you’re predisposed to a progressive critique of politics and economics, it will support what you already believe. If not, you’ll be annoyed and wish for footnotes so that you could refute him.

The central thrust of these interviews focuses on the corporatization of our democratic system. In one interview, Chomsky cites Thomas Jefferson’s warning or fear, made at the end of his life, stating, that, the elites, aristocrats, “fear and distrust of the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes.” Democrats on the other hand, “identify with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise, depository of the public interest.” What Jefferson was saying is that the people should have the reigns of power; we should be in control, and not the centralized, powerful elites. Jefferson’s greatest fear was the “banking institutions and monied incorporations” (big business) and if they were allowed to influence politics, they would eventually run the entire show, benefiting the few at the exclusion of the majority. It is here, throughout this text, that Chomsky offers several examples how corporate America and big business internationally, influence our democratic system where, economically the “little guy’ suffers while big business gets bigger as our basic wages plummet. In other terms, the rich get richer, the gap between rich and poor widens and only the few benefit.

One has only to look at the statistical indicators of countries around the world, comparing rich and poor sovereign states to see that nothing is changing for the better in developing countries but steadily getting worse, while the small percentage of rich countries, ironically exploiting these poorer countries, are improving their wealth. The gap is widening, particularly over the past thirty years, doubling the wealth in the top twenty percent, while the low twenty percent has become much poorer. These statistics speak for themselves, and there are reasons for this dramatic shift in wealth.

Politicians’ incestuous connection to the corporate sector is well documented. Tax breaks for the rich, while the man or woman on basic wages supporting a family can pay, in some cases, more tax than a CEO. Our politicians for the obvious reasons protect the corporate sector: campaign contributions, personal investment, etc. Jefferson’s fear and warning in the early 19th century against banking institutions and monied corporations involvement in politics has been realized.

Chomsky, in most cases, backs his arguments with statistical data and historical documentation that can be researched and checked by any interested individual. His words are never rhetorical, ad hominem arguments or self-righteous condemnations to push a personal agenda. He speaks about fact, revealing injustice and at times crimes against the common citizen that should not be ignored. This little book is a good starting point for further research into economic and international affairs.