by GEORGE YANCY
The election of Joe Biden has not demolished the Republican Party, or that party’s ongoing attempts to block policies that might give humanity a chance at survival. Moreover, the advent of the Biden administration has not negated some of the most persistent threats we face. In this interview, renowned intellectual Noam Chomsky discusses the importance of critical thinking, the deep existential threat of the climate crisis, the possibility of nuclear annihilation, and the tragic continuity of U.S. foreign policy between presidential administrations. Chomsky also emphasizes the urgency of ending the tyranny of pharmaceutical companies and making COVID-19 vaccine technology available to all.
George Yancy: For you, in its current instantiation, the Republican Party is willfully attempting to undermine the conditions for the survival of human society itself. When I think about this, it is clear to me that political parties place profound emphasis on gaining power. Without necessarily psychologizing this, is it that the Republican Party embodies a death wish or some kind of profound nihilism?
Noam Chomsky: There’s a lot of factors, but some of them are on the surface, before we get into psychology. First of all, Trump had an enormous effect. There were plenty of problems in the party, but he just poisoned it and by now he owns it. He was a genius at tapping into all of the poisonous currents that lie right beneath the surface in America, which includes white supremacy, and “Great Replacement” conspiracy theories. He knew very well how to bring up such poisons, mobilize them, and turn them into a raging force of terrified people who think the world is coming to an end. That’s the kind of genius that Adolf Hitler had, and others who are not very pretty people. And Trump still has these people; they have taken over the party. David Brooks, who is a longtime dedicated Republican, argues that the GOP is far worse than we think.
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