In a 2003 interview for the documentary Noam Chomsky: Rebel Without a Pause, Chomsky said: “I’m a boring speaker and I like it that way.” The swarm of people who flooded McCosh 50 (and the simulcast room in McCosh 46) to hear Chomsky speak tonight might attest to the contrary. During his speech entitled “I am Kinda: Reflections on the Culture of Imperialism” Chomsky ruminated on how the media “manufactures consent” and how historical memory is often lost.

Chomsky had a couple of things to say, however, about aspects of life that you might find especially pertinent:

On the intellectual: “ ‘Intellectual’ is the terminology we use about people with a certain amount of privilege, who write the history that is to be read.” So much for believing in the inherent worth of our ideas. It might be helpful to repeat this like a mantra as you crank out 80 pages of your “intellectual” thesis.

On your college debt: Chomsky said that the aftermath of the ‘60s left many worried about “unruly teenagers,” whom he believes were actually “civilizing the country.” Many spoke of the “excesses of democracy” and proposed  ways of subduing radicals and restoring the obedience of pre-war times. One such “disciplinary measure”: ensure that students come out of college with an enormous amount of debt. That’ll teach ‘em.

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