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The philosophy, work & influences of Noam Chomsky

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Subject:
From:
William Meecham <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
The philosophy, work & influences of Noam Chomsky
Date:
Fri, 28 Jul 2000 13:38:09 -0700
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This below is interesting.  I do believe that the police are mainly
responding
to the power of the wealthy (though of course not on a day to day basis).

It is clear the the corporate media generally speaking rationalize
 even the most outrageous police crimes.  For instance
in LA several police are being indicted for the murder of one innocent
person, and the wounding of several others.  But we have here a particular
ripe
example of class warfare; the LA Times notes with approval that
the charge is a misdemeanor (sic).

I don't think we deal here with rogue police.  They generally are doing
the job set for them , occupying districts peopled by those of incorrect
class.
wcm
>
> The thesis that the norms of police brutality are at the root of our culture,
> that is, that a subculture has split off from the main culture, and is
> terrorizing the rest of the culture follows directly from both Habermas' and
> Foucault's theories of social power. Axel Honneth in Critique of Power, 1988,
> outlines these theories but focuses nicely on Habermas' contention that we
> endure a crisis of norms, those held by the ruling power and those held by
> its victims.  I daresay that police influence by both commission and omission
> is not merely in response to threats to its own members.
> It seems to me that it actively stands for racial separation, gender
> differences, and
> class antagonisms.  Any effort to ameliorate the problem of social conflict
> or to improve the conditions of social integration seems to be directly
> undermined by the
> police subculture.  Insofar as police are a necessary part of the social
> order, the critique that leads to a clarification of their responsibilities
> is sorely needed.
>
> V.
>

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