COMM 289 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Trilateral Commission, Noam Chomsky, Corporate Lawyer
29 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Comm 289 Lecture 21
The Corporate Backlash of the 1960s
• Quote 1 (David Vogel)
o Businesses experienced setbacks due to the politics of the time
o Noam Chomsky
▪ One of the most important intellectuals
▪ He is a linguist
Revolutionized linguistics
▪ Is a part of the anti-war movement, but did not anticipate the response
from business and elites
Elites hate disorder and chaos, they need discipline
• Noam Chomsky Requiem of an American Dream
o Memo written by Louis Powell in 1971 to the head of the Chamber of Commerce
▪ Conservative Corporate lawyer
Appointed to supreme court by Nixon two years after this was
written
▪ Quote 2
Believed that the activism in the 1960s was a concerted attack on
corporate America
Business has to do whatever it takes to end the activism
“aggressively and with determination”
Major challenge to the system so you have to respond in long term
ways
You need the businesses to survive
Business has to pool together and act together in a
coordinated way
Should fight back on university campuses, the media, politics, and
the courts
o The Trilateral Commission
▪ Liberal side of the issue
▪ Representatives from Japan, Europe, and the US
▪ “The Crisis of Democracy”
Too much democracy
▪ Quote 3
Elites talk about the population like lords would talk about serfs
The job of the mob is to remain passive and obey business
They were no longer doing this
Democracy requires that some people should not take part
Limited democracy
Some people participate, some just know their role
Education is the most important value-producing system in society
Job-expectation needs to be lowered after graduation
Document Summary
The corporate backlash of the 1960s: quote 1 (david vogel, businesses experienced setbacks due to the politics of the time, noam chomsky, one of the most important intellectuals, he is a linguist. Is a part of the anti-war movement, but did not anticipate the response from business and elites: noam chomsky requiem of an american dream. Elites hate disorder and chaos, they need discipline: memo written by louis powell in 1971 to the head of the chamber of commerce, conservative corporate lawyer. Appointed to supreme court by nixon two years after this was written: quote 2. Believed that the activism in the 1960s was a concerted attack on corporate america. Business has to do whatever it takes to end the activism. Major challenge to the system so you have to respond in long term ways. Business has to pool together and act together in a coordinated way.
