From: Camp, Christopher (CCamp@omm.com)
Date: Thu Dec 12 2002 - 13:56:41 MST
I've been following this thread for a while and the polarization here seems
to be overly intense. I read the Chomsky piece (Some Elementary Comments on
The Rights of Freedom of Expression) that prefaced Faurisson's book (Memoire
en defense) and it seems quite clear that Chomsky is defending Faurisson's
right to speak and not the content of Faurisson's speech. From the title
and the first few paragraphs Chomsky indicates a focus on issues of freedom
of speech and disassociates himself from the exact content and quality of
Faurisson's work. This quote seems to sum things up well:
"Before I turn to the subject on which I have been asked to comment, two
clarifications are necessary. The remarks that follow are limited in two
crucial respects. First: I am concerned here solely with a narrow and
specific topic, namely, the right of free expression of ideas, conclusions
and beliefs. I have nothing to say here about the work of Robert Faurisson
or his critics, of which I know very little, or about the topics they
address, concerning which I have no special knowledge."
I'm not sure how he could make himself any more clear than he does above. It
may be important to remember that the original intensity of this debate was
born in France where ebay is not allowed to sell any Nazi related items.
Their reactions to uncomfortable ideas can be extreme and in the process
Chomsky was accused of all sorts of deeds for which there was little
evidence in fact.
I have seen interviews with Chomsky, one of which can be found on the video
Manufacturing Consent and he explains the circumstances surrounding his
actions and the uproar that followed. I am no Chomsky expert but I have
never encountered a comment by him, in any source I consider reliable, where
he denies the fact of the holocaust. In the same video mentioned above he
explains at some length that he does believe that the holocaust took place.
I'm not sure what hope we have of moving forward if we can't come to some
level of consensus on issues like this. In threads like this I wish that
the process of debate would move toward increased formality so that some
conclusions could be reached. Polling the community might be nice. When
intense debate like this begins a new phase could be opened - each side
would lay evidence on the table giving whatever level of support they feel
necessary(actual references would seem appropriate). From there we would
decide on a few questions:
Do you believe Chomsky denied/denies the holocaust?
-Yes
-No
Do you believe Chomsky supported(s) Faurisson in his access to freedom of
speech only?
-Y
-N
etc....
This way we the forces that are defending/opposing Chomsky (on the Faurisson
issue only) can determine where they stand within the scope of popular
extropian opinion.
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