Noam Chomsky is the legendary MIT professor emeritus who is a linguist, political philosopher, and public intellectual. He is the author of many books, including On Western Terrorism: From Hiroshima to Drone Warfare. Over the years, he has kept track of the social, political, and cultural flip flops in the United States. This enlightening documentary, directed by Peter Hutchinson, Kelly Nyks, and Jared Scott, focuses on the various forces which have brought about the death of the middle class. This may be, according to Chomsky, the enduring legacy of our times.
The documentary is organized around the 10 Principles which have brought about this sad and scary state of affairs. The rich and the powerful few continue to shape the rules and the regulations so that they are the main beneficiaries of societal benefits and money. How have they pulled this off? Through 40 years of policies, they have deregulated limitations on corporate wheeling and dealing, rewritten the tax code so that they earn more and pay less by shifting the burdens to the middle class and the poor, set up trade agreements that shaft American workers, and created government bailouts that increase their own salaries. Last but not least, they have knocked out labor unions which used to stand up and speak out for middle- and working-class interests.
In this long-form interview which took four years to film, Chomsky laments the fallout from this economic inequality which includes an incredibly low working wage, the dashing of the dream of home ownership, and the staggering cost of higher education resulting in many students carrying onerous debts.
Three cheers for Chomsky whose ferocious activism, analysis and vision has illuminated the "Two Americas."