this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2026
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I think there's a level where you can separate the uh "art from the artist" being a a child predator is really pushing that line though. Him actively being involved in and defending Epstein and his government and capitalist cabal shows me he was never seriously invested in his work.
In the case of manufacturing consent there's already a,I think, better alternative in Parenti's Inventing Reality that you can reference if you don't want to support Chomsky on this one.
You have to admit that, retrospectively, the dude being known for a book called 'manufacturing consent' is so irony-pilled you're likely to die of an overdose.
The perfect username does not exi.....
Manufacturing ( the age of) Consent
I mean, he is a good linguist, just never really particularly good as a political activist.
A lot of Maoists are snake-bitten (for lack of a better term) with Parenti because he seems to have supported the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact after de-Stalinization. I think that Parenti had some good things to say and his works do hold value if read critically, which is why I occasionally do read him. I have never read that work, but I really should considering how often it is recommended by communists.
Even linguists have issues with him, Epstein ties aside
Yea I can see the criticism of Parenti and think a lot of it is fair, at least coming from people on the left. I would recommend the read but as you can probably tell by my PFP I'm a little biased lol.