Chomsky on Anarchism.pdf - Zine Library

GOALS AND VISIONS
power lies elsewhere and offer themselves as its "bought priesthood," serving
the real masters either as managers or apologists, who "beat the people with the
people's stick" in the state capitalist democracies.
That must be one of the few predictions of the social sciences ro have come
true so dramatically. It deserves a place of honor in the famolls canon for that
reason alone, though we will wait a long time for that.
206
"TOUGH LOVE"
There is, I think, an eerie similarity between the present period and the days
when contemporary ideology-what is now called "neoliberalism" or "economic
rarionalism"-was being fashioned by Ricardo, Malthus, and mhers.
Their task was to demonstrate to people that they have no rights, contrary to
what they foolishly believe. Indeed, that is proven by "science." The grave
intellectual error of pre-capitalist culture was the belief that people have a place
in the society and a right to it, perhaps a rotten place, but at least something.
The new science demonstrated that the concept of a "right to live" was a simple
fallacy. It had to be patiently explained to misguided people that they have
no rights, orher than the right to try their luck in the market. A person lacking
independent wealth who cannot survive in the labor market "has no claim
of right to the smallest portion of food, and, in fact, has no business ro be
where he is," Malthus proclaimed in influential work. It is a "great evil" and
violation of "narural liberty" to mislead the poor into believing rhat rhey have
fu rther rights, Ricardo held, outraged at this assault against the principles of
economic science and elementary rationality, and the moral principles that are
no less exalted. The message is simple. Yo u have a free choice: the labor market,
the workhouse prison, death, or go somewhere else-as was possible when
vast spaces were opening thanks to the extermination and expulsion of indigenous
populations, not exactly by market principles.
The founders of the science were surpassed by none in their devotion to the
"happiness of the people," and even advocated some extension of the franchise
to this end: "not indeed, universally to all people, bur to that part of them
which cannot be supposed to have any interest in overturning the right of
property," Ricardo explained. adding that still heavier restrictions would be
appropriate if it were shown that "limiting the elective franchise to the very
narrowest bounds" would guarantee more "security for a good choice of representatives."
There is an ample record of similar thoughts to the present day}7
It is useful to remember what happened when rhe laws of economic rationalism
were formulated and imposed-in the familiar dual manner: market discipline
for the weak, bur the minisnations of the nanny state, when needed, to
protect the wealthy and privileged. By the 1830s, the victory of the new ideology
was substantial, and it was established more fully a few years later. There
was a slight problem, however. People couldn't seem to get it into their heads
that they had no intrinsic rights. Being foolish and ignorant, they found it hard