harry and noam convo

via

@democracynow

.@harrybelafonte: “Without the rebellious heart… we will forever be distracted with… trinkets and title” ow.ly/KpnE306YtTV

Noam Chomsky & Harry Belafonte in Conversation on Trump, Sanders, the KKK, Rebellious Hearts & More – dec 7 2016 – at democracy now 20th anniversary

https://www.democracynow.org/2016/12/7/the_search_for_the_rebel_heart

amy: h: banned from coppa .. marched w king; n: marched against nam war.. believing would be spending time in jail

h: our weakness in the face of absolute greed.. we have become so contaminated w possessions and power..

n: looking at country from outside.. finger on pulse of large part of country.. my wife predicted trump would win…. extremely dangerous.. but plenty of opportunities.. much more civilized in past 50-60 yrs.. meeting like this not even conceivable in 60-70.. there’s been tremendous progress..

22 min – noam: when trump talks about making world great again.. it wasn’t that great.. we’re better now.. because people who had it harder than us.. didn’t give up..

23 min – n: remarkable ness like sander campaign: no corp/media/wealthy support.. talking socialism.. and practically took over one of two major parties.. primarily driven by young people.. these are opps that can be grasped.. very much in our hands.. to carry us forward..  toward trying to create decent world..

28 min – n: w obama.. many people voted rightly for .. hope and change.. but many have not seen that.. ie: 2007..   this election.. a con man came along offering hope and change.. and they go for it..

31 min – n: suppose people like you.. sanders ness. .constructed a program for hope and change.. it would win these people back.. many of the trump voters could have voted for sanders.. if there had been the right kind of activism/org..

program for hope and change: a nother way

35 min – amy asks h about kkk.. h: kkk is a constant for some of us.. it isn’t till it wakes up to white america that we (freak)..

h: at the doorsetp of being 90.. found out at 89 i knew nothing.. and i thought i’d seen/done it all… most peculiar.. absence of a black presence of middle of this resistance.. not just ferguson and blm.. which are important..but we blew this thing a long time ago..

37 min – h: when started purge against communism and those who saw hope in a design for socialist there and sharing of wealth and equality of humankind.. when we abandon our vision on that topic…. i think we sold out ourselves..

38 min – h: group of young black students  in harlem asked me what i was looking for.. what i’ve always been looking for: where resides the rebel heart.. without the rebellious heart.. [people who understand that there’s no sacrifice too great to retrieve that which we’ve lost..] we will forbever be distracted with possessions and trinket and title.. one of big things that happened.. when black people began to be announted by trinkets of this capatalist society.. big time players.. head of corps.. they became players in the game of our own demise

39 min – h: i’m looking at victories we’re having.. ie: standing rock..  our native american brothers stopped the engine for a moment.. is really a call for us to be reminded that the engine can be stopped.. and therein i find solace.. i find the capacity to do/create things that will make a difference..

h: people have to be more adventurous.. the heart has to find greater space for rebellion.. we pay a penatlty for such thought.. i think that there are those kinds of extremes that will be experience in thestruggle but real nobility is. . are we prepared to pay that price.. i think once opposition understands we are quite prepared to die for what we believe.. death for a cause does not just sit with isis but sits with people.. to push against the theft of our nation..

43 min h: amy and john.. i’ve been thru much in this countyr.. ie: ww2.. and while world rejoiced hitler met and defeated.. some of us struck.. instead of sitting at the table of victory.. we were worried about our lives.. worried about many black servicemen.. when we came back.. had an expectation as the victors.. yeah.. we had a right to get hitler. .but also right to vote.. and that in the pursuit of such right.. civil rights movement began.. well that can happen again.. get down to business..

happy 88th noam

harry 90 in march

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fitting .. just finished watching – disobedience (doc)