Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to say that the terrorists who planned and executed the attacks of September 11 were merely expressing in more refined form the same anti-Americanism that has been a staple of the American university for three decades. The ravings of Osama bin Laden and those of, for instance, MIT professor Noam Chomsky, are interchangeable. --Mackubin Thomas Owens, October 2001 [243]
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author equates Chomsky's criticism with terrorism, suggesting both express similar anti-American sentiment.
- In plain terms
- Chomsky and terrorists are said to share the same hatred of America.
- What can you take from it?
- Criticism can be framed as dangerous hostility.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is critique ever equivalent to violence?
- How do we define anti-Americanism?
Another view
Equating academic critique with terrorism ignores vast differences in violence.
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