this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2025
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[–] Juice@midwest.social 44 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Epstein collected intellectuals. He bought whole science departments at MIT, and kept a brothel of soft intellectuals like Malcolm Gladwell (imo definitely participated in some extra curriculars with Epstein), Richard Dawkins, Stephen Pinker (whom JE voted off the island (heh) because he wouldn't corroborate JE's eugenicism) and many others.

Norm (I call him Norm now) Chomsky is a guy who will just like answer any emails that come to him. He's not difficult to get a response from. I think Epstein was good at handling intellectuals, and had a lot to offer researchers like Chomsky who wanted to know how to follow the money, and where the bodies were buried. Epstein's connections and insider knowledge to the CIA, Mossad, and Les Wexner are all legitimate enough reasons to spend time talking with him.

This isnt to shift blame or culpability away from Chomsky, just to say that Epstein and associates had developed a concrete basis for power and influence among intellectuals. It wasnt just taking advantage of underage young women for personal pleasure, but all rivers seem to run into that sea.

To me though it really illustrates how Chomsky was really an ivory-tower elitist. If there was ever proof that left wing ideas only matter when they lead to taking effective action in the struggle for liberation, then Chomsky's unrepentant associations with Epstein are a shining example. As if many of his "left wing" positions weren't already problematic enough, he made sure to put on full display whom is the real subject of his work, and it isnt the toiling and exploited classes. I have some ideological differences with him, but thankfully we don't need to worry about that. His actions speak to the actual nature of his ideas, so we need only gesture toward this photo as proof of how he demolished his own legacy, and how he doesnt deserve a place among those who actually struggle to educate people about the truth of our conditions.

May his work be forgotten. What a sad, pathetic man.

[–] wowwoweowza@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Beyond this seemingly damning image, what other evidence is there of Chomsky’s participation in miscreance and deviant behavior?

[–] Juice@midwest.social 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Well, as a leftists I think its just extra disappointing. Like I'm not a syndicalist or anarchist, he wasnt my guy, but he was a left voice. He was critical of imperialism and shined a light on corruption and injustice.

Like when Chris Tucker appeared in flight logs its like, "oh the comedian? Weird," and maybe if I was a comedian I'd feel different. But CT also denied any actual associations. Chomsky's just like "yeah he's my friend, its none of your business" honesty is a virtue and all that, but the way he has attacked and criticized other leftists over the years, to see him defend this literal avatar of abuse, corruption and imperialism, is quite revealing.

But my personal orientation toward Norm hasn't changed much. I had read a couple of his books but he's kind of meh imo. Obviously a very hard working and prolific academic, though academics can be disappointing from a leftist perspective. I doubt he had much time or interest to engage in the kinds of abuse that made Epstein notorious.

I think Norm knew about the abuse and corruption, and definitely about his role in geopolitics. And maybe Epstein helped him out once personally in a way that deeply affected him. People are complicated, and Chomsky's loyalty is maybe admirable, though such circumstances are speculation. But if I found out my best friend was hanging out with Jamie Dimon, Donald Trump, and Alan Dershowitz, as well as a cavalcade of notorious villains and literal monsters, that he had created a global network of underaged women who he exploited for sex 3 or more times per day, literally anything that we've found out about JE, I would cut them off immediately. And if I found out a different friend was hanging out with Jeffrey Epstein and was unrepentant, I'd cut them off too. That's all I need. The association is bad enough that I dont need further evidence, personally.

[–] wowwoweowza@lemmy.world 4 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Is there a link to Chomsky commenting on any of this? I’m simply stunned. And I know the monster Epstein collected public figures and I agree that being collected by him is damning. But I’d still like to hear what Chomsky has to say about the image. Like… anything?

[–] Juice@midwest.social 3 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Here is a video of Chomsky from 2020, before the connection between JE and Chomsky had been revealed. He gets a little indignant and defensive about Epstein, interesting flavor info.

Heres the business insider article from 2023 https://www.businessinsider.com/noam-chomsky-mit-wsj-wall-street-journal-jeffrey-epstein-2023-4

And then you have the latest revelations https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/22/noam-chomsky-jeffrey-epstein-ties-emails

Chomsky, 96, had also reportedly acknowledged receiving about $270,000 from an account linked to Epstein while sorting the disbursement of common funds relating to the first of his two marriages, though the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor has insisted not “one penny” came directly from the infamous financier.

The banality of evil: how Epstein’s powerful friends normalised him Read more The emails disclosed on 12 November by the Republican members of the US House oversight committee generally detailed the correspondence Epstein had with political, academic and business luminaries, including the Bill Clinton White House’s treasury secretary Larry Summers and Steve Bannon, the longtime ally of Donald Trump. Further, they reveal Epstein and Chomsky were close enough to discuss musical interests and even potential vacations.

Perhaps the most telling of the Chomsky-related documents in question was a letter of support for Epstein attributed to Chomsky with the salutation “to whom it may concern”. It is not dated, but it contains a typed signature with Chomsky’s name and citing his position as a University of Arizona laureate professor, a role he began in 2017, as first reported by the Massachusetts news outlet WBUR.

[–] wowwoweowza@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

My day is just wrecked.

Chomsky was the last person I believed in.

I don’t believe he diddled… but his descriptions of hanging out with Epstein turn my stomach.

Happy Christmas Eve.

:-)

[–] LemmeAtEm@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 hours ago

Here is a video of Chomsky from 2020, before the connection between JE and Chomsky had been revealed. He gets a little indignant and defensive about Epstein, interesting flavor info.

Did you maybe forget to paste the link for this? I'm assuming it's probably this one, but if there's another I'd like to see it. In this one, Chomsky first defends Epstein (and his own relationship with Epstein) by citing how it's a foundational tenant of western law that a person who has "served their sentence" is then absolved or "the same as everybody else" as Chomsky puts it. Which is amusing in itself coming from someone who supposedly is such a critic of how asymmetrically that law punishes the weak and powerless vs the rich and powerful. He then does an actual whataboutism by basically saying "well David Koch was even worse, and he also gave money to MIT where I worked. Did anybody say anything about that?" Ok then, Noam, would you go have brunch with Koch on his private jet too, or are you saying that's where you draw the line? I wish the interviewer, who was obviously dissatisfied with his answers had been less deferential to Chomsky.

But if I found out my best friend was hanging out with Jamie Dimon, Donald Trump, and Alan Dershowitz, as well as a cavalcade of notorious villains and literal monsters

I was surprised to learn how close Epstein and Steve Bannon were. Not at all surprised by the connection, but if you read the ongoing conversations they had, they were like a couple of teens gossiping with each other over the phone every night. I do wonder exactly how aware he was that his good buddy Epstein was besties with, as you said, notorious villians and literal monsters (like would Chomsky still be ok if Epstein had been good friends with David Koch for example?), but I doubt Chomsky was as in the dark about it as his fans would like to think. He was aware that Epstein had at least in the past, if not currently was outright human-trafficking children for SA on his private island, but apparently he did his time, and that makes him "the same as everybody else."

It really is an illuminating example of how interconnected so many of the so-called elite really are, even those whose public personas would make us think they could be nothing but bitter enemies. My personal vibes-based belief is that it's a soft form of class solidarity.

[–] DarkAri@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I just assume anyone I see on TV or in the mainstream, is an intelligence agent. You never see a single person on TV that isnt completely insane. The first time I heard that guy speak, I knew he was a spook. They would never allow someone who wasn't a spook to speak about politics or war or whatever on the news media.

There were some good journalists, but I'm not even sure if there is a single place in the world that an actual journalist could be safe. These days it's usually the cops going after journalists and stuff on Trumped up charges like we are living in Russia or something.

[–] Juice@midwest.social 4 points 1 day ago

It reminds me of this old Chomsky video https://m.youtube.com/shorts/AnFUWrjr25A

"I'm sure you believe what you are saying but if you believed something different you wouldnt be sitting here."

Really calling the kettle on this

[–] dorkofeverything@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Do you think Dawkins is culpable for anything?

[–] Juice@midwest.social 5 points 1 day ago

Other than being a fuckin loser? I haven't heard of any deep associations between JE and Dawkins. I have to go back to check what Gladwell's associations were as it has been a while since I heard about their connection. It's possible that I'm over stating his connection because I really don't like his dumb books and he looks like such a fucking creep