I am off to meet with Professor Noam Chomsky!

[raid]

This information MUST be given so that this posting is "kosher" for RFF!

I have chosen as my photography gear (with the hope that he allows me a few snapshots in his MIT office) the following:
Leica M9 with 35/1.4 pre-asph Summilux
Olympus E-P2 with Zeiss 85/1.4 for a 170mm/1.4 ... for a "from a distance photo."
If I am pressed to limit photos to one quick snapshot, I may use the "dingy" Olympus AF zoom to make sure it is in focus.

I am excited to meet him, and I will report back after my return from Boston.

Professor Chomsky is well known all over the world, and is "somewhat" known in the USA 🙂
I am not going there for any special thing other than to meet him.


http://www.chomsky.info/

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Wow... I knew him through his breakthrough work in linguistics, and only later did I learn about his politics. In what capacity are you meeting the man? Just curious... Say hi to him from me, a Guatemalan-born scholar of Latin American literature. 🙂

 

[raid]

Francisco,
I emailed him, and then I was given a 30 minute meeting appointment in his office.
I may be meeting him as someone who wants to chat with him about some issues. It is just a personal meeting.

 

[kshapero]

Have a great meeting but I'd rather see my grandkids. 😀🙂😀

 

[zauhar]

Have a great meeting but I'd rather see my grandkids. 😀🙂😀

Uhm, what? What does the opportunity to meet with a noted public intellectual have to do with family relationships? I guess you have some grudge agains the theory of universal grammar?

Raid, glad you have the chance to meet Chomsky. I learned a little about his ideas as an anthro student, and I've been impressed with his humane and insightful stances on a number of political issues, even if his discourse is a little dry for my taste.

Randy

 

[lynnb]

May your meeting be most interesting!
(and may your photos be in focus 🙂)

 

[bushwick1234]

Will you summon him for his support for sending more weapons to Ukraine – $3 billion, and for sending troops to train the Ukrainian National Guard and start shipping U.S.-funded armored vehicles? I really didn't expect him to side these measures against Russia.

 

[raid]

I have no agenda for the meeting, except for eating stuffed grape leaves with Professor Chomsky. My wife cooked the grape leaves.

 

[raid]

I set aside personal political beliefs when being in the presence of a human being who will be missed greatly from our world one day.
I will ask him about the next five years of events. The past is less important. I move on.

 

[kbg32]

Enjoy Raid. Looking forward to reading about your visit and conversation.

 

[raid]

Will you summon him for his support for sending more weapons to Ukraine – $3 billion, and for sending troops to train the Ukrainian National Guard and start shipping U.S.-funded armored vehicles? I really didn't expect him to side these measures against Russia.

I will show him respect.
This sounds as if I am in a Godfather movie, but this is true. I respect a scholar and a person who devotes his life to improve life for others.

 

[rajmohan-fotograf]

Meeting Noam Chomsky

Meeting Noam Chomsky

Wonderful! Hope you have an illuminating chat with him!

 

[raid]

It is amazing that nobody has so far criticized my camera equipment choice for the meeting.

 

[rajmohan-fotograf]

I never criticize equipment choices - I think that you can make great pictures with any gear. Some items might just provide more of a challenge, which to me is fun! 🙂
Raj

 

[paulfish4570]

have a grand time, Raid ...

 

[Jerevan]

I would love to meet the man ... and I think your choices are good in the equipment department. I guess I would just go for the Summilux combo, but maybe I am a bit crazy. 🙂

 

[Finglas]

Raid - why not a film camera with some 400 ISO ?? (Monochrome film)

In Ireland Professor Chomsky is well known - not just as "America's leading dissident" and for that reason the NYT etc don't give him a regular Op-Ed piece which the American Press could surely use - to widen the range of opinion that they can read. In Ireland we know him well for his linguistics and there have been many radio and TV programmes in which the introduction was as a "dissident" but the substance of the programmes are solely educational and linguistics matters. He is well respected here I am happy for you that you can meet him in any capacity - but think more of bringing some film/camera.

all the very best
John

 

[nikku]

I too knew him first as a linguistics expert (perhaps the foremost in the world) and only later as a radical political thinker. Ten years ago I went to see him speak, excited to hear him delve into linguistics, only to hear him rant for over an hour on the current state of American politics (this was during the Bush era). While he had many valid points, he had no proposed solutions, and the whole presentation left me...nonplussed.

If I was meeting him, I would ask him strictly about his linguistics work...I would also keep it one camera, one lens, probably a 50mm for a quick snap or two before or after we met (Jane Bown style).

 

[paulfish4570]

he's quite the gadfly. we need gadflies of all stripes ...

 

[chhayanat]

Wow that's amazing! It's fine if you get a good candid picture during the meeting but that's really second priority. It's the chat that counts.