I recall an interview with Monty Python members in which the interviewer tried to assert some new intellectual paradigm in comedy. I recall the response, from Palin or Cleese as “I think all we were really doing was blowing a big raspberry at the British establishment”. Kudos to them.

For some decades, to his credit, Chomsky was able to persist in almost single-handedly blowing a big Raspberry at the US establishment, which was entertaining to behold.

Well it turns out Chomsky had a soupcon of behind the scenes establishment aspirations himself, and now the Epstein files in this regard have successfully blown a big raspberry at Chomsky. Thank-you Epstein files.

With the exception of academics who genuinely suffered, like Parenti and Finkelstein, always toss away the person and keep the idea. Its a central precept of academia - its what they would do to you.

- Shyaku