The Comfortable Critics: Adorno, Chomsky, and the Illusion of Intellectual Rebellion There are men who shape history, and there are men who comment on it from a safe distance. The former take risks. They build, lead, and sacrifice. The latter, the intellectual critics, stay in their studies and write about the evils of power while enjoying its protection. Theodor Adorno and Noam Chomsky belong to this second class. Their names carry weight in the world of critique. Adorno, the dour philosopher of the Frankfurt School, saw modern culture as a machine that pacifies the masses. He despised jazz, Hollywood, and anything that gave common people pleasure. Chomsky, the sharp-tongued linguist turned political critic, built a career deconstructing the illusions of corporate media. He sees power structures as a grand manipulation, keeping the public docile. ...