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Corporations are totalitarian institutions. Board of directors at the top of managers give orders, everyone follows orders..... At the very bottom of command, if you are lucky you can rent yourself to it and get a job , and if you are sufficiently propagandized you may even buy some of the junk they produce and so on.
Noam Chomsky
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote critiques the hierarchical and authoritarian structure of corporations, suggesting they operate like totalitarian regimes.

Noam Chomsky's quote highlights the authoritarian nature of corporations, depicting them as totalitarian institutions that impose a rigid hierarchy. He points out that at the top are the decision-makers, while the majority of workers have little autonomy, merely following orders without significant input. The implication is that individuals at the bottom of the corporate structure are often left with limited choices and may even become complicit in supporting the very system that restricts them.

Themes

CorporationsTotalitarianHierarchyPowerControlPropaganda

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion on corporate ethics, this quote can illustrate the dangers of unchecked corporate power.

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