My character is self-important, poorly informed, well-intentioned but an idiot. So we said, `Let's give him a promotion.'
We all deserve credit for this new surveillance state that we live in because we the people voted for the Patriot Act. Democrats and Republicans alike....We voted for the people who voted for it, and then voted for the people who reauthorized it, then voted for the people who re-re-authorize d it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the collective responsibility of citizens in creating and maintaining the surveillance state through their voting choices.
Stephen Colbert's quote reflects on the role of the electorate in the establishment of the surveillance state, emphasizing that it is not just the actions of politicians that have led to this situation but also the voters who have repeatedly supported policies and representatives that endorse such practices. It serves as a reminder of the impact of civic engagement and the importance of being informed about the implications of the laws and policies that are enacted.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about civil liberties, you can quote Colbert to highlight the importance of voter responsibility.
More from Stephen Colbert
All quotes →Luckily, a recent survey published in the American Sociological Review revealed that atheists are the least trusted group in America—less trusted, even, than homosexuals. It makes sense at least we trust the homosexuals with our hair.
And when those bombs went off, there were runners who, after finishing a marathon, kept running for another two miles to the hospital to donate blood. So, here's what I know - these maniacs may have tried to make life bad for the people of Boston, but all they can ever do, is show just how good those people are.
My father always wanted to be 'Col-bear.' He lived in the same town as his father, and his father didn't like the idea of the name with the French pronunciation. So my father said to us, 'Do what you want. You're not going to offend anybody.' And he was dead long before I made my decision.
I may be just an empty flesh terminal reliant on technology for all my ideas, memories and relationships, but I am confident that all of that everything that makes me a unique human being is still out there somewhere, safe in a theoretical storage space owned by giant, multinational corporations.
And that brings us to tonight's word: Truthiness. Now I'm sure some of the word-police, the 'wordanistas' over at Websters, are gonna say, 'Hey, that's not a word!' Well, anybody who knows me knows that I am no fan of dictionaries or reference books. They're elitist. Constantly telling us what is or isn't true, what did or didn't happen.
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All of us can agree that we want government to work as well as possible, and we should all applaud efforts to improve it. But there is no escaping the divisive and essential questions: What is the purpose of the state, and whom does it serve?
If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question.
I learned that fighting on the chess board could also have an impact on the political climate in the country.
There are lots of countries that are having these kinds of internal civil wars in other parts of the world and nobody is talking about intervening.
I was a Labour Party man but I found myself to the left of the Labour party in Nelson, militant as that was. I came to London and in a few months I was a Trotskyist.
Democracy cannot consist solely of elections that are nearly always fictitious and managed by rich landowners and professional politicians.