A functioning police state needs no police.
Interpretation
A society can operate under oppressive control without visible enforcement if it creates an atmosphere of compliance.
William S. Burroughs suggests that a truly functioning police state maintains control over its citizens not through overt force, such as the presence of police officers, but rather by instilling fear and manipulation in the populace. In such a state, people may self-regulate their behavior out of fear of repercussions, leading to a sense of control without the physical manifestation of law enforcement. This quote challenges our understanding of power dynamics and the essence of societal compliance.
In practice
During a lecture on civil liberties, this quote could illustrate the dangers of increased surveillance.
God save the Queen and a fascist regime β¦ a flabby toothless fascism, to be sure. Never go too far in any direction, is the basic law on which Limey-Land is built. The Queen stabilizes the whole sinking shithouse and keeps a small elite of wealth and privilege on top. The English have gone soft in the outhouse. England is like some stricken beast too stupid to know it is dead. Ingloriously foundering in its own waste products, the backlash and bad karma of empire
Like most qualities, cuteness is delineated by what it isn't. Most people aren't cute at all, or if so they quickly outgrow their cuteness ... Elegance, grace, delicacy, beauty, and a lack of self-consciousness: a creature who knows he is cute soon isn't.
There is nothing more provocative than minding your own business.
Gentle reader, the Fountain of Youth is radioactive, and those who imbibe its poisonous heavy waters will suffer the hideous fate of decaying metal. Yet almost without exception, the wretched idiot inhabitants of our benighted planet would gulp down this radioactive excrement if it were offered.
Language is a virus from outer space.
One very important aspect of art is that it makes people aware of what they know and donβt know they know... Once the breakthrough is made, there is a permanent expansion of awareness. But there is always a reaction of rage, of outrage, at the first breakthrough... So the artist, then, expands awareness. And once the breakthrough is made, this becomes part of the general awareness.
I believe in standardizing automobiles, not human beings.
We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both.
...angels... are always being filled full of light, becoming ever more radiant and making blessed use of their natural ability to change. They dance for joy around the First Light, look continuously towards Him and are enlightened directly by Him, as they tirelessly sing the praises of the Fount of light and, being ministers of light, transmit illuminating grace to those lower beings who are being enlightened.
Most of the great results of history are brought about by discreditable means.
We need a better way to talk about eating animals, a way that doesn't ignore, or even just shruggingly accept things like habits, cravings, family and history, but rather incorporates them into the conversation. The more they are allowed in, the more strongly we will want to follow our best instincts.
No one ever died from smoking marijuana, but millions of people have died by believing politicians.
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