I wonder how the foreign policies of the United States would look if we wiped out the national boundaries of the world, at least in our minds, and thought of all children everywhere as our own.
Howard ZinnRead
In the long run, the oppressor is also a victim. In the short run (and so far, human history has consisted only of short runs), the victims, themselves desperate and tainted with the culture that oppresses them, turn on other victims.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Oppression affects both the oppressor and the oppressed, leading to a cyclical nature of victimhood.
Howard Zinn's quote reflects on the complex relationship between oppressors and the oppressed in society. He suggests that while oppressors harm others, they are also victims of their own actions and the system that perpetuates oppression. In times of desperation, those who are oppressed may turn against each other rather than unite against their common enemy, revealing the tragic cycle of victimization that can ensue in a culture of oppression, which impacts the social fabric over time.
Themes
OppressionVictimHuman HistoryCultureDesperation
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on social justice, one might say, 'As Howard Zinn pointed out, in the long run, the oppressor is also a victim.'
More from Howard Zinn
All quotes βHistory can come in handy. If you were born yesterday, with no knowledge of the past, you might easily accept whatever the government tells you. But knowing a bit of history--while it would not absolutely prove the government was lying in a given instance--might make you skeptical, lead you to ask questions, make it more likely that you would find out the truth.
Howard ZinnRead
Objectivity is impossible and it is also undesirable. That is, if it were possible it would be undesirable, because if you have any kind of a social aim, if you think history should serve society in some way; should serve the progress of the human race; should serve justice in some way, then it requires that you make your selection on the basis of what you think will advance causes of humanity.
Howard ZinnRead
The historian's distortion is more than technical, it is ideological; it is released into a world of contending interest, where any chosen emphasis supports some kind of interest, whether economic or political or racial, or national or sexual.
Howard ZinnRead
Americans have been taught that their nation is civilized and humane. But, too often, U.S. actions have been uncivilized and inhumane.
Howard ZinnRead
The challenge remains. On the other side are formidable forces: money, political power, the major media. On our side are the people of the world and a power greater than money or weapons: the truth.
Howard ZinnRead
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As nonhuman animals, plants, and even 'inanimate' rivers once spoke to our oral ancestors, so the ostensibly βinertβ letters on the page now speak to us! This is a form of animism that we take for granted, but it is animism nonetheless - as mysterious as a talking stone.
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People will always prefer black-and-white over shades of grey, and so there will always be the temptation to hold overly-simplified beliefs and to hold them with excessive confidence
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We have been poisoned by fairy tales.
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If Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us anything in recent history, it is the unpredictability of war and that these things are easier to get into than to get out of, and, frankly, the facile way in which too many people talk about, 'Well, let's just go attack them.'
Robert M. GatesRead