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Television has made dictatorship impossible but democracy unbearable.
Shimon Peres
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Television has transformed political communication, making dictatorship harder to sustain while creating challenges for democratic processes.

Shimon Peres's quote highlights the dual impact of television on politics, suggesting that the medium has made it difficult for oppressive regimes to maintain control, due to increased transparency and scrutiny. However, it also implies that the same visibility can lead to overwhelming noise and sensationalism in democracies, making it challenging for the public to engage with complex issues thoughtfully.

Themes

TelevisionDemocracyDictatorshipCommunicationPolitics

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a discussion about the role of media in modern politics.

More from Shimon Peres

When it becomes a bloody reality, we have to come together and look at what can be done to return to the order of peace, ... There is no alternative to it.
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I didn't plan to be a politician. The founder of our country, David Ben-Gurion, called me from the kibbutz to serve in the underground. We were short of manpower, short of arms. I was 24 years old. I was supposed to serve my country for one or two years. I am 89 years old this year, and I keep going.
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The United States is the only power in history that became great by giving and not by taking. I think the crisis was when the United States had more money than ideas. Money doesn't produce money. Ideas produce money.
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The problem of the Middle East is poverty more than politics.
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The Iranian regime suppresses its own people as well as others in the region. It prevents peace by sponsoring terror globally. With the ultimate weapon that it is deceptively developing, the regime aims to gain hegemony over the entire Middle East and hold the world's economy hostage.
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Early in the morning, I fell in love with the girl that later on became my wife. At that time, we were so naive. I wanted to charm her, so I read her Capital by Marx. I thought somehow she would be convinced by the strength of his criticism about capital.
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