» Being subversive

Subversive remarks, for me, are those which seek to dismiss a widely-held belief. For maximum effect, this should be a widely cherished belief, held dear by some who are—or should be—genuinely shocked by the revelation. At least, they should cause a response, “Of course, that’s how it is! How could I have not seen it?”

I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all frighten people and secondly, demoralize them.

Tony Benn . 1925-2014 . British politician . interview with Michael Moore

The corporation’s legally defined mandate is to pursue, relentlessly and without exception, its own self interest, regardless of the often harmful consequences it might cause to others.

Joel Bakan . 1959- . Canadian lawyer and writer . The corporation

When you cook it should be an act of love. To put a frozen bag in the microwave for your child is an act of hate.

Raymond Blanc . 1949- . French chef . article, Daily Telegraph

The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum—even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate.

Noam Chomsky . 1928- . American linguist, cognitive scientist, philosopher, and political activist . The common good

How such an elaborate theory [Freudian psychoanalytic practice] could have become so widely accepted—on the basis of no systematic evidence or critical experiments, and in the face of chronic failures of therapeutic intervention in all of the major classes of mental illness…—is something that sociologists of science and popular culture have yet to fully explain.

Paul Churchland . 1942- . Canadian philosopher of psychology . The engine of reason, the seat of the soul

a politician is an arse upon
which everyone has sat except a man

EE Cummings . 1894-1962 . American poet . 1 × 1

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Benjamin Franklin . 1706-1790 . American inventor, journalist and statesman . written for the Pennsylvania Assembly in its Reply to the governor (1755)

Military mythology has to pretend that real men are in the majority; cowards can never be allowed to feel that they might be the normal ones and the heroes are insane.

Germaine Greer . 1939- . Australian writer and academic . Daddy, we hardly knew you

At least two thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity, idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religious or political idols.

Aldous Huxley . 1894-1963 . English author . Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

Related material:
> Quotations: Being subversive—2

Being subversive—1

I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all frighten people and secondly, demoralize them.

The corporation’s legally defined mandate is to pursue, relentlessly and without exception, its own self interest, regardless of the often harmful consequences it might cause to others.

When you cook it should be an act of love. To put a frozen bag in the microwave for your child is an act of hate.

a politician is an arse upon
which everyone has sat except a man

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Military mythology has to pretend that real men are in the majority; cowards can never be allowed to feel that they might be the normal ones and the heroes are insane.

At least two thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity, idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religious or political idols.

Further reading

Being subversive—1

I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all frighten people and secondly, demoralize them.

The corporation’s legally defined mandate is to pursue, relentlessly and without exception, its own self interest, regardless of the often harmful consequences it might cause to others.

When you cook it should be an act of love. To put a frozen bag in the microwave for your child is an act of hate.

a politician is an arse upon which everyone has sat except a man

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Military mythology has to pretend that real men are in the majority; cowards can never be allowed to feel that they might be the normal ones and the heroes are insane.

At least two thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity, idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religious or political idols.

Further reading

a politician is an arse upon
which everyone has sat except a man