I was raised to believe that other people's suffering was my responsibility.
George C. WolfeRead
Genocide has two phases: one, destruction of the national pattern of the oppressed group; the other, the imposition of the national pattern of the oppressor. This imposition, in turn, may be made upon the oppressed population which is allowed to remain or upon the territory alone, after removal of the population and the colonization by the oppressor's own nationals.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Genocide involves both destroying the culture of a people and replacing it with that of the oppressor.
Raphael Lemkin's quote highlights the dual nature of genocide: first involves the eradication of the cultural identity and societal patterns of the oppressed group, while the second involves enforcing the culture and norms of the oppressor on the surviving population or the territory. This reflects not only a physical destruction but also a deeper, more insidious form of cultural annihilation where the identity of the oppressed is systematically replaced or erased.
Themes
GenocideOppressionCultureIdentityColonizationHistory
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing human rights, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of cultural preservation.
Similar quotes
Why can't these American women stay in their own country? They are always telling us that it is the paradise for women. It is. That is the reason why, like Eve, they are so excessively anxious to get out of it.
Oscar WildeRead
Where are my sensations? They have melted into... me, and what is this me, this self, but the sum of these evaporated sensations?
Emile M. CioranRead
Eventually I lost interest in trying to control my life, to make things happen in a way that I thought I wanted them to be. I began to practice surrendering to the universe and finding out what "it" wanted me to do.
Shakti GawainRead
When I tell the truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those that do.
William BlakeRead
Religion is a feature of cultural evolution that, among other things, addresses anxieties created by cultural evolution; it helps keep social change safe from itself.
Robert WrightRead