What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.
George EastmanRead
Propaganda is to a democracy what violence is to a dictatorship.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Propaganda undermines democracy in a similar way that violence undermines a dictatorship.
This quote by William Blum highlights the insidious nature of propaganda in democratic societies, suggesting that just as violence is a tool of oppression in a dictatorship, propaganda serves to manipulate and control public perception and thought in a democracy. Both are mechanisms of power that serve to distort reality and suppress true understanding among the populace.
Themes
PropagandaDemocracyControlManipulationPower
In practice
Example use cases
In a political debate, one might say, 'As William Blum observed, propaganda is to a democracy what violence is to a dictatorship.'
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