Clearly, the qualities Poles admire in a secretary of state - foreign languages, diplomatic experience, even sense of humor - are emphatically not those desired in a head of state: So be it.
Anne ApplebaumRead
At times when people fear death, they go along with measures that they believe, rightly or wrongly, will save them - even if that means a loss of freedom. Such measures have been popular in the past.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The fear of death can lead people to make choices that sacrifice their freedom for perceived safety.
This quote by Anne Applebaum highlights the complex relationship between fear, safety, and freedom. In times of crisis, especially where death is a looming threat, individuals may willingly accept restrictions on their liberties if they believe it will protect them from harm. This behavior reflects historical patterns where societies, in moments of desperation, prioritize security over civil liberties, often leading to troubling consequences.
Themes
FreedomDeathFearSafetyMeasures
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about civil rights during a pandemic, this quote can highlight the balance between safety and personal freedoms.
More from Anne Applebaum
All quotes →Birtherism surely increased Americans' distrust of politics, though in ways that are hard to pin down. By contrast, when anti-vaxxers persuade parents not to vaccinate children, the result can be sickness and even death.
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Quite a lot has been written, including by me, about the effect of social media on politics, and in particular the way in which the algorithms built into Facebook and YouTube are more likely to spread angry, extremist and deliberately provocative political language.
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As a journalist, I know what it is like to incur the self-righteous wrath of people who denounce you for things you didn't say or didn't mean.
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If we can't have a public debate because the information space is so polluted, or because people are afraid of the reactions of organized trolls, then we can't really have meaningful elections anymore, either.
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Elections are always a Rorschach test - people look at the results and see what they want to see.
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