The best antidote for crime is justice. The irony we often fail to appreciate is that the more justice people enjoy, the fewer crimes they commit. Crime is the natural offspring of an unjust society.
Gerry SpenceRead
Today the insatiable quest for profit promotes the new slavery. In bewildering ways, the new is more pernicious than the old, for the New American Slave is told he is free, and he clings to that myth as if his life depended upon it, a suspicion that cannot be totally ignored.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the modern pursuit of profit, likening it to a form of slavery where individuals are misled into believing they are free.
Gerry Spence's quote highlights the insidious nature of contemporary capitalism, suggesting that the relentless pursuit of profit has created a new kind of bondage for people. Unlike traditional forms of slavery, where the lack of freedom is obvious, the 'New American Slave' is deceived into thinking they are free, yet their lives are constrained by societal expectations and economic pressures. This sense of false freedom can be more damaging as it creates a psychological attachment to the illusion of autonomy while perpetuating a cycle of exploitation.
Themes
ProfitSlaveryFreedomCapitalismDeception
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on economic reform, one might use this quote to illustrate the hidden costs of our consumer-driven society.
More from Gerry Spence
All quotes →When any system has for its goal the advancement of the system over the betterment of its individual members, such a system is embedded in slavery.
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The erosion of a nation's concern for life and for individual rights, has always preceded the intrusion of tyranny.
Gerry SpenceRead
The true test of liberty is the right to test it, the right to question it, the right to speak to my neighbors, to grab them by the shoulders and look into their eyes and ask, “Are we free?” I have thought that if we are free, the answer cannot hurt us. And if we are not free, must we not hear the answer?
Gerry SpenceRead
The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who hold power, in power.
Gerry SpenceRead
The ultimate enemy of Democracy is not the drug dealer of the crooked politician or the crazed skinhead. The ultimate enemy is the New King that has become so powerful it can murder its own citizens with impunity.
Gerry SpenceRead
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