Property:Quote
From iGeek
This is a property of type Text
1
...[1619] is so wrong in so many ways... +
I was disturbed by what seemed like a very unbalanced, one-sided account, which lacked context and perspective on the complexity of slavery, which was clearly, obviously, not an exclusively American institution, but existed throughout history. And slavery in the United States was only a small part of a larger world process that unfolded over many centuries. And in the United States, too, there was not only slavery but also an antislavery movement. So I thought the account, which emphasized American racism... focused so narrowly on that part of the story that it left most of the history out. +
What you really have with this literature is a marriage of neo-liberalism and liberal guilt. When you marry those two things, neo-liberal politics and liberal guilt, this is what you get... [“Original sin”, slavery or racism is built into the DNA of America]. These are really dangerous tropes. They’re not only ahistorical, they’re actually anti-historical. The function of those tropes is to deny change over time... Nothing changes. Every single generation is born with the same original sin.... There’s nothing we can do to get out of it. +
2
... it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. +
Today (1996) 25 million environmental refugees roam the globe... By 2010, this number will grow tenfold to 200 million. +
5
By 2000, British and American oil will have diminished to a trickle… Ozone depletion and global warming threaten food shortages… +
At present rates of exploitation there may be no rainforest left in 10 years. If measures are not taken immediately, the greenhouse effect may be unstoppable in 12 to 15 years. +
A
His reluctance to glory in any of his achievements has a particular texture, the modesty of the Brilliant American Liberal, which is not so much false as it is familiar, like a much-practiced pose. It brings an urge to say, in response, “Look, take some credit already! +
In Oslo, he looks outside to see a crowd of people holding candles, the flames flickering in the dark night, and one senses that this moves him more than the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony itself. +
Barack Obama is as fine a writer as they come. It is not merely that this book avoids being ponderous, as might be expected, even forgiven, of a hefty memoir, but that it is nearly always pleasurable to read, sentence by sentence, the prose gorgeous in places, the detail granular and vivid. +
If I remain hopeful about the future, it’s in large part because I’ve learned to place my faith in... those of the next generation,... my book is for those young people — an invitation to once again remake the world, and to bring about, through hard work, determination, and a big dose of imagination, an America that finally aligns with all that is best in us. +
The sad part is, there’s a section of America who is cheering and celebrating right now. and that makes me sick to my stomach. We GOTTA get it together y’all. stop saying we are not surprised. that’s a damn shame in itself. I continue to be surprised at how little Black lives matter. And I will continue that. stop giving up on black life. Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter. +
A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves. +
...we are now given not 10 years to save the rainforests, but in many cases five years. Madagascar will largely be gone in five years unless something happens. +
Researchers concluded that global warming would raise average annual temperatures nationwide two degrees by 2010. +
Entire nations could be wiped off the face of the earth by rising sea levels if global warming is not reversed by the year 2000. +
Admit nothing. Deny Everything. Demand Proof. +
We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. +
Iraq is a long way from USA but, what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face. +
[by 2008] The West Side Highway will be under water. And there will be tape across the windows across the street because of high winds. And the same birds won’t be there. +
