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"Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." - Steinbeck
by bunderbunder 10y ago
"Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." - Steinbeck
- scandox 10y agoThanks. That's made my day.
- moron4hire 10y agoRonald Wright, not Steinbeck.
- lazerwalker 10y ago"When reading a pithy observation about the state of the world, never assume the attribution is correct" -Mark Twain
- brendonjohn 10y agoDo you know what the connection between the two writers is? Seems to me that the quote is neither here nor there, but I haven't found anything solid to confirm who said what. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck#Disputed https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck#Disputed > "John Steinbeck once said that socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires", Wright, Ronald (2004). A Short History of Progress. Toronto: Anansi Press. pp. 124.
- pzh 10y ago"The problem with quotes found on the Internet is that they are often not true." --Abraham Lincoln
- phs318u 10y agoThe misattribution doesn't make the observation any less pertinent.
- yomly 10y agoIt suddenly occurred to me that the idea of enslaving a class of people under the promise of the "American Dream" is the modern rehash of when the British would put Indian soldiers in the vanguard and promise any who survived immediate promotion to officer rank. The dream of life-changing remuneration motivated the soldiers to fight, meanwhile the British seldom, if ever, had to pay out. NOTE: I cannot remember where I heard this and a quick check for a citation failed me. If anyone could verify (perhaps it wasn't the British and Indian...) please do!
- nradov 10y agoThis wasn't unique to India but the British army did use what they called a "forlorn hope" as the first wave in attacking a fortress. Most were expected to die, but the survivors were often promoted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forlorn_hope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forlorn_hope
- ethbro 10y agoAs exploitive as it sounds, given that someone had to attack in the first wave at least this seemed to match the rewards with the risk?
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- mannykannot 10y agoI think you have to look at it in a broader context - who was going to benefit from the fighting?
- refurb 10y agoThat quote infers the opposite is preferable. I'd rather have a population that strives for their dreams rather than sits back and blames the bourgeois for all their troubles.
- morsch 10y agoThat's a false dichotomy.