quote · Legacy record
Against the claims of a violent "human nature" there is enormous historical evidence that people, when free of a manufactured nationalist or religious hysteria, are more inclined to be compassionate than cruel. When citizens have an opportunity to learn of vicious acts committed by their own governments, they react with indignation and protest.So long as atrocities remain remote, abstract, they will be tolerated, even by decent people.
Against the claims of a violent "human nature" there is enormous historical evidence that people, when free of a manufactured nationalist or religious hysteria, are more inclined to be compassionate than cruel. When citizens have an opportunity to learn of vicious acts committed by their own governments, they react with indignation and protest.So long as atrocities remain remote, abstract, they will be tolerated, even by decent people.
Approximate author period: c. 1966 AD · modern
Meaning not yet available
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- Author or tradition
- Howard Zinn
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate author period: c. 1966 AD · modern
Approximate author-period anchor from life dates 1922 to 2010; Wikidata Q119546, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q119546 (accessed 2026-10-08). Not a quotation composition date.
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 77810; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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