quote · Legacy record
The two main criminals are France and the United States. They owe Haiti enormous reparations because of actions going back hundreds of years. If we could ever get to the stage where somebody could say, 'We're sorry we did it,' that would be nice. But if that just assuages guilt, it's just another crime. To become minimally civilized, we would have to say, 'We carried out and benefited from vicious crimes. A large part of the wealth of France comes from the crimes we committed against Haiti, and the United States gained as well. Therefore we are going to pay reparations to the Haitian people.' Then you will see the beginnings of civilization.
The two main criminals are France and the United States. They owe Haiti enormous reparations because of actions going back hundreds of years. If we could ever get to the stage where somebody could say, 'We're sorry we did it,' that would be nice. But if that just assuages guilt, it's just another crime. To become minimally civilized, we would have to say, 'We carried out and benefited from vicious crimes. A large part of the wealth of France comes from the crimes we committed against Haiti, and the United States gained as well. Therefore we are going to pay reparations to the Haitian people.' Then you will see the beginnings of civilization.
Approximate author period: c. 1928 AD · modern
Meaning not yet available
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- Author or tradition
- Noam Chomsky
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
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- Approximate author period: c. 1928 AD · modern
Approximate author-period anchor from documented birth year 1928; activity date not established; Wikidata Q9049, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9049 (accessed 2026-10-08). Not a quotation composition date.
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 104263; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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