--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The big guys who ran things didn't want…" description: "\"“The big guys who ran things didn't want you thinking or feeling. It slowed down production. They wanted you scared and working so you wouldn't bump up..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/bill-ripley-223433_america_the-big-guys-who-ran-things-didn-t-want_2897769.jpg" --- # The big guys who ran things didn't want you thinking or… ![“The big guys who ran things didn't want you thinking or feeling. It slowed down production. They wanted you scared and working so you wouldn't bump up against the truth--life could be fun. Yup, they wanted you scared. They wanted you grim. They wanted you madly cranking out Barbie dolls or Post…” quote by Bill Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/bill-ripley-223433_america_the-big-guys-who-ran-things-didn-t-want_2897769.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/bill-ripley-223433_america_the-big-guys-who-ran-things-didn-t-want_2897769.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/bill-ripley-223433_america_the-big-guys-who-ran-things-didn-t-want_2897769.jpg) > ““The big guys who ran things didn't want you thinking or feeling. It slowed down production. They wanted you scared and working so you wouldn't bump up against the truth--life could be fun. Yup, they wanted you scared. They wanted you grim. They wanted you madly cranking out Barbie dolls or Post Toasties or Xerox, or they wanted you overworked and underpaid at teaching so you could at least feel smart, and they wanted you to keep having kids so you'd have to keep working at whatever job you were stuck in and not have time to think or feel or, if you did, you certainly wouldn't have time to do anything about it, or even get close to the big fun, the fun that belonged only to them. And then they wanted your kids to hop on the same treadmill.”” Bill Ripley ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful entities manipulate fear and labor to suppress critical thought, keeping people trapped in endless work and consumer cycles. **In simple terms:** Control uses fear and work to limit thinking. Key Takeaway Question authority and seek autonomy. Themes power control labor consumerism social critique Mood critical defiant Type America:0 Big guy:0 Capitalism:1 Children:0 Corporations:1 Free market:0 Fun:0 Having kids:0 Kids:0 The-machine:0 Work:1 Barbie Doll:0 Didn Want:0 Wanted Scared:0 Wanted Having:0 Wanted Overworked:0 Scared Wanted:0 When to use this quote - activism - education - community organizing Key Concepts fear manipulation economic exploitation psychological control Questions to Reflect On - What personal freedoms are most restricted? - How can one break the cycle of fear? A Different Perspective The view may oversimplify complex socioeconomic factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Barbie Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbie-doll/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Free market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-market/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Having kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-kids/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [“Broke your jaw once before Spilt your blood upon the floor You broke my leg in return So let's sit back and watch the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/broke-your-jaw-once-before-spilt-your-blood-upon-the-floor-you-broke/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [“How wonderful to say whatever you wanted without having to go over it in your mind, again and again, to make certain it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/how-wonderful-to-say-whatever-you-wanted-without-having-to-go-over-it/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“He wanted them both, but there was no having everything, and love couldn't help him now. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/my-childhood-was-pretty-ordinary-except-from-a-very-early-age-i/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“So here we are, in the family planning aisle with a cart full of sports drinks and our hands full of . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huntley-fitzpatrick/so-here-we-are-in-the-family-planning-aisle-with-a-cart-full-of/) [Huntley Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huntley-fitzpatrick/) > [The world is playing lets make a barbie doll with your body,but the truth is they know you love your body and what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/the-world-is-playing-lets-make-a-barbie-doll-with-your-body-but-the/) Frenchqueen > [“My sex change operation got botched; my guardian angel fell asleep on the watch; now all I got is a Barbie doll crotch; I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/my-sex-change-operation-got-botched-my-guardian-angel-fell-asleep-on/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [If you want a perfect women, buy yourself a Barbie doll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-a-perfect-women-buy-yourself-a-barbie-doll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I didn't have a Barbie doll, so I played with eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-bonta/i-didn-t-have-a-barbie-doll-so-i-played-with-eternity/) [Vanna Bonta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-bonta/) > [When I was little, I would draw hearing aids onto my Barbie dolls to make them look like me, so I am thrilled that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/when-i-was-little-i-would-draw-hearing-aids-onto-my-barbie-dolls-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I've kind of been in a video game, I've kind of been an action figure. 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