--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people are not given an option by…" description: "\"When people are not given an option by some secret scoring system, it's very hard to complain, so they often don't even know that they've been victimiz..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/cathy-o-neil-11478_complaining_when-people-are-not-given-an-option-by-s_1481643.jpg" --- # When people are not given an option by some secret scoring… ![“When people are not given an option by some secret scoring system, it's very hard to complain, so they often don't even know that they've been victimized.” quote by Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/cathy-o-neil-11478_complaining_when-people-are-not-given-an-option-by-s_1481643.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/cathy-o-neil-11478_complaining_when-people-are-not-given-an-option-by-s_1481643.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/cathy-o-neil-11478_complaining_when-people-are-not-given-an-option-by-s_1481643.jpg) > “When people are not given an option by some secret scoring system, it's very hard to complain, so they often don't even know that they've been victimized.” [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When opaque algorithms decide outcomes, people often cannot see or challenge the bias, leaving them unaware of being harmed. **In simple terms:** Hidden scoring hides unfairness. Key Takeaway Question transparency in decision‑making. Themes fairness technology power accountability bias Mood concerned critical hopeful Type analytical advocacy When to use this quote - public policy - employment decisions - credit scoring - healthcare triage - education admissions Key Concepts algorithmic governance social justice information asymmetry Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure people understand algorithmic impacts? - What safeguards protect against hidden bias? A Different Perspective Even with transparency, complex models may still be hard to interpret. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [I don't feel any shame I won't apologize if there ain't nowhere you can go running away from pain when you've been victimized tales…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-joe-armstrong/i-don-t-feel-any-shame-i-won-t-apologize-if-there-ain-t-nowhere-you/) [Billie Joe Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-joe-armstrong/) > [You know, when your poisoning your body night after night after night, you end up chipping a couple years off your life. I've always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-demarco/you-know-when-your-poisoning-your-body-night-after-night-after-night/) [Mac DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-demarco/) > [“How to win in life: 1 work hard 2 complain less 3 listen more 4 try, learn, grow 5 don't let people tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/how-to-win-in-life-1-work-hard-2-complain-less-3-listen-more-4-try/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [I'm extremely, extremely lucky to be who I am and do what I do and work with the people I work with. Even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/i-m-extremely-extremely-lucky-to-be-who-i-am-and-do-what-i-do-and/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [It's very hard to complain about society if you don't get involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/it-s-very-hard-to-complain-about-society-if-you-don-t-get-involved/) [George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/) > [“After all, how many of our todays and of our tomorrows do we want to give our yesterdays? It is one thing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/after-all-how-many-of-our-todays-and-of-our-tomorrows-do-we-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't see black people as victims even though we are exploited. Victims are flat, one- dimensional characters, someone rolled over by a steamroller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hunter/i-don-t-see-black-people-as-victims-even-though-we-are-exploited/) [Kristin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hunter/) > [We live in a society of victimization, where people are much more comfortable being victimized than actually standing up for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/we-live-in-a-society-of-victimization-where-people-are-much-more/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [The Nazis victimized some people for what they did, some for what they refused to do, some for what they were, and some for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-horton-conway/the-nazis-victimized-some-people-for-what-they-did-some-for-what-they/) John Horton Conway > [“It is up to each one of us to immunize ourselves from any disabling bolts of anger and defend ourselves from the thunderstorms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/it-is-up-to-each-one-of-us-to-immunize-ourselves-from-any-disabling/) [Kilroy J. 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Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“A problem we face today is that nobody speaks for those who have not been victimized by crime in recent years because those “victims”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/historica-press/a-problem-we-face-today-is-that-nobody-speaks-for-those-who-have-not/) [Historica Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/historica-press/) > [When we ignore the body, we are more easily victimized by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/when-we-ignore-the-body-we-are-more-easily-victimized-by-it/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“I'm pissed off because of all the fuckin' people who shut their eyes while others are victimized because it doesn't benefit them to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reymundo-sanchez/i-m-pissed-off-because-of-all-the-fuckin-people-who-shut-their-eyes/) Reymundo Sanchez ## More by Cathy O'Neil > [ With recidivism algorithms, for example, I worry about racist outcomes. With personality tests \[for hiring\], I worry about filtering out people with mental health… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/with-recidivism-algorithms-for-example-i-worry-about-racist-outcomes/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“They draw statistical correlations between a person’s zip code or language patterns and her potential to pay back a loan or handle a job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/they-draw-statistical-correlations-between-a-person-s-zip-code-or/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [I don't think anybody's ever notified that they were sentenced to an extra two years because their recidivism score had been high, or notified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/i-don-t-think-anybody-s-ever-notified-that-they-were-sentenced-to-an/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The national conversation around white entitlement, around institutionalized racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, I think, came about in large part because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-national-conversation-around-white-entitlement-around/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“model’s blind spots reflect the judgments and priorities of its creators. While the choices in Google Maps and avionics software appear cut and dried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/model-s-blind-spots-reflect-the-judgments-and-priorities-of-its/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [I would argue that one of the major problems with our blind trust in algorithms is that we can propagate discriminatory patterns without acknowledging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/i-would-argue-that-one-of-the-major-problems-with-our-blind-trust-in/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [We've learned our lesson with finance because they made a huge goddamn explosion that almost shut down the world. But the thing I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/we-ve-learned-our-lesson-with-finance-because-they-made-a-huge/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“Employers, for example, are increasingly using credit scores to evaluate potential hires. Those who pay their bills promptly, the thinking goes, are more likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/employers-for-example-are-increasingly-using-credit-scores-to/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [Google is so big you have no idea what a given person does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/google-is-so-big-you-have-no-idea-what-a-given-person-does/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [It's a standard thing you hear from startup people - that their product is somehow improving the world. And if you follow the reasoning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/it-s-a-standard-thing-you-hear-from-startup-people-that-their-product/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The NSA buys data from private companies, so the private companies are the source of all this stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-nsa-buys-data-from-private-companies-so-the-private-companies-are/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“The algorithms would make sure that those deemed losers would remain that way. A lucky minority would gain ever more control over the data…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-algorithms-would-make-sure-that-those-deemed-losers-would-remain/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“As we’ve seen, they (the companies) routinely reject applicants on the basis of credit scores and personality tests. Health scores represent a natural—and frightening—next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/as-we-ve-seen-they-the-companies-routinely-reject-applicants-on-the/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [We don't let a car company just throw out a car and start driving it around without checking that the wheels are fastened on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/we-don-t-let-a-car-company-just-throw-out-a-car-and-start-driving-it/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The public trusts big data way too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-public-trusts-big-data-way-too-much/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) [Explore all 59 Cathy O'Neil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) ## More Complaining quotes > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? 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It is never fair - at best it is impartial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/do-not-complain-of-life-s-unfairness-it-is-never-fair-at-best-it-is/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [But if people will laugh at my work and keep a sound roof over my head, who am I to complain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-burke/but-if-people-will-laugh-at-my-work-and-keep-a-sound-roof-over-my/) [Billie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-burke/) > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You shouldn't get to live in society and give nothing back. People complain about their taxes, yet they do nothing for the community. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-turner/you-shouldn-t-get-to-live-in-society-and-give-nothing-back-people/) [Kathleen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-turner/) > [I was so drunk last night I fell down and missed the floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/i-was-so-drunk-last-night-i-fell-down-and-missed-the-floor/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [Once the war began, the government could do anything 'necessary' to win it; so it was with the 'final solution of the Jewish problem,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-mayer/once-the-war-began-the-government-could-do-anything-necessary-to-win/) [Milton Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-mayer/) > [I'll tell you that the dog whistle politics is badly missing the mark. 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