--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that the next two generations of…" description: "\"I think that the next two generations of Americans will be grappling with the very real specter of finding themselves living in a new and bizarre kind ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/chelsea-manning-3116_bizarre_i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of_2480959.jpg" --- # I think that the next two generations of Americans will be… ![“I think that the next two generations of Americans will be grappling with the very real specter of finding themselves living in a new and bizarre kind of digital totalitarian state - one that looks and feels democratic on the surface, but has a fierce undercurrent of fear and technologically…” quote by Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/chelsea-manning-3116_bizarre_i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of_2480959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/chelsea-manning-3116_bizarre_i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of_2480959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/chelsea-manning-3116_bizarre_i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of_2480959.jpg) > “I think that the next two generations of Americans will be grappling with the very real specter of finding themselves living in a new and bizarre kind of digital totalitarian state - one that looks and feels democratic on the surface, but has a fierce undercurrent of fear and technologically enforced fascism any time you step out of line. I really hope this isn't the case, but it looks really bad right now, doesn't it?” [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Warning that democratic societies may mask authoritarian control through technology. **In simple terms:** Democracy can hide digital oppression. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant against hidden digital tyranny. Themes freedom technology politics Mood concerned determined Type political cautionary When to use this quote - government policy - online behavior - activism Key Concepts digital surveillance authoritarianism civil liberties Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens protect digital rights? - What signs indicate creeping digital authoritarianism? A Different Perspective Complex solutions may be hard to implement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bizarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bizarre/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Digital Totalitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital-totalitarian-863350/) [Fascism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascism/) [Fear Technologically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-technologically-863351/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Feels Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels-democratic-863353/) [Fierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fierce/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Grappling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grappling/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) [Think Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-generations-863352/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Totalitarian state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-state/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [“Passion feels very democratic. It is the people’s talent, available to all. It’s also mostly bullshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/passion-feels-very-democratic-it-is-the-people-s-talent-available-to/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [I don't think my success or me having the opportunity to have success is from our generation. I think it's from the generations before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-dash/i-don-t-think-my-success-or-me-having-the-opportunity-to-have-success/) [Damon Dash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-dash/) > [Those who think only for a year, they sow food grains; those who think for a decade, they plant fruits; But those who think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/those-who-think-only-for-a-year-they-sow-food-grains-those-who-think/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [ “I think of the five generations it will take before \[Mr. Perfect\]'s born, and I want to scream. I want someone now. I want… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-khoury/i-think-of-the-five-generations-it-will-take-before-mr-perfect-s-born/) [Jessica Khoury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-khoury/) > [I think most generations tend to learn the lesson of war the hard way. There is a deep attraction to the empowerment. Freud is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/i-think-most-generations-tend-to-learn-the-lesson-of-war-the-hard-way/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Everybody talks about the entitlement generation. There is no time I'd rather live in than now, and there is no generation I would more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/everybody-talks-about-the-entitlement-generation-there-is-no-time-i-d/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Any doctrine that weakens personal responsibility for judgment and for action helps create the attitudes that welcome and support the totalitarian state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/any-doctrine-that-weakens-personal-responsibility-for-judgment-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [“You can build the Empire State Building. Train the Prussian army. Elevate the hierarchy of a totalitarian state higher than the throne of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/you-can-build-the-empire-state-building-train-the-prussian-army/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [We do not want to see a Hong Kong that enjoys freedoms on paper, but whose autonomous status conceals the workings of a totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/we-do-not-want-to-see-a-hong-kong-that-enjoys-freedoms-on-paper-but/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [Puzzlement and doubt are, however, already crimes in the totalitarian state. The mind that is open for questions is open for dissent. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/puzzlement-and-doubt-are-however-already-crimes-in-the-totalitarian/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [Without freedom there will be no firearms among the people; without firearms among the people there will not long be freedom. Certainly there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-knox/without-freedom-there-will-be-no-firearms-among-the-people-without/) [Neal Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-knox/) > [Sooner or later a democracy which is to survive has to be able to rely upon that enlargement of vision and purpose of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ordway-tead/sooner-or-later-a-democracy-which-is-to-survive-has-to-be-able-to/) [Ordway Tead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ordway-tead/) > [Of course, we knew that the official reports were sketchy, if not falsified. But, in terms of information theory, this is precisely where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-zuse/of-course-we-knew-that-the-official-reports-were-sketchy-if-not/) [Konrad Zuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-zuse/) > [The U.S.S.R. was a totalitarian state in which judges and prosecutors were controlled by the ruling party. The result was injustice, oppression and corruption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-u-s-s-r-was-a-totalitarian-state-in-which-judges-and-prosecutors/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Doctrine that eliminates or even obscures the function of choice of values and enlistment of desires and emotions in behalf of those chosen weakens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/doctrine-that-eliminates-or-even-obscures-the-function-of-choice-of/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) ## More by Chelsea Manning > [I think it's actually kind of sweet how there is a reciprocal effect that our stories can have on each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-think-it-s-actually-kind-of-sweet-how-there-is-a-reciprocal-effect/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [Visibility is not equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/visibility-is-not-equality/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [I regret if my actions hurt anyone or harmed the United States. It was never my intent to hurt anyone. When I chose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-regret-if-my-actions-hurt-anyone-or-harmed-the-united-states-it-was/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [I used to get these horrible feelings; like, I just wanted to rip my body apart, and I don't want to have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-used-to-get-these-horrible-feelings-like-i-just-wanted-to-rip-my/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [When I was a kid, I wanted to be in business or politics, like a CEO of a big corporation or a U.S. senator.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-in-business-or-politics-like-a-ceo-of/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [By December 2009, I had come to terms with my gender identity just as I was deployed to Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/by-december-2009-i-had-come-to-terms-with-my-gender-identity-just-as/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [I wanted the American public to know that not everyone in Iraq and Afghanistan were targets that needed to be neutralized, but rather people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-wanted-the-american-public-to-know-that-not-everyone-in-iraq-and/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [I do not think that Caitlyn Jenner's transition was easy. Coming out and transitioning as a public figure - even for someone like her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-do-not-think-that-caitlyn-jenner-s-transition-was-easy-coming-out/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [Suffrage is not a right afforded to everyone. Rather, voting is a privilege in the United States - and a hard-earned privilege at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/suffrage-is-not-a-right-afforded-to-everyone-rather-voting-is-a/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [Through every struggle that I have been confronted with and have been subjected to - solitary confinement, long legal battles, and physically transitioning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/through-every-struggle-that-i-have-been-confronted-with-and-have-been/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [We should all be able to live as human beings - and to be recognized as such by the societies we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/we-should-all-be-able-to-live-as-human-beings-and-to-be-recognized-as/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [Day-to-day life is as simple as it is routine - though my days are often long and very busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/day-to-day-life-is-as-simple-as-it-is-routine-though-my-days-are/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [The most important people for me, at least in the last couple of years since I came out, are my supersecret trans friends and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/the-most-important-people-for-me-at-least-in-the-last-couple-of-years/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [In the years preceding my imprisonment, I worked as a software programmer, designing and developing web interfaces, secure databases, and communication software; later, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/in-the-years-preceding-my-imprisonment-i-worked-as-a-software/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [Even if I didn't have the support that I have, I would still be fighting the same fights, and I would still be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/even-if-i-didn-t-have-the-support-that-i-have-i-would-still-be/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) [Explore all 139 Chelsea Manning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) ## More Bizarre quotes > [“but 20 years from now it will be bizarre if you walk into a store and the store doesn’t know who you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scoble/but-20-years-from-now-it-will-be-bizarre-if-you-walk-into-a-store-and/) [Robert Scoble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scoble/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) > [Even the two times that I left, I never really felt like I left the band. It's very bizarre. It's like there's sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wakeman/even-the-two-times-that-i-left-i-never-really-felt-like-i-left-the/) [Rick Wakeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wakeman/) > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The single greatest pleasure that I have in doing ('Bizarre Foods') is when I meet families with 6, 7, 8-year-olds, or teenagers, who say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-zimmern/the-single-greatest-pleasure-that-i-have-in-doing-bizarre-foods-is/) [Andrew Zimmern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-zimmern/) > [Someone once bought me loads of clothes from a charity shop - and sent them to me in a black bin liner. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-shaw/someone-once-bought-me-loads-of-clothes-from-a-charity-shop-and-sent/) [Suzanne Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-shaw/) > [I wrote the script of Patton. I had this very bizarre opening where he stands up in front of an American flag and gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/i-wrote-the-script-of-patton-i-had-this-very-bizarre-opening-where-he/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [The Kuiper belt region, which I call the third zone because it lies beyond the rocky terrestrial planets and beyond the giant planets, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/the-kuiper-belt-region-which-i-call-the-third-zone-because-it-lies/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [How I keep trying to force our story into a fairy tale, but from the beginning, it's been more like a nursery rhyme." "Bizarre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/how-i-keep-trying-to-force-our-story-into-a-fairy-tale-but-from-the/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Entropy The Disintegrating Integration of Cheez-Whiz Squirts Insipid Inspiration Quoth the Oblong Eclipse of Nether-Knowledge Never Knowing Decaying Matter in a Decaying Orbit Orangutans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ubiquitous-bubba/entropy-the-disintegrating-integration-of-cheez-whiz-squirts-insipid/) [Ubiquitous Bubba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ubiquitous-bubba/) > ['Aiyyaa' was a bizarre film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prithviraj-sukumaran/aiyyaa-was-a-bizarre-film/) [Prithviraj Sukumaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prithviraj-sukumaran/) > [My wife and I have created our own language. We can be at a table with six other people and have an argument without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/my-wife-and-i-have-created-our-own-language-we-can-be-at-a-table-with/) [Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/) > [I'm quite a good reader of people; I like to meet people, and I can tell if they're lying or not, and I've certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-darby/i-m-quite-a-good-reader-of-people-i-like-to-meet-people-and-i-can/) [Rhys Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-darby/) > [On 'Undeclared,' I was actually the only person who had gone to college. Here we are doing this college show, and no one had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-gallo/on-undeclared-i-was-actually-the-only-person-who-had-gone-to-college/) [Carla Gallo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-gallo/) > [Our workforce is very co-operative, very flexible, easy to work with and one of the big selling points. The idea that Britain is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-cable/our-workforce-is-very-co-operative-very-flexible-easy-to-work-with/) [Vince Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-cable/) [Browse all 717 Bizarre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bizarre/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that the next two generations of Americans will be grappling with the very real specter of finding themselves living in a new and bizarre kind of digital totalitarian state - one that looks and feels democratic on the surface, but has a fierce undercurrent of fear and technologically enforced fascism any time you step out of line. I really hope this isn't the case, but it looks really bad right now, doesn't it?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chelsea Manning" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of-americans-will-be-grappling/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bizarre" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of-americans-will-be-grappling/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/chelsea-manning-3116_bizarre_i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of_2480959.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/chelsea-manning-3116_bizarre_i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of_2480959.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/chelsea-manning-3116_bizarre_i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of_2480959.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that the next two generations of Americans will be grappling with the very real specter of finding…” — Chelsea Manning", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Chelsea Manning", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that the next two...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of-americans-will-be-grappling/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-think-that-the-next-two-generations-of-americans-will-be-grappling/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```