--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a sight! This infinitely proceeding…" description: "\"“What a sight! This infinitely proceeding division of society into the most manifold races opposed to one another by petty antipathies, uneasy conscien..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/christopher-hitchens-117_criticism_what-a-sight-this-infinitely-proceeding_2984530.jpg" --- # What a sight! This infinitely proceeding division of… ![“What a sight! This infinitely proceeding division of society into the most manifold races opposed to one another by petty antipathies, uneasy consciences and brutal mediocrity, and which, precisely because of their reciprocal ambiguous and distrustful attitude, are all, without exception although…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/christopher-hitchens-117_criticism_what-a-sight-this-infinitely-proceeding_2984530.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/christopher-hitchens-117_criticism_what-a-sight-this-infinitely-proceeding_2984530.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/christopher-hitchens-117_criticism_what-a-sight-this-infinitely-proceeding_2984530.jpg) > ““What a sight! This infinitely proceeding division of society into the most manifold races opposed to one another by petty antipathies, uneasy consciences and brutal mediocrity, and which, precisely because of their reciprocal ambiguous and distrustful attitude, are all, without exception although with various formalities, treated by their rulers as conceded existences. And they must recognize and acknowledge as a concession of heaven the very fact that they are mastered, ruled, possessed! And on the other side are the rulers themselves, whose greatness is in inverse proportion to their number! Criticism dealing with this content is criticism in a hand-to-hand fight, and in such a fight the point is not whether the opponent is a noble, equal, interesting opponent, the point is to strike him. The point is not to let the Germans have a minute for self-deception and resignation. The actual pressure must be made more pressing by adding to it consciousness of pressure, the shame must be made more shameful by publicizing it.”” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques societal fragmentation into competing groups, highlighting how rulers exploit divisions and how criticism must be aggressive to expose oppression. **In simple terms:** Society is divided, rulers exploit it, and criticism must be forceful. Key Takeaway Expose and challenge oppressive structures boldly. Themes power division criticism oppression politics Mood critical provocative urgent Type political philosophical activist When to use this quote - political activism - journalism - academic debate - human rights advocacy Key Concepts Social stratification authoritarianism public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can we confront oppression without replicating its violence? - What alternatives exist to confront criticism? A Different Perspective Aggressive criticism can alienate potential allies and oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I welcome criticism. I come from a - I wouldn't say mean, but you've got to have tough skin to be in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saweetie/i-welcome-criticism-i-come-from-a-i-wouldn-t-say-mean-but-you-ve-got/) [Saweetie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saweetie/) > [People believe that criticism should be objective, whatever that means, but I really don't understand what people mean by that. 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This infinitely proceeding division of society into the most manifold races opposed to one another by petty antipathies, uneasy consciences and brutal mediocrity, and which, precisely because of their reciprocal ambiguous and distrustful attitude, are all, without exception although with various formalities, treated by their rulers as conceded existences. And they must recognize and acknowledge as a concession of heaven the very fact that they are mastered, ruled, possessed! And on the other side are the rulers themselves, whose greatness is in inverse proportion to their number! Criticism dealing with this content is criticism in a hand-to-hand fight, and in such a fight the point is not whether the opponent is a noble, equal, interesting opponent, the point is to strike him. The point is not to let the Germans have a minute for self-deception and resignation. 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