--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Big Brother is not the only danger facing…" description: "\"Big Brother is not the only danger facing the country. Another is the rising tide of distrust, the corrosive spread of cynicism, the fraying of the soc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/david-brooks-644_big-brother_big-brother-is-not-the-only-danger-facin_1142632.png" --- # Big Brother is not the only danger facing the country… ![“Big Brother is not the only danger facing the country. Another is the rising tide of distrust, the corrosive spread of cynicism, the fraying of the social fabric and the rise of people who are so individualistic in their outlook that they have no real understanding of how to knit others together…” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/david-brooks-644_big-brother_big-brother-is-not-the-only-danger-facin_1142632.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/david-brooks-644_big-brother_big-brother-is-not-the-only-danger-facin_1142632.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/david-brooks-644_big-brother_big-brother-is-not-the-only-danger-facin_1142632.png) > “Big Brother is not the only danger facing the country. Another is the rising tide of distrust, the corrosive spread of cynicism, the fraying of the social fabric and the rise of people who are so individualistic in their outlook that they have no real understanding of how to knit others together and look after the common good.” [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) ## 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 warns that societal danger comes not only from overt threats like authoritarianism but also from growing distrust, cynicism, and extreme individualism that erode community bonds. **In simple terms:** Social decay can stem from mistrust and selfishness. Key Takeaway Foster trust and collective responsibility. Themes trust individualism social cohesion political risk community Mood concerned reflective optimistic Type political social commentary advice When to use this quote - political discourse - community building - education - media literacy Key Concepts cynicism social fabric common good collective action Questions to Reflect On - How can we rebuild trust in polarized societies? - What policies encourage communal responsibility? A Different Perspective It may underestimate the impact of economic inequality on social trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-brother/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-good/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) [Cynicism Fraying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism-fraying-3192485/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Danger Facing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger-facing-1679831/) [Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust/) [Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric/) [Individualistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individualistic/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Outlook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlook/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Rising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rising/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spread/) [Spread Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spread-cynicism-3192486/) [Tides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tides/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [The greatest danger facing our nation isn't terrorism, global warming or the energy crisis. 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Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [ I think ultimately, people are selfish in that department \[blues\], in a good way - the reason we're attracted to art is because it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-hansard/i-think-ultimately-people-are-selfish-in-that-department-blues-in-a/) [Glen Hansard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-hansard/) > [Be yourself! Be individualistic!' he called out after me. 'But for God's sake get your hair cut. You look like an oddball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-zindel/be-yourself-be-individualistic-he-called-out-after-me-but-for-god-s/) [Paul Zindel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-zindel/) > [The only truly individualistic health-care choice - where you receive care that is unpolluted by anyone else's funds - is to forgo insurance altogether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/the-only-truly-individualistic-health-care-choice-where-you-receive/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [...Individualistic material progress and the desire to gain prestige by coming out on top have taken over from the sense of fellowship, compassion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/individualistic-material-progress-and-the-desire-to-gain-prestige-by/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [The weird thing about metal fans is we're all so maladjusted in a lot of ways. We're individualistic and opinionated and severe in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/the-weird-thing-about-metal-fans-is-we-re-all-so-maladjusted-in-a-lot/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [Today it is the skeptics who are the social conformists, though because of powerful intellectual propaganda they continue to enjoy thinking of themselves as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/today-it-is-the-skeptics-who-are-the-social-conformists-though/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) ## More by David Brooks > [The brain is not the mind. 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I think free trade has been wonderful for America on balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/trade-has-suddenly-become-massively-unpopular-i-think-that-s/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [Politics is based on social identity, and so, again, there is going to be differences between rural and urban and between left and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/politics-is-based-on-social-identity-and-so-again-there-is-going-to/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [Pain now is better than pain deferred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/pain-now-is-better-than-pain-deferred/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [It’s worth noting that you can devote your life to community service and be a total schmuck. 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Everybody is trying to win, everybody is trying to form alliances, everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-marie/negative-energy-sure-there-are-awkward-moments-but-you-re-in-big/) [Eva Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-marie/) > [I hate these reality TV shows where people walk off Big Brother and think they're A-list celebrities when they've done nothing in their lives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-pietersen/i-hate-these-reality-tv-shows-where-people-walk-off-big-brother-and/) [Kevin Pietersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-pietersen/) > [EXCITED FOR BIG BROTHER UK 2015 :D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardi-alexandre/excited-for-big-brother-uk-2015-d/) [Ricardi Alexandre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardi-alexandre/) [Browse all 203 Big brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-brother/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Big Brother is not the only danger facing the country. 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