--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: a massive, malign indifference to people…" description: "\"“a massive, malign indifference to people of color is at work.”\" — David Cay Johnston" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/david-cay-johnston-10155_indifference_a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people_2509814.jpg" --- # a massive, malign indifference to people of color is at… ![“a massive, malign indifference to people of color is at work.” quote by David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/david-cay-johnston-10155_indifference_a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people_2509814.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/david-cay-johnston-10155_indifference_a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people_2509814.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/david-cay-johnston-10155_indifference_a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people_2509814.jpg) > ““a massive, malign indifference to people of color is at work.”” [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal neglect toward people of color is pervasive and harmful. **In simple terms:** Indifference to racial issues is widespread. Key Takeaway Address systemic bias actively. Themes racism justice society Mood concerned determined Type activist reflective When to use this quote - policy - community activism - media - education Key Concepts systemic oppression indifference Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to confront indifference? - How does indifference manifest in your environment? A Different Perspective Ignoring the problem does not solve it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“If I were to name the one crying evil of American life, Mr. Derrick, it would be the indifference of the better people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-norris/if-i-were-to-name-the-one-crying-evil-of-american-life-mr-derrick-it/) [Frank Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-norris/) > [The biggest enemy of management is indifference. It's when people don't give a damn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ghosn/the-biggest-enemy-of-management-is-indifference-it-s-when-people-don/) [Carlos Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ghosn/) > [Not death but disease is the real enemy; disease, the malign force that requires confrontation. Death is the surcease that comes when the exhausting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/not-death-but-disease-is-the-real-enemy-disease-the-malign-force-that/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [“A malign star kept him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/a-malign-star-kept-him/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [When you are generalizing, and when your goal is to malign and to say things about an entire group - there are tens of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstie-alley/when-you-are-generalizing-and-when-your-goal-is-to-malign-and-to-say/) [Kirstie Alley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstie-alley/) > [If there is a God, he is a malign thug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-there-is-a-god-he-is-a-malign-thug/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It's better to have a malign providence than an indifferent one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/it-s-better-to-have-a-malign-providence-than-an-indifferent-one/) [Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/) > [“Christians must show that misery fits the good for heaven, while happiness prepares the bad for hell; that the wicked get all their good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/christians-must-show-that-misery-fits-the-good-for-heaven-while/) [Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/) > [Conservatives are fond of telling us what a wonderful, happy, prosperous nation this is. The only thing that matches their love of country is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/conservatives-are-fond-of-telling-us-what-a-wonderful-happy/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [“The power of a corrupt government is located in the ignorance and indifference of its people - rjs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/the-power-of-a-corrupt-government-is-located-in-the-ignorance-and/) [rassool jibraeel snyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/) > [“Every human being makes mistakes and does things they’re not proud of. They can be everyday, or they can be catastrophic. And the unfortunate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/every-human-being-makes-mistakes-and-does-things-they-re-not-proud-of/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [But nothing is so strange when one is in love (and what was this except being in love?) as the complete indifference of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/but-nothing-is-so-strange-when-one-is-in-love-and-what-was-this/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I'm just challenging white supremacy at its intellectual heart every day. It's a pedagogy that I deploy against some of the most vicious resistance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-m-just-challenging-white-supremacy-at-its-intellectual-heart-every/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) ## More by David Cay Johnston > [“Wage insurance works best when all workers are covered under the same plan and the coverage starts at the beginning of their working lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/wage-insurance-works-best-when-all-workers-are-covered-under-the-same/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Pope Francis I, denouncing “an economy of exclusion,” has made inequality a centerpiece of his reign: Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/pope-francis-i-denouncing-an-economy-of-exclusion-has-made-inequality/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“We have created a society in which all the nation’s economic gains flow to the top and the vast majority sees income stagnation or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/we-have-created-a-society-in-which-all-the-nation-s-economic-gains/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [Congress is supposed to fund the IRS, and it has been steadily reducing the number of auditors and tax collectors the IRS has at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/congress-is-supposed-to-fund-the-irs-and-it-has-been-steadily/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“By 2012 the average income of the vast majority had shrunk to the equivalent of 45 weeks of 1973 income—a 13 percent decline to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/by-2012-the-average-income-of-the-vast-majority-had-shrunk-to-the/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“No person, I think, ever saw a herd of buffalo, of which a few were fat and the great majority lean. No person ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/no-person-i-think-ever-saw-a-herd-of-buffalo-of-which-a-few-were-fat/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“The worst of these are laws in nineteen states that let companies pocket the state income taxes withheld from their workers’ paychecks for up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/the-worst-of-these-are-laws-in-nineteen-states-that-let-companies/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“it shouldn’t be the case that the only route out of poverty is to get married to someone who also has a job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/it-shouldn-t-be-the-case-that-the-only-route-out-of-poverty-is-to-get/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Halliburton’s is a more extreme example, one in which a powerful and wealthy company transcends national borders so thoroughly that it is not an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/halliburton-s-is-a-more-extreme-example-one-in-which-a-powerful-and/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“The real income reported on federal tax returns by the vast majority of Americans, the 90 percent, doubled between the end of the war and 1973.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/the-real-income-reported-on-federal-tax-returns-by-the-vast-majority/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [You, as a wage earner have to pay your taxes every year on your income for that year. So if you have a one-time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/you-as-a-wage-earner-have-to-pay-your-taxes-every-year-on-your-income/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Social Security gives concrete expression to widely held and time-honored American commitments. Grounded in values of shared responsibility and concern for all members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/social-security-gives-concrete-expression-to-widely-held-and-time/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“The anthropologist Elliot Liebow observed it in the men he chronicled in Tally’s Corner, his insightful 1967 book on the lives and attitudes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/the-anthropologist-elliot-liebow-observed-it-in-the-men-he-chronicled/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“One change we believe should be made is increasing the maximum amount of wages on which Social Security’s contributions are assessed. Contributions are assessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/one-change-we-believe-should-be-made-is-increasing-the-maximum-amount/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Not surprisingly, this huge American “industry” has huge political clout—with the expansion of prosecutorial and correctional workers’ power, the growing number of lobbyists for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/not-surprisingly-this-huge-american-industry-has-huge-political-clout/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) [Explore all 67 David Cay Johnston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) ## More Indifference quotes > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [“Courage did not come from the need to survive, or from a brute indifference inherited from someone else, but from a driving need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/courage-did-not-come-from-the-need-to-survive-or-from-a-brute/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/) [Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/) > [Love and hate, despite their polar opposites, are both feelings that are induced by passion. I can handle that. It's the indifference I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/love-and-hate-despite-their-polar-opposites-are-both-feelings-that/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“I wasn't sure which I appreciated less—the insincere concern or the genuine indifference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-graham/i-wasn-t-sure-which-i-appreciated-less-the-insincere-concern-or-the/) Arthur Graham > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Desire is half of life, indifference is half of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/desire-is-half-of-life-indifference-is-half-of-death/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What's wrong with death sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can't we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/what-s-wrong-with-death-sir-what-are-we-so-mortally-afraid-of-why-can/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Adorn thyself with simplicity and with indifference towards the things which lie between virtue and vice. Love mankind. Follow God. The poet says that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/adorn-thyself-with-simplicity-and-with-indifference-towards-the/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [One's own troubles can be borne with fortitude; only a monster of indifference can bear the sufferings of others with fortitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ertz/one-s-own-troubles-can-be-borne-with-fortitude-only-a-monster-of/) [Susan Ertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ertz/) > [Many men without morals have attacked religion because it was contrary to their inclinations. Many wise men have despised it because it seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-d-holbach/many-men-without-morals-have-attacked-religion-because-it-was/) [Baron d'Holbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-d-holbach/) > [Indifference to one's own faith is no proof of tolerance. Loyalty to one's own is part of a larger loyalty to faith generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-hillel-silver/indifference-to-one-s-own-faith-is-no-proof-of-tolerance-loyalty-to/) Abba Hillel Silver > [I know well, Monsieur, how much you have to endure in your present duty, and I ask Our Lord to strengthen you in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-know-well-monsieur-how-much-you-have-to-endure-in-your-present-duty/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) [Browse all 1,128 Indifference quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“a massive, malign indifference to people of color is at work.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Cay Johnston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people-of-color-is-at-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Indifference" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people-of-color-is-at-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/david-cay-johnston-10155_indifference_a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people_2509814.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/david-cay-johnston-10155_indifference_a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people_2509814.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/david-cay-johnston-10155_indifference_a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people_2509814.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“a massive, malign indifference to people of color is at work.” — David Cay Johnston", "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": "David Cay Johnston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“a massive, malign indifference to people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people-of-color-is-at-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/a-massive-malign-indifference-to-people-of-color-is-at-work/#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 } } ] } ```