--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Police caught the guy responsible for…" description: "\"“Police caught the guy responsible for smashing windows and painting swastikas outside Jewish businesses on Devon Avenue. He’s out on bail now, and thi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/david-sedaris-333_concentration-camp_police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-sm_3039014.png" --- # Police caught the guy responsible for smashing windows and… ![“Police caught the guy responsible for smashing windows and painting swastikas outside Jewish businesses on Devon Avenue. He’s out on bail now, and this morning’s paper included a picture of him. What strikes me is that he has a very small mouth, smaller than a baby’s. I mean, tiny. If you wanted…” quote by David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/david-sedaris-333_concentration-camp_police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-sm_3039014.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/david-sedaris-333_concentration-camp_police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-sm_3039014.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/david-sedaris-333_concentration-camp_police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-sm_3039014.png) > ““Police caught the guy responsible for smashing windows and painting swastikas outside Jewish businesses on Devon Avenue. He’s out on bail now, and this morning’s paper included a picture of him. What strikes me is that he has a very small mouth, smaller than a baby’s. I mean, tiny. If you wanted him to suck your thumb, you’d have to grease it up first. The article says he belongs to a skinhead group and has tattoos, which is strange, I think, because Jews in concentration camps had shaved heads and tattoos. You’d think the anti-Semites would go for a different look.”” [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator observes a paradox where a violent anti‑Semite displays physical traits reminiscent of Holocaust victims, highlighting absurd contradictions in hate symbolism. **In simple terms:** A hate‑filled person looks like the victims he despises. Key Takeaway Notice how prejudice can be self‑defeating. Themes prejudice identity contradiction symbolism Mood ironic critical thought‑provoking Type satirical observational commentary When to use this quote - media coverage - public safety - hate crime reporting - community response Key Concepts cognitive dissonance stereotype historical irony Questions to Reflect On - How do physical stereotypes influence our perception of hate groups? - Can humor reveal deeper truths about prejudice? A Different Perspective The anecdote may exaggerate details for comedic effect, limiting factual reliability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concentration camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) [Concentration Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camps/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/) [Shaved head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shaved-head/) [Swastikas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swastikas/) ## Related quotes > [Public opinion in the United States has shifted significantly, not just outside but also within the Jewish community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/public-opinion-in-the-united-states-has-shifted-significantly-not/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [I've always felt as much outside the Jewish experience as in it. It astonished my family that I wrote about things Jewish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-ve-always-felt-as-much-outside-the-jewish-experience-as-in-it-it/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [You ever read an article, and at the bottom, it says, 'Continued on page six'? I'm , 'Not for me. I'm done.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/you-ever-read-an-article-and-at-the-bottom-it-says-continued-on-page/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [“Hey, Arnold," he said. I looked up 'in love with a white girl' on Google and found and article about that white girl named…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/hey-arnold-he-said-i-looked-up-in-love-with-a-white-girl-on-google/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [I think Jews tend to hold me in fairly high regard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/i-think-jews-tend-to-hold-me-in-fairly-high-regard/) [Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/) > [I think the Jews need me right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldo-rivera/i-think-the-jews-need-me-right-now/) [Geraldo Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldo-rivera/) > [I think Jews are the smartest people in the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/i-think-jews-are-the-smartest-people-in-the-world/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [I am extremely respectful of the Jewish community. You know, I am Christian. I think of Jews as my older brothers. I mean, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/i-am-extremely-respectful-of-the-jewish-community-you-know-i-am/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [I mean there are a bunch of people who I’ve heard worship Adolf Hitler who don’t like me because I don’t think Jews have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-jones/i-mean-there-are-a-bunch-of-people-who-i-ve-heard-worship-adolf/) [Alex Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-jones/) > [Personally, I am more than ever inclined to believe that the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion are genuine. Without them I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nesta-helen-webster/personally-i-am-more-than-ever-inclined-to-believe-that-the-protocols/) [Nesta Helen Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nesta-helen-webster/) > [I think that Jews - because they are a distinct, gifted and successful group that differentiates itself from societies in which it lives -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-begley/i-think-that-jews-because-they-are-a-distinct-gifted-and-successful/) [Louis Begley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-begley/) > [Some of the metaphors you find in 'Wicked' - how those in power can exploit fear in others to maintain their power - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-platt/some-of-the-metaphors-you-find-in-wicked-how-those-in-power-can/) [Marc Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-platt/) > [“For Russian Jews, Zionism was an immediate solution to age-old problems. “Anywhere is better than Russia,” Karl agreed, “but for Western Jews, Zionism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/for-russian-jews-zionism-was-an-immediate-solution-to-age-old/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [You go outside with me right now, we'll ask twelve people on the street what they think about Jews. And all I need's one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-payne/you-go-outside-with-me-right-now-we-ll-ask-twelve-people-on-the/) Roy Payne > [People think of Jews as the Woody Allen stereotype, the nebbishy kind of thing, but that's not the kind of Jews I know. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-ian/people-think-of-jews-as-the-woody-allen-stereotype-the-nebbishy-kind/) [Scott Ian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-ian/) ## More by David Sedaris > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“never fall asleep in a Dumpster, never underestimate a bee, never drive a convertible behind a flatbed truck, never get old, never get drunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/never-fall-asleep-in-a-dumpster-never-underestimate-a-bee-never-drive/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“It was a father, one hand resting teapot-style on his hip, and the other - what would be the spout - formed into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/it-was-a-father-one-hand-resting-teapot-style-on-his-hip-and-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“A Japanese woman we’d met in Paris came to the apartment yesterday and spent several hours explaining our appliances. The microwave, the water kettle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/a-japanese-woman-we-d-met-in-paris-came-to-the-apartment-yesterday/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [One thing I like about the United States, and I kind of miss about the United States, is there's an election coming up here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/one-thing-i-like-about-the-united-states-and-i-kind-of-miss-about-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [When you read comic material and people aren't laughing how do you know they're listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/when-you-read-comic-material-and-people-aren-t-laughing-how-do-you/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“You have how many children in your family?" the teacher would ask. "I'm guessing you must be Catholic, am I right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-have-how-many-children-in-your-family-the-teacher-would-ask-i-m/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“Like most seasoned phonies, I roundly suspect that everyone is as disingenuous as I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/like-most-seasoned-phonies-i-roundly-suspect-that-everyone-is-as/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [As a child I assumed that when I reached adulthood, I would have grown-up thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/as-a-child-i-assumed-that-when-i-reached-adulthood-i-would-have-grown/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“You just take and take don´t you? Out there with your thumb in the air—not a care in the world, just grabbing whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-just-take-and-take-don-t-you-out-there-with-your-thumb-in-the-air/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [In other parts of the country people tried to stay together for the sake of the children. In New York they tried to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/in-other-parts-of-the-country-people-tried-to-stay-together-for-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [My boyfriend got me a computer three years ago. I'll admit it does make things a lot easier. When I was working on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/my-boyfriend-got-me-a-computer-three-years-ago-i-ll-admit-it-does/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I spent months searching for some secret code before I realized that common sense has nothing to do with it. Hysteria, psychosis, torture, depression:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-spent-months-searching-for-some-secret-code-before-i-realized-that/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I hated leaving a hole in the smoking world, and so I recruited someone to take my place. People have given me a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-hated-leaving-a-hole-in-the-smoking-world-and-so-i-recruited/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Write relentlessly, until you find your voice. Then, use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/write-relentlessly-until-you-find-your-voice-then-use-it/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) [Explore all 667 David Sedaris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) ## More Concentration camp quotes > [“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action… There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/the-experiences-of-camp-life-show-that-man-does-have-a-choice-of/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [“The only lesson I got pounded into me was about man's limitless capacity for vice - that and the fact that social distinctions vanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chol-hwan-kang/the-only-lesson-i-got-pounded-into-me-was-about-man-s-limitless/) Chol-Hwan Kang > [“Emotion constricted Hawke’s throat. He suddenly understood why the victims of concentration camps had walked quietly to the gas chambers. In the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/emotion-constricted-hawke-s-throat-he-suddenly-understood-why-the/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [If writing with a goal - whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic - implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/if-writing-with-a-goal-whether-it-be-evangelistic-apologetic-or/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [“This time of year, the purple blooms were busy with life- not just the bees, but butterflies and ladybugs, skippers and emerald-toned beetles, flitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/this-time-of-year-the-purple-blooms-were-busy-with-life-not-just-the/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [There will be in the next generation or so a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude and producing dictatorship without tears, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/there-will-be-in-the-next-generation-or-so-a-pharmacological-method/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [I didn't equate a POW camp with a concentration camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hovis/i-didn-t-equate-a-pow-camp-with-a-concentration-camp/) [Larry Hovis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hovis/) > [As I see it, our revolutionary task is to destroy phallic identity in men and masochistic non-identity in women--that is, to destroy the polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-i-see-it-our-revolutionary-task-is-to-destroy-phallic-identity-in/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [“He main retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp. Dostoevsky said once, 'There is only one thing that I dread: not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/he-main-retain-his-human-dignity-even-in-a-concentration-camp/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [The question is not whether the system works, but whether we like the way it works. Just because something works doesn't mean it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-question-is-not-whether-the-system-works-but-whether-we-like-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As long as my record stands in federal court, any American citizen can be held in prison or concentration camps without trial or hearing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-korematsu/as-long-as-my-record-stands-in-federal-court-any-american-citizen-can/) [Fred Korematsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-korematsu/) > [“Each of us has his own inner concentration camp... We must deal with, with forgiveness and patience-as full human beings, as we are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/each-of-us-has-his-own-inner-concentration-camp-we-must-deal-with/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [You can do business with America or the authoritarian dictators of Beijing, who oppress their own people, put millions of Muslims in concentration camps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/you-can-do-business-with-america-or-the-authoritarian-dictators-of/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [...women who 'adjust' as housewives, who grow up wanting to be 'just a housewife,' are in as much danger as the millions who walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/women-who-adjust-as-housewives-who-grow-up-wanting-to-be-just-a/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [ \[Albert\]Camus had denounced the gulag and Stalin's trials. Today we can see that he was right. To say that there were concentration camps in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/albert-camus-had-denounced-the-gulag-and-stalin-s-trials-today-we-can/) [Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/) [Browse all 283 Concentration camp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Police caught the guy responsible for smashing windows and painting swastikas outside Jewish businesses on Devon Avenue. He’s out on bail now, and this morning’s paper included a picture of him. What strikes me is that he has a very small mouth, smaller than a baby’s. I mean, tiny. If you wanted him to suck your thumb, you’d have to grease it up first. The article says he belongs to a skinhead group and has tattoos, which is strange, I think, because Jews in concentration camps had shaved heads and tattoos. You’d think the anti-Semites would go for a different look.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Sedaris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-smashing-windows-and-painting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Concentration camp" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-smashing-windows-and-painting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/david-sedaris-333_concentration-camp_police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-sm_3039014.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/david-sedaris-333_concentration-camp_police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-sm_3039014.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/david-sedaris-333_concentration-camp_police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-sm_3039014.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Police caught the guy responsible for smashing windows and painting swastikas outside Jewish businesses on…” — David Sedaris", "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 Sedaris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Police caught the guy responsible for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-smashing-windows-and-painting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/police-caught-the-guy-responsible-for-smashing-windows-and-painting/#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 } } ] } ```