Black lives matter Quote by Dinesh D'Souza
““The New Left in the 1960s was obsessed with consciousness raising. Saul Alinsky, a mentor to Obama and Hillary, devoted a large part of his training seminars to consciousness raising. Today Black Lives Matter and other left-wing groups routinely conduct consciousness-raising workshops as part of their protest training. All of this is a replacement of Marx’s notion of historical inevitability with the recognition that people don’t agitate of their own accord; their grievances have to be created or at least interpreted for them, and they have to be stirred up to get off their butts and take action.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Big Lie: Exposing the Nazi Roots of the American Left, 2020
The quote argues that modern leftist movements replace Marx’s deterministic view of history with deliberate consciousness‑raising to provoke activism.
In simple terms: Left groups use workshops to spark activism rather than waiting for natural grievances.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how organized framing can shape political engagement.
Themes
politics
activism
social movements
ideology
media influence
Mood
critical
analytical
skeptical
Type
political
commentary
analysis
When to use this quote
- protest training
- community organizing
- political campaigns
- media narratives
Key Concepts
consciousness raising
marxist theory
political strategy
social engineering
Questions to Reflect On
- How does framing affect people’s sense of agency?
- Can consciousness raising be both empowering and manipulative?
A Different Perspective
It may overlook genuine grassroots concerns, reducing agency to manipulation.