--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To think that we are disconnected in some…" description: "\"To think that we are disconnected in some way serves the occupation whether it's through indifference or a distancing. It is a colonial approach of mak..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/elia-suleiman-20539_approach_to-think-that-we-are-disconnected-in-som_2980424.jpg" --- # To think that we are disconnected in some way serves the… ![“To think that we are disconnected in some way serves the occupation whether it's through indifference or a distancing. It is a colonial approach of making you a subject and them the spectators. That is disturbing and counterproductive. And then suddenly they are surprised or find it alienating…” quote by Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/elia-suleiman-20539_approach_to-think-that-we-are-disconnected-in-som_2980424.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/elia-suleiman-20539_approach_to-think-that-we-are-disconnected-in-som_2980424.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/elia-suleiman-20539_approach_to-think-that-we-are-disconnected-in-som_2980424.jpg) > “To think that we are disconnected in some way serves the occupation whether it's through indifference or a distancing. It is a colonial approach of making you a subject and them the spectators. That is disturbing and counterproductive. And then suddenly they are surprised or find it alienating that the microcosmic effects of Palestine are happening in the U.S., France, and England, whether it's from the Islamic movements or immigration factors. Keeping a false purity of their countries will harm them eventually.” [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It critiques how distancing creates a colonial power dynamic that dehumanizes and alienates, linking distant conflicts to local societies. **In simple terms:** Distancing creates harmful colonial attitudes. Key Takeaway Recognize shared humanity across borders. Themes colonialism identity power empathy Mood critical reflective Type analytical political When to use this quote - political analysis - media critique - social activism Key Concepts subjectivity spectatorship othering Questions to Reflect On - How does distancing affect empathy? - What can individuals do to bridge perceived gaps? A Different Perspective It overlooks individual agency within systemic structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alienating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alienating-337748/) [Alienating Microcosmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alienating-microcosmic-4632682/) [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Counterproductive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterproductive/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Disconnected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disconnected/) [Distancing Colonial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distancing-colonial-4632681/) [Disturbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturbing/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Effects Palestine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects-palestine-4632680/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [Factors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factors/) [France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/france/) [France and england](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/france-and-england-67043/) [Happenings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happenings/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) [Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamic/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [Palestine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palestine/) [Purity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purity/) [Spectators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spectators/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Think Disconnected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-disconnected-746386/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“One of the attractions of moving away into te life of employment, I think, is being disconnected and free, unbothered by membership. 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At that age I was already on the move between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-began-to-travel-by-myself-in-europe-when-i-was-eight-years-old-at/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [The American Revolution was a small part of a major world war going on between France and England, so the French intervened and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-american-revolution-was-a-small-part-of-a-major-world-war-going/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I didn't realise how much I was alienating people. I would constantly refuse to go out when friends would call. At one point, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ileana-d-cruz/i-didn-t-realise-how-much-i-was-alienating-people-i-would-constantly/) [Ileana D'Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ileana-d-cruz/) > [I've come to realize that most of my intellectual postures and a lot of my intellectualism is super defensive and really symptomatic of basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/how-to-dress-well/i-ve-come-to-realize-that-most-of-my-intellectual-postures-and-a-lot/) [How to Dress Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/how-to-dress-well/) > [I realized that there's this fine line between being personal and being general and being alienating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-van-etten/i-realized-that-there-s-this-fine-line-between-being-personal-and/) [Sharon Van Etten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-van-etten/) > [I've been alienating my public since I was 20 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/i-ve-been-alienating-my-public-since-i-was-20-years-old/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [I thought I had a talent for alienating people, but I have no idea what it is that doesn't go over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-thought-i-had-a-talent-for-alienating-people-but-i-have-no-idea/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [I think it's really hard to describe music without alienating somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-petrucci/i-think-it-s-really-hard-to-describe-music-without-alienating-somebody/) [John Petrucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-petrucci/) > [There's nowhere in the country that I can't go or won't go. I think it's because I've worked on making my show where everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-iglesias/there-s-nowhere-in-the-country-that-i-can-t-go-or-won-t-go-i-think-it/) [Gabriel Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-iglesias/) > [I find filmmaking to be a super lonely, alienating experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/i-find-filmmaking-to-be-a-super-lonely-alienating-experience/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [People treating you differently, when you don't feel any different, is really alienating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/people-treating-you-differently-when-you-don-t-feel-any-different-is/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [Depression: the healthy suspicion that modern life has no meaning and that modern society is absurd and alienating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neel-burton/depression-the-healthy-suspicion-that-modern-life-has-no-meaning-and/) [Neel Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neel-burton/) ## More by Elia Suleiman > [The problem is that when you grow absolutely certain that all authorities are corrupt, then that would include the Palestinian authorities as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/the-problem-is-that-when-you-grow-absolutely-certain-that-all/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I'm not in the business of saying just one thing about just one place. If you only see Palestine in my films, then I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-m-not-in-the-business-of-saying-just-one-thing-about-just-one-place/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [The desire to express in an art form and to compose a tableau and vignette whether it's humorous, burlesque, or poetic comes simply from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/the-desire-to-express-in-an-art-form-and-to-compose-a-tableau-and/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [Silence can be intimidating, sometimes provocative, sometimes a form of resistance because it dislocates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/silence-can-be-intimidating-sometimes-provocative-sometimes-a-form-of/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [Israel, the Israelis, and the rest of the world have been brainwashed. They don't think of pre-1948, they have no idea Palestinians were in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/israel-the-israelis-and-the-rest-of-the-world-have-been-brainwashed/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [To think of a film from the point of view of a tank barrel is already so inhumanly positioned. This is when film can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/to-think-of-a-film-from-the-point-of-view-of-a-tank-barrel-is-already/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [Living more intensely, more lovingly, with more camaraderie, that is in itself resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/living-more-intensely-more-lovingly-with-more-camaraderie-that-is-in/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I'm trying to use Palestine as a microcosm of the world, but maybe the world is a microcosm of Palestine. We're living in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-m-trying-to-use-palestine-as-a-microcosm-of-the-world-but-maybe-the/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [People in power tend to find poetry dangerous to them because it is dislocating, they can't catch it, can't control it. They prefer coherence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/people-in-power-tend-to-find-poetry-dangerous-to-them-because-it-is/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I am more at peace than I've ever known myself to be. My connectedness to the world is more intense. I am more attentive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-am-more-at-peace-than-i-ve-ever-known-myself-to-be-my-connectedness/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I don't particularly have a good memory. I think history is many times just the text written by the victors. I wanted to counter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-don-t-particularly-have-a-good-memory-i-think-history-is-many-times/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [There are a lot of questions that come out of the silence. It is so close to the infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/there-are-a-lot-of-questions-that-come-out-of-the-silence-it-is-so/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I don't think you can strategize to be poetic and neither can you strategize to be funny. It is not a tool, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-don-t-think-you-can-strategize-to-be-poetic-and-neither-can-you/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [The Time that Remains is a way of interpreting a certain ambience or emotion. These are the stories that my father told me over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/the-time-that-remains-is-a-way-of-interpreting-a-certain-ambience-or/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [A lot of narrative films leave you no space for anything else but eating popcorn. I want to go in the complete opposite direction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/a-lot-of-narrative-films-leave-you-no-space-for-anything-else-but/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) [Explore all 30 Elia Suleiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. 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If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. 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