--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know what Americans are really…" description: "\"You know what Americans are really sensitive to? Issues of fairness. I think this is a modern phenomenon, born of the civil rights movement. Once you c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/gail-collins-3567_american_you-know-what-americans-are-really-sensi_1955412.jpg" --- # You know what Americans are really sensitive to? Issues of… ![“You know what Americans are really sensitive to? Issues of fairness. I think this is a modern phenomenon, born of the civil rights movement. Once you convince Americans that something is basically unfair, you've got a winning cause.” quote by Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/gail-collins-3567_american_you-know-what-americans-are-really-sensi_1955412.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/gail-collins-3567_american_you-know-what-americans-are-really-sensi_1955412.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/gail-collins-3567_american_you-know-what-americans-are-really-sensi_1955412.jpg) > “You know what Americans are really sensitive to? Issues of fairness. I think this is a modern phenomenon, born of the civil rights movement. Once you convince Americans that something is basically unfair, you've got a winning cause.” [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Americans rally to causes framed as unfair, a tactic rooted in civil‑rights history. **In simple terms:** Framing issues as unfair mobilizes Americans. Key Takeaway Use fairness framing to inspire action. Themes politics justice social movements Mood critical analytical Type political commentary When to use this quote - campaign strategy - advocacy - public policy - media analysis Key Concepts fairness framing mobilization Questions to Reflect On - When does fairness framing become manipulative? - How can genuine fairness be distinguished from rhetoric? 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All ideas about fairness can be divided into two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-s-pindyck/to-think-about-fairness-think-of-economic-life-as-a-game-a-serious/) [Robert S. Pindyck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-s-pindyck/) > [In articulating all my feelings about marriage equality, I almost don't know where to begin. And perhaps that's part of the problem. Why do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fujita/in-articulating-all-my-feelings-about-marriage-equality-i-almost-don/) [Scott Fujita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-fujita/) > [Left-wing zealots have often been prepared to ride roughshod over due process and basic considerations of fairness when they think they can get away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/left-wing-zealots-have-often-been-prepared-to-ride-roughshod-over-due/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Political analysts say that President Bush's re-election strategy is to try and convince Americans that he's a war president. I don't get that, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/political-analysts-say-that-president-bush-s-re-election-strategy-is/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [The American press exists for one purpose only, and that is to convince Americans that they are living in the greatest and most envied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-american-press-exists-for-one-purpose-only-and-that-is-to/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [If Hillary Clinton wants to win the White House, she's gonna have to convince Americans they can trust her and if you seen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/if-hillary-clinton-wants-to-win-the-white-house-she-s-gonna-have-to/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) > [It might take an act of God to convince some Americans that parts of their government are corrupt, but at the same time, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahbod-seraji/it-might-take-an-act-of-god-to-convince-some-americans-that-parts-of/) [Mahbod Seraji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahbod-seraji/) > [I thought in 1965 that my job was to convince most Americans to be against the war. So I spent summers knocking on doors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-thought-in-1965-that-my-job-was-to-convince-most-americans-to-be/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Americans want to reduce our dependence on oil. And Americans really don't wanna be contributing global warming if they can help it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/americans-want-to-reduce-our-dependence-on-oil-and-americans-really/) [Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/) > [There has to be - you know, this is like what I think Americans really have trouble with, an economy that's working for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/there-has-to-be-you-know-this-is-like-what-i-think-americans-really/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [I think Americans really need to start thinking globally. As resources become more dear, we will be pulled closer to the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-americans-really-need-to-start-thinking-globally-as-resources/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Most Americans do really think that Muslims all want to take over and they don't want democracy and they want nothing but Islamic law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/most-americans-do-really-think-that-muslims-all-want-to-take-over-and/) [Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/) > [I think there's going to be a lot of Americans who are really willing to be much more active than they were before, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/i-think-there-s-going-to-be-a-lot-of-americans-who-are-really-willing/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [Would Americans really feel better with insurance companies deciding whether they or their parents get the care they need? Probably not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neera-tanden/would-americans-really-feel-better-with-insurance-companies-deciding/) [Neera Tanden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neera-tanden/) ## More by Gail Collins > [The Bushes were certainly part of Texas in their mind, but they didn't have the kind of political flavor that you normally find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-bushes-were-certainly-part-of-texas-in-their-mind-but-they-didn-t/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [The work-family divide is the biggest issue for American women. But in some ways it's amazing how adjusted society has become to it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-work-family-divide-is-the-biggest-issue-for-american-women-but-in/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [I don't think the folks in the low-tax states really want to go into a fairness discussion. Residents of Connecticut and New York would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/i-don-t-think-the-folks-in-the-low-tax-states-really-want-to-go-into/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [I would walk a thousand miles To feel your hugs and see your smiles But then one day we had to part The hardest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/i-would-walk-a-thousand-miles-to-feel-your-hugs-and-see-your-smiles/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [“One law prohibited blacks from testifying against whites in court, and carefully defined “negro” as anyone who had one nonwhite grandparent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/one-law-prohibited-blacks-from-testifying-against-whites-in-court-and/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [“An estimated 400 women disguised themselves as men to fight in the Civil War. Many were like Amy Clarke, who enlisted so she could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/an-estimated-400-women-disguised-themselves-as-men-to-fight-in-the/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [Billy Jean King could not get credit when her husband was in law school and she was winning the Wimbledon, because he had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/billy-jean-king-could-not-get-credit-when-her-husband-was-in-law/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [Sarah Palin is treated like a bimbo sometimes, but she has never given the public the respect they deserve. She acts silly and doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/sarah-palin-is-treated-like-a-bimbo-sometimes-but-she-has-never-given/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [There's more student debt than credit card debt! Everywhere I go, I run into young people trying to build careers while they keep shelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/there-s-more-student-debt-than-credit-card-debt-everywhere-i-go-i-run/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [Women in America will have to find an answer for the pressures of work and family, but if you really care about women's issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/women-in-america-will-have-to-find-an-answer-for-the-pressures-of/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [The idea that 'if you don't like how things are going, you can just leave' is so ingrained in Texas, the secession movement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-idea-that-if-you-don-t-like-how-things-are-going-you-can-just/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [I admired the way McCain worked on campaign finance reform. I admired the way Nancy Pelosi stiffened the Democrats' spine during the health care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/i-admired-the-way-mccain-worked-on-campaign-finance-reform-i-admired/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [Some of our national heroines were defined by the fact that they never nested - they were peripatetic crusaders like Susan B. Anthony, Clara…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/some-of-our-national-heroines-were-defined-by-the-fact-that-they/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [When the women's movement began, it was a middle-class phenomenon. Certainly, black women had other stuff to think about in the '60s besides a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/when-the-women-s-movement-began-it-was-a-middle-class-phenomenon/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [Downplaying their faults is pretty much the point of campaigns. But we do count on them living with the constant terror of public rejection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/downplaying-their-faults-is-pretty-much-the-point-of-campaigns-but-we/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) [Explore all 127 Gail Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You know what Americans are really sensitive to? Issues of fairness. I think this is a modern phenomenon, born of the civil rights movement. 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