---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wal-Mart is going in and slaughtering…"
description: "\"Wal-Mart is going in and slaughtering [small towns] just as we once killed the buffalo.\" — Garrison Keillor"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/garrison-keillor-1037_buffalo_wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-sm_1409659.jpg"
---

#  Wal-Mart is going in and slaughtering \[small towns\] just…

![“Wal-Mart is going in and slaughtering &#91;small towns&#93; just as we once killed the buffalo.” quote by Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/garrison-keillor-1037_buffalo_wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-sm_1409659.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/garrison-keillor-1037_buffalo_wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-sm_1409659.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/garrison-keillor-1037_buffalo_wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-sm_1409659.jpg)

> “Wal-Mart is going in and slaughtering \[small towns\] just as we once killed the buffalo.”

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Comparing modern corporate expansion to historic ecological destruction, highlighting loss of community identity.

**In simple terms:** Big stores erase small towns like buffalo were killed.

Key Takeaway

Protect local culture and economies.

Themes

community economics environment culture globalization

Mood

concerned reflective

Type

political social commentary

When to use this quote

- small town preservation
- policy advocacy
- consumer choices

Key Concepts

urbanization corporate power historical analogy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can communities resist homogenizing forces?
- What responsibilities do corporations have to local heritage?

A Different Perspective

Economic growth can also bring cultural loss.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Small town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-town/) [Small towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-towns/)

## Related quotes

> [The buffalo isn't as dangerous as everyone makes him out to be. Statistics prove that in the United States more Americans are killed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/the-buffalo-isn-t-as-dangerous-as-everyone-makes-him-out-to-be/)

[Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/)

> [“There was a man who killed a buffalo bull to no purpose, only he wanted the blood on his hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-scott-momaday/there-was-a-man-who-killed-a-buffalo-bull-to-no-purpose-only-he/)

[N. Scott Momaday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-scott-momaday/)

> [The Chinese have a long history of slaughtering each other without bothering their neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-chinese-have-a-long-history-of-slaughtering-each-other-without/)

[George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/)

> [I enjoy slaughtering beasts, and I think of my relatives constantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-enjoy-slaughtering-beasts-and-i-think-of-my-relatives-constantly/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [Why use an ox-slaughtering knife to kill chickens?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-use-an-ox-slaughtering-knife-to-kill-chickens/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We could'nt just slaughtering people only bcoz we're different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/retno-ariyani-supriyadi/we-could-nt-just-slaughtering-people-only-bcoz-we-re-different/)

[Retno Ariyani Supriyadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/retno-ariyani-supriyadi/)

> [We are opposed to all cruelty, so as advocates of non-violence, opponents of oppression, people who abhor the cruelty inherent in slaughtering we say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/we-are-opposed-to-all-cruelty-so-as-advocates-of-non-violence/)

[Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/)

> [Cruelty to animals is an enormous injustice; so is expecting those on the lowest rung of the economic ladder to do the dangerous, soul-numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/cruelty-to-animals-is-an-enormous-injustice-so-is-expecting-those-on/)

[Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/)

> [“I enjoy slaughtering beasts," he said, "and I think of my relatives constantly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-enjoy-slaughtering-beasts-he-said-and-i-think-of-my-relatives/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [Every individual who eats flesh food, whether an animal is killed expressely for him or not, is supporting the trade of slaughtering and contributing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kapleau/every-individual-who-eats-flesh-food-whether-an-animal-is-killed/)

[Philip Kapleau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kapleau/)

> [If cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys go into slaughterhouses alive and come out chopped up into hundreds of pieces, how could anyone claim that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-yourofsky/if-cows-pigs-chickens-and-turkeys-go-into-slaughterhouses-alive-and/)

[Gary Yourofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-yourofsky/)

> [When it came to slaughtering sacred cows with such crude yet perfect musical precision, there was no one better than Frank. I wonder what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/when-it-came-to-slaughtering-sacred-cows-with-such-crude-yet-perfect/)

[Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/)

> [The Utopians feel that slaughtering our fellow creatures gradually destroys the sense of compassion, which is the finest sentiment of which our human nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-more/the-utopians-feel-that-slaughtering-our-fellow-creatures-gradually/)

[Thomas More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-more/)

> [McDonald's announced that it's considering a more humane way of slaughtering its animals. You know they fatten them up and then kill them. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/mcdonald-s-announced-that-it-s-considering-a-more-humane-way-of/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [The harming of animals for any reason is shameful, but torturing them for mere vanity is senseless. Slaughtering animals for their fur or harming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mennell/the-harming-of-animals-for-any-reason-is-shameful-but-torturing-them/)

[Laura Mennell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mennell/)

## More by Garrison Keillor

> [God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/god-writes-a-lot-of-comedy-the-trouble-is-he-s-stuck-with-so-many-bad/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [God plays a lot of jokes on us to get our attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/god-plays-a-lot-of-jokes-on-us-to-get-our-attention/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [Ha! Easy for nuns to talk about giving up things. That's what they do for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/ha-easy-for-nuns-to-talk-about-giving-up-things-that-s-what-they-do/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [This is the big reason most humorists fail. Drunks don't read books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/this-is-the-big-reason-most-humorists-fail-drunks-don-t-read-books/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [Before the world was made, when it was only darkness and mist and waters, God was well aware of Lake Wobegon, my family, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/before-the-world-was-made-when-it-was-only-darkness-and-mist-and/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [On investments, 1998: Where I'm from we don't trust paper. Wealth is what's here on the premises. If I open a cupboard and see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/on-investments-1998-where-i-m-from-we-don-t-trust-paper-wealth-is/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [“The rich can afford to be progressive. Poor people have reason to be afraid of the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-rich-can-afford-to-be-progressive-poor-people-have-reason-to-be/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [English is the perfect language for preachers because it allows you to talk until you think of what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/english-is-the-perfect-language-for-preachers-because-it-allows-you/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [“If you can't read a simple goddam sign and follow one simple goddam instruction then get your fat butt the hell out of here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/if-you-can-t-read-a-simple-goddam-sign-and-follow-one-simple-goddam/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [“The Gospel is meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-gospel-is-meant-to-comfort-the-afflicted-and-afflict-the/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [I don't want them to be told to remember me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/i-don-t-want-them-to-be-told-to-remember-me/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [Childhood is the small town everyone came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/childhood-is-the-small-town-everyone-came-from/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [I have taken so many wrong turns and been so careless with precious things and managed to lose, or break, or leave out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/i-have-taken-so-many-wrong-turns-and-been-so-careless-with-precious/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [Where I'm from we don't trust paper. Wealth is what's here on the premises. If I open a cupboard and see, say, thirty cans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/where-i-m-from-we-don-t-trust-paper-wealth-is-what-s-here-on-the/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

[Explore all 304 Garrison Keillor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

## More Buffalo quotes

> [I certainly know that on our first tour of America in 1968, David Crosby came to see us backstage at the Fillmore East in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hayward/i-certainly-know-that-on-our-first-tour-of-america-in-1968-david/)

[Justin Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hayward/)

> [The only thing you know about Buffalo is, it's cold. I mean, that's about it. Until you get here and you see the players…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesean-mccoy/the-only-thing-you-know-about-buffalo-is-it-s-cold-i-mean-that-s/)

[LeSean McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesean-mccoy/)

> [Dan Brister's book bears witness to the last fifteen years of this bureaucratic madness to tame the last vestige of wild America and domesticate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-peacock/dan-brister-s-book-bears-witness-to-the-last-fifteen-years-of-this/)

[Doug Peacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-peacock/)

> [I learned about the market's power when I was traded to the Buffalo Bills for $100.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kemp/i-learned-about-the-market-s-power-when-i-was-traded-to-the-buffalo/)

[Jack Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kemp/)

> [For a healthy alternative to buffalo wings, slide the bone of a human finger into a block of tofu and bake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giada-de-laurentiis/for-a-healthy-alternative-to-buffalo-wings-slide-the-bone-of-a-human/)

[Giada De Laurentiis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giada-de-laurentiis/)

> [I love Buffalo. The people here are wonderful, genuine; they look you straight in the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gillan/i-love-buffalo-the-people-here-are-wonderful-genuine-they-look-you/)

[Ian Gillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gillan/)

> [I will remain what I am until I die, a hunter, and when there are no buffalo or other game I will send my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sitting-bull/i-will-remain-what-i-am-until-i-die-a-hunter-and-when-there-are-no/)

[Sitting Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sitting-bull/)

> [How'd you communicate?" "Paper and pen. Amazing inventions. Anyway, once we were in Buffalo, I led him here. We couldn't figure out a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/how-d-you-communicate-paper-and-pen-amazing-inventions-anyway-once-we/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [ \[For American consumer society\], the country's reserves of ignorance constitute a natural resource as precious as the Mississippi River or the long-lost herds of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/for-american-consumer-society-the-country-s-reserves-of-ignorance/)

[Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/)

> [I believe there are two sides to the phenomenon known as death, this side where we live, and the other side where we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crowfoot/i-believe-there-are-two-sides-to-the-phenomenon-known-as-death-this/)

[Crowfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crowfoot/)

> [At last, after almost fifty years in the hopper, the most famous unpublished novel in America is in print. Who Shot the Water Buffalo?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-mcclanahan/at-last-after-almost-fifty-years-in-the-hopper-the-most-famous/)

Ed McClanahan

> [I wanted to pay tribute to my musical influences: Buffalo Springfield, Lightfoot, the Beatles, the Hollies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fogelberg/i-wanted-to-pay-tribute-to-my-musical-influences-buffalo-springfield/)

[Dan Fogelberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fogelberg/)

> [There was such a relationship between the buffalo and the American Indian - the Indians would eat them, live inside their pelts, use every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/there-was-such-a-relationship-between-the-buffalo-and-the-american/)

[Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/)

> [Whether a character in your novel is full of choler, bile, phlegm, blood or plain old buffalo chips, the fire of life is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alexander-thom/whether-a-character-in-your-novel-is-full-of-choler-bile-phlegm-blood/)

[James Alexander Thom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alexander-thom/)

> [The situation at Buffalo was a rough situation, and I appreciate the opportunity, but going back to Seattle was a better situation, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarvaris-jackson/the-situation-at-buffalo-was-a-rough-situation-and-i-appreciate-the/)

[Tarvaris Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarvaris-jackson/)

Browse all 193 Buffalo quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Wal-Mart is going in and slaughtering [small towns] just as we once killed the buffalo.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Garrison Keillor"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-small-towns-just-as-we-once/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buffalo"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-small-towns-just-as-we-once/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/garrison-keillor-1037_buffalo_wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-sm_1409659.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/garrison-keillor-1037_buffalo_wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-sm_1409659.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/garrison-keillor-1037_buffalo_wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-sm_1409659.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Wal-Mart is going in and slaughtering [small towns] just as we once killed the buffalo.” — Garrison Keillor",
                "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": "Garrison Keillor",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Wal-Mart is going in and slaughtering...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-small-towns-just-as-we-once/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/wal-mart-is-going-in-and-slaughtering-small-towns-just-as-we-once/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
