---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Public values are not only under attack…"
description: "\"Public values are not only under attack in the United States and elsewhere but appear to have become irrelevant just as those spaces that enable an exp..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/henry-giroux-945_army_public-values-are-not-only-under-attack_993550.jpg"
---

#  Public values are not only under attack in the United…

![“Public values are not only under attack in the United States and elsewhere but appear to have become irrelevant just as those spaces that enable an experience of the common good are now the object of disdain by right-wing and liberal politicians, anti-public intellectuals and an army of media…” quote by Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/henry-giroux-945_army_public-values-are-not-only-under-attack_993550.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/henry-giroux-945_army_public-values-are-not-only-under-attack_993550.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/henry-giroux-945_army_public-values-are-not-only-under-attack_993550.jpg)

> “Public values are not only under attack in the United States and elsewhere but appear to have become irrelevant just as those spaces that enable an experience of the common good are now the object of disdain by right-wing and liberal politicians, anti-public intellectuals and an army of media pundits.”

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

## About This Quote

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

Public values are eroding as political and media forces dismiss common‑good spaces, making them seem irrelevant.

**In simple terms:** Public values are being dismissed and ignored.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and protect spaces that foster the common good.

Themes

politics media public good culture power

Mood

concerned critical hopeful

Type

analytical call to action

When to use this quote

- community planning
- policy making
- media criticism
- civic education

Key Concepts

democratic theory civic engagement social capital

Questions to Reflect On

- How can citizens reclaim common‑good spaces?
- What role should media play in valuing the public good?

A Different Perspective

Even if spaces are dismissed, they can be revitalized through collective action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anti Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-public-2050302/) [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-good/) [Disdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disdain/) [Elsewhere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elsewhere/) [Irrelevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrelevant/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politicians Anti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians-anti-2050301/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Public Intellectuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-intellectuals-291589/) [Public Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-values-1719979/) [Pundits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pundits/) [Right wing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-wing/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wings/)

## Related quotes

> [I think I'll always be a better playwright than a pundit, but I believe that writers should be public intellectuals and that theater, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-think-i-ll-always-be-a-better-playwright-than-a-pundit-but-i/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [Today, there is a new focus on public values, the need for broad-based movements for solidarity, and alternative conceptions of politics, democracy and justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/today-there-is-a-new-focus-on-public-values-the-need-for-broad-based/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [If the government were to invest that money in higher education and public services, these would be far better investments. But administrators and academics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/if-the-government-were-to-invest-that-money-in-higher-education-and/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [These anti-public intellectuals are part of a disimagination machine that solidifies the power of the rich and the structures of the military-industrial-surveillance-academic complex by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/these-anti-public-intellectuals-are-part-of-a-disimagination-machine/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [The United States has degenerated into a social order that is awash in public stupidity and views critical thought as both a liability and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-united-states-has-degenerated-into-a-social-order-that-is-awash/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [The public values the invention more than the inventor does. The inventor knows there is much more and better where this came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-public-values-the-invention-more-than-the-inventor-does-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [... between government, business, and the public, there is a triangular community of interest. Clearly, it is in business' interest to shape its behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juanita-m-kreps/between-government-business-and-the-public-there-is-a-triangular/)

[Juanita M. Kreps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juanita-m-kreps/)

> [A profound political question is suddenly on the table: Must the country continue to give precedence to private financial gain and market determinism over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/a-profound-political-question-is-suddenly-on-the-table-must-the/)

[William Greider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/)

> [I think public intellectuals have a responsibility - to be self-critical on the one hand, to do serious, nuanced work rigorously executed; but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-think-public-intellectuals-have-a-responsibility-to-be-self/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [We live in a country where posting 'Let's riot or something bruv!' on Facebook will get you a couple of years in prison, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/we-live-in-a-country-where-posting-let-s-riot-or-something-bruv-on/)

[Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/)

> [Public intellectuals are often put in the position of having their words, no matter how off-the-cuff, treated as doctrine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/public-intellectuals-are-often-put-in-the-position-of-having-their/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Public intellectuals come from a range of areas and use their expertise to comment more widely than just their field. They want to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-orbach/public-intellectuals-come-from-a-range-of-areas-and-use-their/)

[Susie Orbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-orbach/)

> [What the British seem to like are television historians and naturalists, not public intellectuals. You can't help feeling that's because one supplies narrative and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/what-the-british-seem-to-like-are-television-historians-and/)

[Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/)

> [There's a flip side to having prominent public intellectuals, which is that they start meddling in politics and often with quite disastrous results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/there-s-a-flip-side-to-having-prominent-public-intellectuals-which-is/)

[Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/)

> [We have so few unaffiliated public intellectuals now - people who are not beholden to a think tank, corporate-owned media, or academic department -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/we-have-so-few-unaffiliated-public-intellectuals-now-people-who-are/)

[Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/)

## More by Henry Giroux

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [What must be addressed in the most immediate sense is the threat that the emerging police state in the United States poses not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/what-must-be-addressed-in-the-most-immediate-sense-is-the-threat-that/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Today's neoliberalism has a number of byproducts. We have massive forms of inequality developing because there are no longer any concessions. There's a war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/today-s-neoliberalism-has-a-number-of-byproducts-we-have-massive/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [At the start of the second decade of the 21st century, young people all over the world are demonstrating against a variety of issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/at-the-start-of-the-second-decade-of-the-21st-century-young-people/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [America is at war with itself because it's basically declared war not only on any sense of democratic idealism, but it's declared war on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/america-is-at-war-with-itself-because-it-s-basically-declared-war-not/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [All too often the worst thing that can happen to the young is to depoliticize them. When that happens, not only are young people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/all-too-often-the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-to-the-young-is-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [The generation of youth in the early 21st century has no way of grasping if they will ever be free from the gnawing sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-generation-of-youth-in-the-early-21st-century-has-no-way-of/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [History remains an open horizon that cannot be dismissed through appeals to the end of history or end of ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/history-remains-an-open-horizon-that-cannot-be-dismissed-through/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [I mean, we're not talking about simply racism, we're taking about white supremacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/i-mean-we-re-not-talking-about-simply-racism-we-re-taking-about-white/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Historical memory is a potent weapon in fighting against the desert of organized forgetting and implies a rethinking of the role that artists, intellectuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/historical-memory-is-a-potent-weapon-in-fighting-against-the-desert/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [The fight for education and justice is inseparable from the struggle for economic equality, human dignity and security, and the challenge of developing American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-fight-for-education-and-justice-is-inseparable-from-the-struggle/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [If the ongoing struggles waged by young people are to matter, demonstrations and protests must give way to more sustainable organizations that develop alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/if-the-ongoing-struggles-waged-by-young-people-are-to-matter/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Many conservatives see higher education as a threat to their reactionary and corporate oriented interests and would like to defund higher education, privatize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/many-conservatives-see-higher-education-as-a-threat-to-their/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Everyone is now a customer or client, and every relationship is ultimately judged in bottom-line, cost-effective terms. Freedom is no longer about equality, social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/everyone-is-now-a-customer-or-client-and-every-relationship-is/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

[Explore all 323 Henry Giroux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

## More Army quotes

> [There are no more worlds to conquer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/there-are-no-more-worlds-to-conquer/)

[Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

> [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/)

[Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/)

> [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [I just read an article about how young American males feel uncomfortable appearing naked in front of each other in locker rooms. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ivory/i-just-read-an-article-about-how-young-american-males-feel/)

[James Ivory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ivory/)

> [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/)

[James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/)

> [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/)

[Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/)

> [“The most important lesson that came out of Vietnam for me was that Marines take care of Marines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-most-important-lesson-that-came-out-of-vietnam-for-me-was-that/)

[Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/)

> [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [I have real strong feelings about our troops and support them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-fichtner/i-have-real-strong-feelings-about-our-troops-and-support-them/)

[William Fichtner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-fichtner/)

> [Personally, I don't really have a set style or look. It's pretty much what I feel like wearing that day, from a floral-print dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/personally-i-don-t-really-have-a-set-style-or-look-it-s-pretty-much/)

[Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/)

> [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/)

[Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/)

> [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/)

[William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/)

> [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/)

[Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/)

[Browse all 3,919 Army quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Public values are not only under attack in the United States and elsewhere but appear to have become irrelevant just as those spaces that enable an experience of the common good are now the object of disdain by right-wing and liberal politicians, anti-public intellectuals and an army of media pundits.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry Giroux"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/public-values-are-not-only-under-attack-in-the-united-states-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Army"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/public-values-are-not-only-under-attack-in-the-united-states-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/henry-giroux-945_army_public-values-are-not-only-under-attack_993550.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/henry-giroux-945_army_public-values-are-not-only-under-attack_993550.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/henry-giroux-945_army_public-values-are-not-only-under-attack_993550.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Public values are not only under attack in the United States and elsewhere but appear to have become…” — Henry Giroux",
                "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": "Henry Giroux",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Public values are not only under...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/public-values-are-not-only-under-attack-in-the-united-states-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/public-values-are-not-only-under-attack-in-the-united-states-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
