--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The prevailing move in American society…" description: "\"The prevailing move in American society to a permanent war status does more than promote a set of unifying symbols that embrace a survival of the fitte..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/henry-giroux-945_american-society_the-prevailing-move-in-american-society_411369.jpg" --- # The prevailing move in American society to a permanent war… ![“The prevailing move in American society to a permanent war status does more than promote a set of unifying symbols that embrace a survival of the fittest ethic, promoting conformity over dissent, the strong over the weak, and fear over responsibility, it also gives rise to what David Graeber has…” quote by Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/henry-giroux-945_american-society_the-prevailing-move-in-american-society_411369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/henry-giroux-945_american-society_the-prevailing-move-in-american-society_411369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/henry-giroux-945_american-society_the-prevailing-move-in-american-society_411369.jpg) > “The prevailing move in American society to a permanent war status does more than promote a set of unifying symbols that embrace a survival of the fittest ethic, promoting conformity over dissent, the strong over the weak, and fear over responsibility, it also gives rise to what David Graeber has called a "language of command" in which violence becomes the most important element of power and mediating force in shaping social relationships.” [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. Argues that a constant war mindset enforces hierarchy, conformity, and fear, limiting dissent and responsibility. **In simple terms:** War mindset fuels power through fear. Key Takeaway Question societal narratives of conflict. Themes politics war society power conformity Mood critical analytical Type theoretical philosophical When to use this quote - policy analysis - activism - education - media critique Key Concepts language of command survival of the fittest fear as control Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives to a warlike narrative exist? - How does fear shape personal responsibility? A Different Perspective Such narratives can also mobilize solidarity against oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Command Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command-violence-3667564/) [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/david-graeber-216144/) [Dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Embrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Mediating Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediating-force-3667565/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Permanent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanent/) [Permanent War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanent-war-3667566/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Prevailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevailing/) [Promoting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promoting/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-relationships/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [Survival of the fittest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival-of-the-fittest/) [Symbols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbols/) [Unifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unifying/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violence Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-important-488895/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak/) ## Related quotes > [As a mode of public pedagogy, a state of permanent war needs willing subjects to abide by its values, ideology, and narratives of fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-a-mode-of-public-pedagogy-a-state-of-permanent-war-needs-willing/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [I'm increasingly on the side of thinkers like David Graeber who are talking back to this notion of totality and emphasizing how there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-m-increasingly-on-the-side-of-thinkers-like-david-graeber-who-are/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“The war, therefore if we judge it by the standards of previous wars, is merely an imposture. It is like the battles between certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-war-therefore-if-we-judge-it-by-the-standards-of-previous-wars-is-2/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [A peace that was truly permanent would be the same as a permanent war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/a-peace-that-was-truly-permanent-would-be-the-same-as-a-permanent-war/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [A peace that is truly permanent would be the same as a permanent war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/a-peace-that-is-truly-permanent-would-be-the-same-as-a-permanent-war/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [If you look in general at people who live in anarchy, they have quite high rates of death from either homicide or warfare or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-you-look-in-general-at-people-who-live-in-anarchy-they-have-quite/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“The control of violence is the most important dilemma every society faces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/the-control-of-violence-is-the-most-important-dilemma-every-society/) [James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/) > [I think the violence is important. It all depends on the genre. Rambo was ultra-violent, and I think it worked. You have to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-lundgren/i-think-the-violence-is-important-it-all-depends-on-the-genre-rambo/) [Dolph Lundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-lundgren/) > [Violence is used to suppress a people in a most blatantly crude way. We can historicize and contextualize it. We can analyze the Algerian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-gibson/violence-is-used-to-suppress-a-people-in-a-most-blatantly-crude-way/) [Nigel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-gibson/) > [In fact, people with mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violence rather than anything else. So it's important that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/in-fact-people-with-mental-illness-are-more-likely-to-be-the-victims/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [“The reigning belief today is that closeness between persons is a moral good. The reigning aspiration today is to develop individual personality through experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/the-reigning-belief-today-is-that-closeness-between-persons-is-a/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [A new world of complex relationships and feelings opens up when the peer group takes its place alongside the family as the emotional focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-greenspan/a-new-world-of-complex-relationships-and-feelings-opens-up-when-the/) [Stanley Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-greenspan/) > [We are (most of us) embedded in an exceedingly complex network of social relationships, many of which are vital to our well-being. Every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-corning/we-are-most-of-us-embedded-in-an-exceedingly-complex-network-of/) [Peter Corning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-corning/) > [Sublimation of instinct is an especially conspicuous feature of cultural development; it is what makes it possible for higher psychical activities, scientific, artistic or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/sublimation-of-instinct-is-an-especially-conspicuous-feature-of/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [We use eating as a medium for social relationships: satisfaction of the most individual of needs becomes a means of creating community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-visser/we-use-eating-as-a-medium-for-social-relationships-satisfaction-of/) [Margaret Visser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-visser/) ## 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 American society quotes > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-don-t-see-much-future-for-the-americans-it-s-a-decayed-country-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I have tried to defend what is most precious to our American society, a society that is now at war against the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/i-have-tried-to-defend-what-is-most-precious-to-our-american-society/) [Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/) > [Cumulatively, American society is sliding toward a new form of 'authoritarian democracy'. Elections continue, free speech is generally protected, institutions operate in accordance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/cumulatively-american-society-is-sliding-toward-a-new-form-of/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [“As a culture, we had no heroes. Certainly not any politician--Barack Obama was then the most admired man in America (and likely still is),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-culture-we-had-no-heroes-certainly-not-any-politician-barack/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [ “The Sexual plight of these children \[those adolescents experimenting sexually\] is officially not mentioned. The revolutionary attack on hypocrisy by Ibsen, Freud, Ellis, Dreiser,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-sexual-plight-of-these-children-those-adolescents-experimenting/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Hip-hop is contributing to American society's misogyny and racism, hyper-sexuality anti-Black representations. Hip-Hop isn't setting the standard for misogyny. No one reduces the presidency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakari-kitwana/hip-hop-is-contributing-to-american-society-s-misogyny-and-racism/) [Bakari Kitwana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakari-kitwana/) > [I believe it is essential to have English as the official language of our National Government, for the English language is the tie that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/i-believe-it-is-essential-to-have-english-as-the-official-language-of/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [Black people cannot and will not become integrated into American society on any terms but those of self-determination and autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/black-people-cannot-and-will-not-become-integrated-into-american/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [Black people in America have to, for their own protection, develop a defense mechanism, and I just grew terribly tired of it. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/black-people-in-america-have-to-for-their-own-protection-develop-a/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Public image is extremely important in American society and I observed personally that the Presidency of John F. Kennedy did much in the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/public-image-is-extremely-important-in-american-society-and-i/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [Sometimes, you know, the president is a father-like figure in American society, to most Americans, even today, no matter how cynical we've become. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/sometimes-you-know-the-president-is-a-father-like-figure-in-american/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [The family has always been the cornerstone of American society. Our families nurture, preserve, and pass on to each succeeding generation the values we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-family-has-always-been-the-cornerstone-of-american-society-our/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [While President Barack Obama has, in one sense, tipped his hand by saying that he wants judges with "empathy" for certain groups, he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/while-president-barack-obama-has-in-one-sense-tipped-his-hand-by/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Browse all 315 American society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The prevailing move in American society to a permanent war status does more than promote a set of unifying symbols that embrace a survival of the fittest ethic, promoting conformity over dissent, the strong over the weak, and fear over responsibility, it also gives rise to what David Graeber has called a \"language of command\" in which violence becomes the most important element of power and mediating force in shaping social relationships.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Giroux" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-prevailing-move-in-american-society-to-a-permanent-war-status/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American society" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-prevailing-move-in-american-society-to-a-permanent-war-status/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/henry-giroux-945_american-society_the-prevailing-move-in-american-society_411369.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/henry-giroux-945_american-society_the-prevailing-move-in-american-society_411369.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/henry-giroux-945_american-society_the-prevailing-move-in-american-society_411369.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The prevailing move in American society to a permanent war status does more than promote a set of unifying…” — 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": "The prevailing move in American society...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-prevailing-move-in-american-society-to-a-permanent-war-status/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-prevailing-move-in-american-society-to-a-permanent-war-status/#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 } } ] } ```