--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that a…" description: "\"“In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that a change was under way. Torture damages the inflicter as well as the inflicted. It’s no coincidence that one of the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19a/karen-joy-fowler-3727_abu-ghraib_in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-chan_654405.png" --- # In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that a change was under way… ![“In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that a change was under way. Torture damages the inflicter as well as the inflicted. It’s no coincidence that one of the Abu Ghraib torturers came to the military directly from a job as a chicken processor. It might be slow, Derrida said, but eventually the spectacle…” quote by Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19a/karen-joy-fowler-3727_abu-ghraib_in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-chan_654405.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19a/karen-joy-fowler-3727_abu-ghraib_in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-chan_654405.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19a/karen-joy-fowler-3727_abu-ghraib_in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-chan_654405.png) > ““In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that a change was under way. Torture damages the inflicter as well as the inflicted. It’s no coincidence that one of the Abu Ghraib torturers came to the military directly from a job as a chicken processor. It might be slow, Derrida said, but eventually the spectacle of our abuse of animals will be intolerable to our sense of who we are.”” [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violence toward animals reflects and harms the perpetrator, revealing a shared humanity that is eroded by cruelty. **In simple terms:** Animal cruelty harms both victim and perpetrator. Key Takeaway Recognize and reduce cruelty in all forms. Themes ethics violence humanity animal rights Mood thoughtful concerned Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - military training - factory work - animal farming - law enforcement - personal reflection Key Concepts dehumanization psychological impact moral psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does your treatment of animals reflect your values? - Can systemic change reduce both animal and human cruelty? A Different Perspective The quote assumes a direct causal link between animal cruelty and broader moral decay, which may be contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abu ghraib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abu-ghraib/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Damage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/) [Ghraib Torturers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghraib-torturers-5226457/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jacques-derrida-271837/) [Jacques-derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jacques-derrida-95725/) [Sense-of-being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-being-167160/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) [Torture Damages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture-damages-5226458/) [Torturers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torturers-433109/) [Torturers Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torturers-came-5226459/) ## Related quotes > [“Given Loughner's obsession with meaninglessness and language, maybe Foucault & Derrida deserve some fault here, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/given-loughner-s-obsession-with-meaninglessness-and-language-maybe/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“Not all of Derrida's writing is to everyone's taste. He had an irritating habit of overusing the rhetorical question, which lends itself easily to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/not-all-of-derrida-s-writing-is-to-everyone-s-taste-he-had-an/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“I almost never go out. I suppose everyone tries to ignore the passing of time: some people by doing a lot, being in California…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-almost-never-go-out-i-suppose-everyone-tries-to-ignore-the-passing/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“There is nothing better in life than commitment to personal development and lifelong learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/there-is-nothing-better-in-life-than-commitment-to-personal/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“WHAT am I, after all, but a child, pleas’d with the sound of my own name? repeating it over and over; I stand apart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/what-am-i-after-all-but-a-child-pleas-d-with-the-sound-of-my-own-name/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [“The French philosopher Jacques Derrida likens writing fiction to a software code that operates in the hardware of your mind. Stringing together separate macros…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-french-philosopher-jacques-derrida-likens-writing-fiction-to-a/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I was reading a lot of Jacques Derrida at the time, writing 'Beth.' He actually talked about zombies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-baena/i-was-reading-a-lot-of-jacques-derrida-at-the-time-writing-beth-he/) [Jeff Baena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-baena/) > [I like Jacques Derrida; I think he's funny. I like my philosophy with a few jokes and puns. I know that that offends other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-like-jacques-derrida-i-think-he-s-funny-i-like-my-philosophy-with-a/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“And cranky old Jacques Derrida notwithstanding, we do love our dichotomies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-king/and-cranky-old-jacques-derrida-notwithstanding-we-do-love-our/) [Thomas King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-king/) > [When one emphasizes, as Jacques Derrida once remarked, one always overemphasizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/when-one-emphasizes-as-jacques-derrida-once-remarked-one-always/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“The following day, Sylviane Agacinski commented on this declaration in her journal, which was published a few months later: I read in Libération that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beno-t-peeters/the-following-day-sylviane-agacinski-commented-on-this-declaration-in/) [Benoît Peeters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beno-t-peeters/) > [“Jacques Derrida W r i t i n g a n d D i f f e r e n c e”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jacques-derrida-w-r-i-t-i-n-g-a-n-d-d-i-f-f-e-r-e-n-c-e/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was in college, it was Jacques Derrida. Everyone was dropping quotes. I remember thinking that was important - and I don't say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-mastrangelo/when-i-was-in-college-it-was-jacques-derrida-everyone-was-dropping/) [Fernando Mastrangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-mastrangelo/) > [It's time for a recovery and reassessment of North American thinkers. Marshall McLuhan, Leslie Fiedler and Norman O. Brown are the linked triad I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/it-s-time-for-a-recovery-and-reassessment-of-north-american-thinkers/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Jacques Derrida is a very important thinker and philosopher who has made serious contributions to both philosophy and literary criticism. Roland Barthes is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/jacques-derrida-is-a-very-important-thinker-and-philosopher-who-has/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## More by Karen Joy Fowler > [In general, librarians enjoyed special requests. A reference librarian is someone who likes the chase. When librarians read for pleasure, they often pick a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-general-librarians-enjoyed-special-requests-a-reference-librarian/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [The sunset you see is always better than the one you don’t. More stars are always better than less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-sunset-you-see-is-always-better-than-the-one-you-don-t-more-stars/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“Je zou maar slecht over hem gaan denken en dat wil ik niet, want dat is mijn taak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/je-zou-maar-slecht-over-hem-gaan-denken-en-dat-wil-ik-niet-want-dat/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [I'm unclear on the definition of person the courts have been using. Something that sieves out dolphins but lets corporations slide on through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/i-m-unclear-on-the-definition-of-person-the-courts-have-been-using/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“The secret to a good life,” he told me once, “is to bring your A game to everything you do. Even if all you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-secret-to-a-good-life-he-told-me-once-is-to-bring-your-a-game-to/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“So many problems, however infinitely varied they first appear, turn out to be matters of money. I can't tell you how much this offends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/so-many-problems-however-infinitely-varied-they-first-appear-turn-out/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“The world runs,” Lowell said, “on the fuel of this endless, fathomless misery. People know it, but they don’t mind what they don’t see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-world-runs-lowell-said-on-the-fuel-of-this-endless-fathomless/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“I didn't want a world in which I had to choose between blind human babies and tortured monkey ones. To be frank, that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/i-didn-t-want-a-world-in-which-i-had-to-choose-between-blind-human/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“They never reminisced about the time they had to drive halfway back to Indianapolis because I’d left Dexter Poindexter, my terry-cloth penguin (threadbare, ravaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/they-never-reminisced-about-the-time-they-had-to-drive-halfway-back/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [I once broke up with a boy because he wrote me an awful poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/i-once-broke-up-with-a-boy-because-he-wrote-me-an-awful-poem/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“Here is my objection to submarines and space travel: not enough windows. What difference does it make if you're in outer space or underwater,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/here-is-my-objection-to-submarines-and-space-travel-not-enough/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [. . . strange and fantastic things really happen. During a rainstorm in Australia, fish fall from the sky; several Southern states consider legislation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/strange-and-fantastic-things-really-happen-during-a-rainstorm-in/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [Every mother can easily imagine losing a child. Motherhood is always half loss anyway. The three-year-old is lost at five, the five-year-old at nine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/every-mother-can-easily-imagine-losing-a-child-motherhood-is-always/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“...the world runs on the fuel of an endless, fathomless animal misery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-world-runs-on-the-fuel-of-an-endless-fathomless-animal-misery/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“He envied the bark, which had been, in the course of one lifetime, both forest and fire. One endured; one destroyed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/he-envied-the-bark-which-had-been-in-the-course-of-one-lifetime-both/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) [Explore all 122 Karen Joy Fowler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) ## More Abu ghraib quotes > [“There have been extensive human rights violations by American psychiatrists over the last 70 years. These doctors were pad by the American taxpayer through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-a-ross/there-have-been-extensive-human-rights-violations-by-american/) [Colin A. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-a-ross/) > [But in Afghanistan, the general rule was that since you were fighting the Taliban, which was not a lawful government force, the Geneva Conventions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/but-in-afghanistan-the-general-rule-was-that-since-you-were-fighting/) [Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/) > [We can guess that the unacceptable conduct of the soldiers at Abu Ghraib resulted in part from the dangerous state of affairs on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/we-can-guess-that-the-unacceptable-conduct-of-the-soldiers-at-abu/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [In light of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, critics are arguing that abuses of Iraqi prisoners are being produced by a climate of disregard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/in-light-of-the-abu-ghraib-prison-scandal-critics-are-arguing-that/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [What makes Bush different from Hitler? He commits crimes in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib prisons. With all these crimes, they still behave like bullying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-khamenei/what-makes-bush-different-from-hitler-he-commits-crimes-in-guantanamo/) [Ali Khamenei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-khamenei/) > [It is the photographs that gives one the vivid realization of what actually took place. (On photographs from Abu Ghraib prison.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/it-is-the-photographs-that-gives-one-the-vivid-realization-of-what/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [The effort to blur the lines between Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib reflects a deep misunderstanding about the different legal regimes that apply to Iraq…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/the-effort-to-blur-the-lines-between-guantanamo-and-abu-ghraib/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [When Bush says that Abu Ghraib was the work of a few, he forgot to mention that he was one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/when-bush-says-that-abu-ghraib-was-the-work-of-a-few-he-forgot-to/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I don't know anyone at the highest levels who approved Abu Ghraib. If President Barack Obama for a moment thought that somebody at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-anyone-at-the-highest-levels-who-approved-abu-ghraib-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the United States, rising esteem for the military in uniform corresponds to the growing militarization of the society as a whole. All of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hardt/in-the-united-states-rising-esteem-for-the-military-in-uniform/) [Michael Hardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hardt/) > [It is important to recognize the differences between the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism. The treatment of those detained at Abu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/it-is-important-to-recognize-the-differences-between-the-war-in-iraq/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [American journalists and politicians made a perfect spectacle of themselves in discussing the Abu Ghraib prison controversy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-snow/american-journalists-and-politicians-made-a-perfect-spectacle-of/) [Tony Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-snow/) > [Not even the foulest atrocities of Adolf Hitler ever shocked me so badly as these photographs did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/not-even-the-foulest-atrocities-of-adolf-hitler-ever-shocked-me-so/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Even if you are a liberal in the Muslim world, when you see Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and you see all the other reports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/even-if-you-are-a-liberal-in-the-muslim-world-when-you-see-abu-ghraib/) [Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/) > [What's happened at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq is one of the grossest violations of human rights under the Geneva Conventions that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/what-s-happened-at-the-abu-ghraib-prison-in-iraq-is-one-of-the/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) [Browse all 25 Abu ghraib quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abu-ghraib/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that a change was under way. Torture damages the inflicter as well as the inflicted. It’s no coincidence that one of the Abu Ghraib torturers came to the military directly from a job as a chicken processor. It might be slow, Derrida said, but eventually the spectacle of our abuse of animals will be intolerable to our sense of who we are.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Joy Fowler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-change-was-under-way-torture/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abu ghraib" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-change-was-under-way-torture/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19a/karen-joy-fowler-3727_abu-ghraib_in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-chan_654405.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19a/karen-joy-fowler-3727_abu-ghraib_in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-chan_654405.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19a/karen-joy-fowler-3727_abu-ghraib_in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-chan_654405.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that a change was under way. Torture damages the inflicter as well as the…” — Karen Joy Fowler", "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": "Karen Joy Fowler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-change-was-under-way-torture/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-change-was-under-way-torture/#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 } } ] } ```