--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's how oppression works. Thousands of…" description: "\"That's how oppression works. Thousands of otherwise decent people are persuaded to go along with an unfair system because changing it seems like too mu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/laurie-penny-19086_appropriate_that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of_2787577.png" --- # That's how oppression works. Thousands of otherwise decent… ![“That's how oppression works. Thousands of otherwise decent people are persuaded to go along with an unfair system because changing it seems like too much bother. The appropriate response when somebody demands a change in that unfair system is to listen, rather than turn away or yell, as a child…” quote by Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/laurie-penny-19086_appropriate_that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of_2787577.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/laurie-penny-19086_appropriate_that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of_2787577.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/laurie-penny-19086_appropriate_that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of_2787577.png) > “That's how oppression works. Thousands of otherwise decent people are persuaded to go along with an unfair system because changing it seems like too much bother. The appropriate response when somebody demands a change in that unfair system is to listen, rather than turn away or yell, as a child might, that it's not your fault. Of course it isn't your fault. I'm sure you're lovely. That doesn't mean you don't have a responsibility to do something about it.” [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often stay passive in unjust systems because resistance feels burdensome; listening is a first step toward responsible action. **In simple terms:** Passivity stems from inconvenience; listening helps. Key Takeaway Listen before reacting to injustice. Themes social justice responsibility activism Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace - community - policy reform - personal relationships Key Concepts moral duty collective action Questions to Reflect On - What concrete actions can follow listening? - How to balance listening with taking initiative? A Different Perspective Listening alone doesn't change systems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [“They wouldn’t do it without a cause, would they? You must have done something to provoke them.” As if that’s how oppression works.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/they-wouldn-t-do-it-without-a-cause-would-they-you-must-have-done/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [Oppression works in such a way that it holds every person responsible for the acts of any wrongdoer of the oppressed group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/oppression-works-in-such-a-way-that-it-holds-every-person-responsible/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [And it's absolutely true that male sexual behaviour and female responses to male demands change a lot when they start communicating - and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/and-it-s-absolutely-true-that-male-sexual-behaviour-and-female/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [“There is a presumption in favor of every existing institution. Many of these (we will suppose the majority) may be susceptible of alteration for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-potter/there-is-a-presumption-in-favor-of-every-existing-institution-many-of/) David Potter > [We have been making changes continuously. You cannot expect everything to be perfect the minute it is made. Things change; they are dynamic as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-gandhi/we-have-been-making-changes-continuously-you-cannot-expect-everything/) [Rajiv Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-gandhi/) > [“They just don't know you,' Penelope said, patting her on the hand. 'And they don't know \*you\*, either,' Lady Danbury quite pointedly replied ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/they-just-don-t-know-you-penelope-said-patting-her-on-the-hand-and/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [“On the one hand we must never imagine that our own unaided efforts can be relied on to carry us even through the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/on-the-one-hand-we-must-never-imagine-that-our-own-unaided-efforts/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Don't try to be fancy. Shoot for the center of mass. The world is full of decent people. Criminals we can do without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/don-t-try-to-be-fancy-shoot-for-the-center-of-mass-the-world-is-full/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [Ineos is a friendly organisation. Very few people leave. It's collegiate. There's not much politics, and we like decent people. We don't like arrogance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/ineos-is-a-friendly-organisation-very-few-people-leave-it-s/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [Certain types of loudmouthism should be a capital offense among decent people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/certain-types-of-loudmouthism-should-be-a-capital-offense-among/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I have a treasure trove of Baker memories, all of which reinforce my sense of Howard Baker as one of the most decent people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yarmuth/i-have-a-treasure-trove-of-baker-memories-all-of-which-reinforce-my/) [John Yarmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yarmuth/) > [“This attack is the greatest tragedy in human history,” Avasarala said. “They want the belt to rise up so they can hide behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/this-attack-is-the-greatest-tragedy-in-human-history-avasarala-said/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [“You may of course ask whether we really need to refer to "saints". Wouldn't it suffice just to refer to decent people? It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-emil-frankl/you-may-of-course-ask-whether-we-really-need-to-refer-to-saints/) [Viktor Emil Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-emil-frankl/) > [“Experience often repeated, truly bitter experience, had taught him long ago that with decent people, especially Moscow people -- always slow to move and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/experience-often-repeated-truly-bitter-experience-had-taught-him-long/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [I guess the only thing to do now is meet his parents. I'm sure they're decent people. I mean they gotta be if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/i-guess-the-only-thing-to-do-now-is-meet-his-parents-i-m-sure-they-re/) [Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/) ## More by Laurie Penny > [“Donald Trump is a bloviating freakshow of the id whose job it is to articulate the ugliest parts of the modern psyche with enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/donald-trump-is-a-bloviating-freakshow-of-the-id-whose-job-it-is-to/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [“Almost every time I speak to teenagers, particularly young female students who want to talk to me about feminism, I find myself staggered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/almost-every-time-i-speak-to-teenagers-particularly-young-female/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [“It has been noted that many of the soi-disant ‘disruptive’ products being marketed as game changers by Silicon Valley startup kids are things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/it-has-been-noted-that-many-of-the-soi-disant-disruptive-products/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [“Men, particularly nerdy men, are socialised to blame women – usually their peers and/or the women they find sexually desirable – for the trauma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/men-particularly-nerdy-men-are-socialised-to-blame-women-usually/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [“At seventy-one, when I met her, she was small and delicate and dangerous, like a cupcake full of razors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/at-seventy-one-when-i-met-her-she-was-small-and-delicate-and/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [Public ‘career feminists’ have been more concerned with getting more women into ‘boardrooms,’ when the problem is that there are altogether too many boardrooms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/public-career-feminists-have-been-more-concerned-with-getting-more/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [The problem is capitalism. The problem is that in order to sell seven billion people on the necessity of globalisation, we've created a moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/the-problem-is-capitalism-the-problem-is-that-in-order-to-sell-seven/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [“Without courage, our generation is doomed to another decade of political disenfranchisement and shit music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/without-courage-our-generation-is-doomed-to-another-decade-of/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [“It is not elitist to look fascism in the face and reject it. It is not anti-democratic to carry on believing in a society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/it-is-not-elitist-to-look-fascism-in-the-face-and-reject-it-it-is-not/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [“every groundswell of idealism has salesmen scampering in its wake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/every-groundswell-of-idealism-has-salesmen-scampering-in-its-wake/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [Those who are so eager for women and girls to go back to the kitchen might think again about just what it is we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/those-who-are-so-eager-for-women-and-girls-to-go-back-to-the-kitchen/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [“I’m sure that Trump wants to sit in a shiny chair in the Oval Office and have people tell him all day that he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/i-m-sure-that-trump-wants-to-sit-in-a-shiny-chair-in-the-oval-office/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [If all women on earth woke up tomorrow feeling truly positive and powerful in their own bodies, the economies of the globe would collapse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/if-all-women-on-earth-woke-up-tomorrow-feeling-truly-positive-and/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [Men grow up expecting to be the hero of their own story. Women grow up expecting to be the supporting actress in somebody else's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/men-grow-up-expecting-to-be-the-hero-of-their-own-story-women-grow-up/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) > [“Girls are better at this sort of labour, often called 'emotional labour', not because there's anything in the meat and matter of our living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/girls-are-better-at-this-sort-of-labour-often-called-emotional-labour/) [Laurie Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) [Explore all 33 Laurie Penny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/) ## More Appropriate quotes > [“Appropriate is overrated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-w-kohlhagen/appropriate-is-overrated/) Steven W. Kohlhagen > [I was for many years myself a journalist and it is not appropriate to say a programme should not be broadcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-monckton/i-was-for-many-years-myself-a-journalist-and-it-is-not-appropriate-to/) [Christopher Monckton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-monckton/) > [I don't think 'This Means War' is an appropriate picture to do in 3-D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcg/i-don-t-think-this-means-war-is-an-appropriate-picture-to-do-in-3-d/) [McG](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcg/) > [There is no single best kind of death. A good death is one that is "appropriate" for that person. It is a death in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-s-shneidman/there-is-no-single-best-kind-of-death-a-good-death-is-one-that-is/) [Edwin S. Shneidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-s-shneidman/) > [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [I would not, under any circumstances, try to impose my personal faith and belief on the rest of the country. I don't think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/i-would-not-under-any-circumstances-try-to-impose-my-personal-faith/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) > [I have no policy, for or against: only a personal style. Which is to say, I use them when I think it's appropriate to;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-have-no-policy-for-or-against-only-a-personal-style-which-is-to-say/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [While the intelligence profession oftentimes demands secrecy, it is critically important that there be a full and open discourse on intelligence matters with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/while-the-intelligence-profession-oftentimes-demands-secrecy-it-is/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [Computer Science is a science of abstraction -creating the right model for a problem and devising the appropriate mechanizable techniques to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-aho/computer-science-is-a-science-of-abstraction-creating-the-right-model/) Alfred Aho > [For Father's Day, my kids always give me a bottle of cologne called English Leather. It's appropriate! To them I always smell like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/for-father-s-day-my-kids-always-give-me-a-bottle-of-cologne-called/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [As Mayor, I will fully support my Arts Commission and its professional selection committees so that they can commission a full range of public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-newsom/as-mayor-i-will-fully-support-my-arts-commission-and-its-professional/) [Gavin Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-newsom/) > [I'm very sensitive in real life. I cannot not cry if someone around me is crying. I will start to cry if someone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-m-very-sensitive-in-real-life-i-cannot-not-cry-if-someone-around-me/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [Hate demands existence, and he who hates has to show his hate in appropriate actions and behaviors; in a sense, he has to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/hate-demands-existence-and-he-who-hates-has-to-show-his-hate-in/) [Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/) > [A reader does not suddenly comprehend what is being read or studied, in a snap, miraculously. Comprehension needs to be worked forged, by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/a-reader-does-not-suddenly-comprehend-what-is-being-read-or-studied/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) Browse all 1,130 Appropriate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That's how oppression works. Thousands of otherwise decent people are persuaded to go along with an unfair system because changing it seems like too much bother. The appropriate response when somebody demands a change in that unfair system is to listen, rather than turn away or yell, as a child might, that it's not your fault. Of course it isn't your fault. I'm sure you're lovely. That doesn't mean you don't have a responsibility to do something about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laurie Penny" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of-otherwise-decent-people-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appropriate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of-otherwise-decent-people-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/laurie-penny-19086_appropriate_that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of_2787577.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/laurie-penny-19086_appropriate_that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of_2787577.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/laurie-penny-19086_appropriate_that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of_2787577.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That's how oppression works. Thousands of otherwise decent people are persuaded to go along with an unfair…” — Laurie Penny", "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": "Laurie Penny", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-penny/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That's how oppression works. Thousands of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of-otherwise-decent-people-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-penny/that-s-how-oppression-works-thousands-of-otherwise-decent-people-are/#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 } } ] } ```