--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was an American, so it seemed only…" description: "\"“He was an American, so it seemed only fair to shoot him.”\" — Mark Gatiss" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/mark-gatiss-10930_quote_he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fai_1062315.jpg" --- # He was an American, so it seemed only fair to shoot him. ![“He was an American, so it seemed only fair to shoot him.” quote by Mark Gatiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/mark-gatiss-10930_quote_he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fai_1062315.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/mark-gatiss-10930_quote_he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fai_1062315.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/mark-gatiss-10930_quote_he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fai_1062315.jpg) > ““He was an American, so it seemed only fair to shoot him.”” [Mark Gatiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-gatiss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character justifies violence by invoking national identity, exposing prejudice and moral rationalization. **In simple terms:** Violence is justified by labeling someone as 'American'. Key Takeaway Question the ethics of using identity to excuse harm. Themes prejudice violence identity morality justice Mood critical reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - law enforcement - political conflict - personal vendettas - media portrayal Key Concepts Nationalism moral rationalization dehumanization Questions to Reflect On - What biases influence your view of 'the other'? - How can societies prevent identity‑based violence? A Different Perspective Such justifications can ignore individual humanity and legal standards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-fair-2600065/) [Fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair/) [Fair Shoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair-shoot-2600064/) [Shoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoot/) ## Related quotes > [The most powerful nation on earth should be able to pass a fair, effective immigration law that combines compassion with responsibility and does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/the-most-powerful-nation-on-earth-should-be-able-to-pass-a-fair/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [From food trucks to hot dog stands to county fair favorites, 'street food' has enjoyed a rich and storied history in American cuisine. 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I remember updating my Facebook status to say 'Doing 'Vogue' today', it was so exciting. I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaya-scodelario/who-doesn-t-want-to-shoot-for-vogue-i-remember-updating-my-facebook/) [Kaya Scodelario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaya-scodelario/) > [“if you're gonna shoot off your mouth, make sure it's loaded first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-sheldon/if-you-re-gonna-shoot-off-your-mouth-make-sure-it-s-loaded-first/) [Sidney Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-sheldon/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) [Bella James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-james/) > [“All right. And if any of you get hurt I'm going to be really mad. 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But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He was an American, so it seemed only fair to shoot him.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Gatiss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gatiss/he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fair-to-shoot-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gatiss/he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fair-to-shoot-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/mark-gatiss-10930_quote_he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fai_1062315.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/mark-gatiss-10930_quote_he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fai_1062315.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/mark-gatiss-10930_quote_he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fai_1062315.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He was an American, so it seemed only fair to shoot him.” — Mark Gatiss", "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": "Mark Gatiss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-gatiss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He was an American, so it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gatiss/he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fair-to-shoot-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gatiss/he-was-an-american-so-it-seemed-only-fair-to-shoot-him/#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 } } ] } ```