--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [The ruling elites] know who their…" description: "\"[The ruling elites] know who their enemies are, and their enemies are the people, the people at home and the people abroad. Their enemies are anybody w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/465/michael-parenti-7383_class_the-ruling-elites-know-who-their-enemies_177994.jpg" --- # \[The ruling elites\] know who their enemies are, and their… ![“[The ruling elites] know who their enemies are, and their enemies are the people, the people at home and the people abroad. Their enemies are anybody who wants more social justice, anybody who wants to use the surplus value of society for social needs rather than for individual class greed, that's…” quote by Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/465/michael-parenti-7383_class_the-ruling-elites-know-who-their-enemies_177994.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/465/michael-parenti-7383_class_the-ruling-elites-know-who-their-enemies_177994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/465/michael-parenti-7383_class_the-ruling-elites-know-who-their-enemies_177994.jpg) > “\[The ruling elites\] know who their enemies are, and their enemies are the people, the people at home and the people abroad. Their enemies are anybody who wants more social justice, anybody who wants to use the surplus value of society for social needs rather than for individual class greed, that's their enemy.” [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The powerful class defines opposition as anyone seeking collective welfare over personal profit, labeling social justice advocates as enemies. **In simple terms:** Elites view social justice seekers as threats. Key Takeaway Challenge the narrative that equates fairness with opposition. Themes power social justice class conflict politics ideology Mood critical defiant thoughtful Type political analytical provocative When to use this quote - policy debates - grassroots organizing - media analysis - community activism Key Concepts surplus value collective welfare class greed elite control Questions to Reflect On - Who benefits from labeling social justice as enemy? - How can we expose hidden alliances? A Different Perspective The claim may oversimplify complex motivations and ignore allies within elite groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) [Elites Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites-know-1910659/) [Enemies Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-enemies-949473/) [Enemies People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-people-240437/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Know Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-enemies-252403/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Ruling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruling/) [Ruling Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruling-elites-1459724/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Surplus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surplus/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [“Bulgakov and Roth understood that there is no real political ideology among decayed ruling elites. 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