--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here you can shoot the bad guys,' a…" description: "\"“Here you can shoot the bad guys,' a mercenary says in Baghdad. 'In America we give them corporate bonuses.”\" — Michael Robotham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/350/michael-robotham-7931_bad-guy_here-you-can-shoot-the-bad-guys-a-mercen_4073.png" --- # Here you can shoot the bad guys,' a mercenary says in… ![“Here you can shoot the bad guys,' a mercenary says in Baghdad. 'In America we give them corporate bonuses.” quote by Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/350/michael-robotham-7931_bad-guy_here-you-can-shoot-the-bad-guys-a-mercen_4073.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/350/michael-robotham-7931_bad-guy_here-you-can-shoot-the-bad-guys-a-mercen_4073.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/350/michael-robotham-7931_bad-guy_here-you-can-shoot-the-bad-guys-a-mercen_4073.png) > ““Here you can shoot the bad guys,' a mercenary says in Baghdad. 'In America we give them corporate bonuses.”” [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights the paradox of violence being sanctioned abroad while corporate misconduct is rewarded at home, exposing moral hypocrisy. **In simple terms:** War is glorified abroad, profit at home. Key Takeaway Moral double standards Themes hypocrisy war ethics corporate power social criticism justice political satire Mood ironic critical cynical Type satire political commentary aphorism When to use this quote - journalist covering foreign conflicts - policy analyst comparing domestic and foreign actions - activist protesting corporate tax breaks - student essay on ethics of warfare Key Concepts military action corporate incentives moral relativism societal values Practical Applications - critical essay on moral inconsistency - campaign highlighting corporate accountability Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about societal values? - How can we reconcile these contradictions? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) [Bad guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guys/) [Baghdad America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baghdad-america-285638/) [Financial crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial-crisis/) [Guys Mercenary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guys-mercenary-285639/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Mercenary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercenary/) [Mercenary Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercenary-says-285636/) [Says Baghdad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-baghdad-285637/) ## Related quotes > [That devilish Iron Horse, whose ear-rending neigh is heard throughout the town, has muddied the Boiling Spring with his foot, and he it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/that-devilish-iron-horse-whose-ear-rending-neigh-is-heard-throughout/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A true warrior can only serve others, not himself...When you become a mercenary, you're just a bully with a gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-wright/a-true-warrior-can-only-serve-others-not-himself-when-you-become-a/) [Evan Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-wright/) > [Pure mathematics offers no mercenary inducements to its followers, who is attracted to it by the importance and beauty of the truths in contains;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-whitbread-lee-glaisher/pure-mathematics-offers-no-mercenary-inducements-to-its-followers-who/) [James Whitbread Lee Glaisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-whitbread-lee-glaisher/) > [Vertue flies from the heart of a Mercenary man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/vertue-flies-from-the-heart-of-a-mercenary-man/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [The crisis besetting America is not just an economic or political crisis; something deeper is wreaking havoc across the land, a mercenary and utilitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/the-crisis-besetting-america-is-not-just-an-economic-or-political/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [The mercenary finished his coffee in a single gulp, It must have been piping hot, too. 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And I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/when-the-public-loses-faith-in-democracy-s-ability-to-solve-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [“The writer is an infantryman. He knows that progress is measured in yards of dirt extracted from the enemy one day, one hour, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-writer-is-an-infantryman-he-knows-that-progress-is-measured-in/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [I'm a mercenary. That's what people hire me for, and I don't apologize for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-avenatti/i-m-a-mercenary-that-s-what-people-hire-me-for-and-i-don-t-apologize/) [Michael Avenatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-avenatti/) > [A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/a-cynical-mercenary-demagogic-press-will-produce-in-time-a-people-as/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [I like the desperado aspect of essays, the free lance, that mercenary kind of thing, so I just do it, without asking anyone's permission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/i-like-the-desperado-aspect-of-essays-the-free-lance-that-mercenary/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) ## More by Michael Robotham > [“His freckles have faded but must riot every summer across his nose and cheeks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/his-freckles-have-faded-but-must-riot-every-summer-across-his-nose/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [“It's strange, talking about love. 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The only truly well-proportioned Christmas trees are the ones they use in advertisements.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/my-other-chore-is-to-buy-a-tree-a-thankless-task-the-only-truly-well/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [“Everyone thinks I'm so strong. They expect me to face autumns and winters like that and bitch-slap them down; make them come to heel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/everyone-thinks-i-m-so-strong-they-expect-me-to-face-autumns-and/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [“We need the darkness to appreciate the light, and the bumps along the road to stop us falling asleep at the wheel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/we-need-the-darkness-to-appreciate-the-light-and-the-bumps-along-the/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [Why do our parents have the ability to make us feel like children even when our hair is graying and we have a mortgage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/why-do-our-parents-have-the-ability-to-make-us-feel-like-children/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [“Truth is a matter of semantics, whether we like it or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/truth-is-a-matter-of-semantics-whether-we-like-it-or-not/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [“I've discovered the secret of revenge. Outlive the f---ers! I'll dance on their graves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/i-ve-discovered-the-secret-of-revenge-outlive-the-f-ers-i-ll-dance-on/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [“Do you believe in God?” he asks. “Do you?” “I used to” “What happened?” “I couldn’t find him. He’s supposed to be everywhere. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/do-you-believe-in-god-he-asks-do-you-i-used-to-what-happened-i-couldn/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [“People talk about the sins of omission. What does that mean? Who decides if something is a sin? I know that I'm being semantic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/people-talk-about-the-sins-of-omission-what-does-that-mean-who/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [“It was the most important moment in human history, the telling of the first lie. That's what separates us from the other animals. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/it-was-the-most-important-moment-in-human-history-the-telling-of-the/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [“Friendship is a difficult thing to define. Oscar here is my oldest friend. How would you define friendship, Oscar?" Oscar grunts slightly, as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/friendship-is-a-difficult-thing-to-define-oscar-here-is-my-oldest/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) [Explore all 82 Michael Robotham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) ## More Bad guy quotes > [“This is what is called "honor among thieves," for the really dangerous people are those who do not recognize that they are thieves— the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/this-is-what-is-called-honor-among-thieves-for-the-really-dangerous/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. 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In romantic comedies there's always a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-corddry/i-d-played-a-lot-of-best-friends-and-or-bad-guys-which-seems-to-be-my/) [Rob Corddry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-corddry/) [Browse all 1,228 Bad guy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Here you can shoot the bad guys,' a mercenary says in Baghdad. 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