---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I really did have this powerful sense…"
description: "\"I really did have this powerful sense, when I was in New Orleans after the storm, of watching all these profiteers descend on Baton Rouge to lobby to g..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/naomi-klein-1072_baton-rouge_i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-wh_466891.png"
---

#  I really did have this powerful sense, when I was in New…

![“I really did have this powerful sense, when I was in New Orleans after the storm, of watching all these profiteers descend on Baton Rouge to lobby to get rid of the housing projects and privatise the school system - I thought I was in some science-fiction experiment.” quote by Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/naomi-klein-1072_baton-rouge_i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-wh_466891.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/naomi-klein-1072_baton-rouge_i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-wh_466891.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/naomi-klein-1072_baton-rouge_i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-wh_466891.png)

> “I really did have this powerful sense, when I was in New Orleans after the storm, of watching all these profiteers descend on Baton Rouge to lobby to get rid of the housing projects and privatise the school system - I thought I was in some science-fiction experiment.”

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Witnessing rapid privatization after a crisis felt like a dystopian experiment, highlighting how profit motives can dominate public welfare.

**In simple terms:** Disaster led to profit‑driven changes that seemed unreal.

Key Takeaway

Question systemic motives before supporting policies.

Themes

urban policy privatization social justice disaster response

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical political

When to use this quote

- housing reform
- community advocacy
- policy analysis
- public hearings

Key Concepts

neoliberalism public good gentrification

Questions to Reflect On

- What safeguards can protect public housing?
- How do profit incentives affect disaster recovery?

A Different Perspective

The quote may overgeneralize complex policy decisions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Baton rouge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baton-rouge/) [New orleans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-orleans/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/)

## Related quotes

> [“For me, life has always been the storm. The storm and watching from the window for the thing that could stop it, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-pinborough/for-me-life-has-always-been-the-storm-the-storm-and-watching-from-the/)

[Sarah Pinborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-pinborough/)

> [I love Louisiana. There's no place on earth like Louisiana, and there's no city on earth like New Orleans. I grew up in Baton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-lemon/i-love-louisiana-there-s-no-place-on-earth-like-louisiana-and-there-s/)

[Don Lemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-lemon/)

> [My wife is from Laurel, Mississippi, and she has a lot of relatives down in Louisiana, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport, Louisiana. We go down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/my-wife-is-from-laurel-mississippi-and-she-has-a-lot-of-relatives/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [I spent a lot of time in the clouds. Becoming a mother has really helped me put my feet on the ground and given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-in-the-clouds-becoming-a-mother-has-really/)

[Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/)

> [“Birds have a powerful sense of home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrie-haskell/birds-have-a-powerful-sense-of-home/)

[Merrie Haskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrie-haskell/)

> [“I don’t for a moment think I am any braver or better than anybody else. This is how I attempt to explain what gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-for-a-moment-think-i-am-any-braver-or-better-than-anybody/)

[Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/)

> [“Often the only difference between a problem being painful or being powerful is a sense that we chose it, and that we are responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/often-the-only-difference-between-a-problem-being-painful-or-being-2/)

[Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/)

> [“Smell is such a powerful sense; capable of bringing memory to the mind more powerfully than sight or sound. There is nothing that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/smell-is-such-a-powerful-sense-capable-of-bringing-memory-to-the-mind/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [John von Neumann gave me an interesting idea: that you don't have to be responsible for the world that you're in. So I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/john-von-neumann-gave-me-an-interesting-idea-that-you-don-t-have-to/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [“Von Neumann gave me an interesting idea: that you don’t have to be responsible for the world that you’re in. So I have developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-feynman/von-neumann-gave-me-an-interesting-idea-that-you-don-t-have-to-be/)

[Richard Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-feynman/)

> [“Often the only difference between a problem being painful or being powerful is a sense that we chose it, and that we are responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/often-the-only-difference-between-a-problem-being-painful-or-being/)

[Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/)

> [There's a powerful sense of reality to our concepts, ... These are vehicles we think people would purchase and drive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-lutz/there-s-a-powerful-sense-of-reality-to-our-concepts-these-are/)

[Bob Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-lutz/)

> [Magic is the power within oneself. You have enough strength, exertion and energy to view things as they are, personally, properly, and directly. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/magic-is-the-power-within-oneself-you-have-enough-strength-exertion/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [“every time you walk up and down the stairs in your house or place of work, pay close attention to every step, every movement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/every-time-you-walk-up-and-down-the-stairs-in-your-house-or-place-of/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Despite what I had acchieved, I don't for a moment think I am any braver or better than anyone else. This is how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/despite-what-i-had-acchieved-i-don-t-for-a-moment-think-i-am-any/)

[Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/)

## More by Naomi Klein

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [As I explored Trump's inextricable relationship with his commercial brand, and its implications for the future of politics, I began to see why so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/as-i-explored-trump-s-inextricable-relationship-with-his-commercial/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Fury is an entirely appropriate response to a system that sends young people to kill other young people in a war that never should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/fury-is-an-entirely-appropriate-response-to-a-system-that-sends-young/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Since the 1980s, we've been living in this era, really, of corporate rule, based on this idea that the role of government is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/since-the-1980s-we-ve-been-living-in-this-era-really-of-corporate/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [We live in a society that is powered by fossil fuels, but for the meantime, we're in it. Maybe there's, like, five people living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/we-live-in-a-society-that-is-powered-by-fossil-fuels-but-for-the/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [I can tell you Donald Trump's products may not be made in America, but Donald Trump was made in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-can-tell-you-donald-trump-s-products-may-not-be-made-in-america-but/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Africa is poor because its investors and its creditors are unspeakably rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/africa-is-poor-because-its-investors-and-its-creditors-are/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [“It is a civilizational wake-up call. A powerful message—spoken in the language of fires, floods, droughts, and extinctions—telling us that we need an entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-is-a-civilizational-wake-up-call-a-powerful-message-spoken-in-the/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [“You have been negotiating all my life.” So said Canadian college student Anjali Appadurai, as she stared down the assembled government negotiators at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/you-have-been-negotiating-all-my-life-so-said-canadian-college/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [There's a property in Panama where Trump has collected somewhere around $30 million just from selling his name to this property - it's somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/there-s-a-property-in-panama-where-trump-has-collected-somewhere/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [When I went to Australia, I had this feeling, like, 'Wow, this is really a different country.' I think that feeling of genuine foreignness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/when-i-went-to-australia-i-had-this-feeling-like-wow-this-is-really-a/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [I think there has been this really bad habit of environmentalists being insufferably smug, where they are sort of saying, 'This is the issue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-think-there-has-been-this-really-bad-habit-of-environmentalists/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [GLHR... has used Greenpeace-style media antics to draw more public attention to the plight of sweatshop workers than the multimillion - dollar international trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/glhr-has-used-greenpeace-style-media-antics-to-draw-more-public/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

[Explore all 291 Naomi Klein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

## More Baton rouge quotes

> [Baton Rouge is small, so when somebody like me blowup, who they used to chase around the neighborhood, who was a wild little kid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boosie/baton-rouge-is-small-so-when-somebody-like-me-blowup-who-they-used-to/)

[Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boosie/)

> [I absolutely love doing games in Baton Rouge. Night games in Tiger Stadium are a spectacle and the food choices all around are fantastic!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-blackledge/i-absolutely-love-doing-games-in-baton-rouge-night-games-in-tiger/)

[Todd Blackledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-blackledge/)

> [There's a case in Baton Rouge, haunting me, where a mother left her twelve-year-old daughter to be babysat (every day for months) by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mullen/there-s-a-case-in-baton-rouge-haunting-me-where-a-mother-left-her/)

[Laura Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mullen/)

> [I was a rock star. I was the president of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrann-mathieu/i-was-a-rock-star-i-was-the-president-of-baton-rouge-louisiana/)

[Tyrann Mathieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrann-mathieu/)

> [I grew up in Baton Rouge and learned to be a musician down there. I call it the only city in America that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-jackson/i-grew-up-in-baton-rouge-and-learned-to-be-a-musician-down-there-i/)

[Randy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-jackson/)

> [I love Louisiana. There's no place on earth like Louisiana, and there's no city on earth like New Orleans. I grew up in Baton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-lemon/i-love-louisiana-there-s-no-place-on-earth-like-louisiana-and-there-s/)

[Don Lemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-lemon/)

> [Louisiana is a special place in my family's history, and we are committed as a family to never forget the city and the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/louisiana-is-a-special-place-in-my-family-s-history-and-we-are/)

[Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/)

> [It's what you'd expect out of Baton Rouge: people tailgating with shrimp étouffée, everything from alligators roasting on a barbecue to dishes that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-andrews/it-s-what-you-d-expect-out-of-baton-rouge-people-tailgating-with/)

[Erin Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-andrews/)

> [Actually, when I think about growing up, I feel most affected by two travels that I made working in cargo boats when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/actually-when-i-think-about-growing-up-i-feel-most-affected-by-two/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [It was electric. When Death Valley is rocking, it seems as if it might actually take flight. On Saturday, I went back to Baton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-thompson/it-was-electric-when-death-valley-is-rocking-it-seems-as-if-it-might/)

[Wright Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-thompson/)

> [So whether that's taking a bunch of people from Chicago down to Standing Rock or being in Flint, Michigan, or being in Palestine or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-mensa/so-whether-that-s-taking-a-bunch-of-people-from-chicago-down-to/)

[Vic Mensa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-mensa/)

> [“The baking wind tore at his hat and he held it by the brim with one hand. It relieved him to look at it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/the-baking-wind-tore-at-his-hat-and-he-held-it-by-the-brim-with-one/)

[Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/)

> [“lit white tanks of oil refineries and petrochemical plants. “Well,” said Giordino without any particular expression in his voice, “is now a good time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-cussler/lit-white-tanks-of-oil-refineries-and-petrochemical-plants-well-said/)

[Clive Cussler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-cussler/)

> [I am also a Kentucky Colonel and an Honorary Mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, among other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-l-chalker/i-am-also-a-kentucky-colonel-and-an-honorary-mayor-of-baton-rouge/)

[Jack L. Chalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-l-chalker/)

> [No one can know how long this dumbing-down of American religion will persist. But so long as it does, citizens should probably be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lilla/no-one-can-know-how-long-this-dumbing-down-of-american-religion-will/)

[Mark Lilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lilla/)

[Browse all 36 Baton rouge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baton-rouge/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I really did have this powerful sense, when I was in New Orleans after the storm, of watching all these profiteers descend on Baton Rouge to lobby to get rid of the housing projects and privatise the school system - I thought I was in some science-fiction experiment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Naomi Klein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-when-i-was-in-new-orleans-after/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Baton rouge"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-when-i-was-in-new-orleans-after/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/naomi-klein-1072_baton-rouge_i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-wh_466891.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/naomi-klein-1072_baton-rouge_i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-wh_466891.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/naomi-klein-1072_baton-rouge_i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-wh_466891.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I really did have this powerful sense, when I was in New Orleans after the storm, of watching all these…” — Naomi Klein",
                "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": "Naomi Klein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I really did have this powerful...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-when-i-was-in-new-orleans-after/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-really-did-have-this-powerful-sense-when-i-was-in-new-orleans-after/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
