American Quote by Noam Chomsky
“When General Allenby conquered Jerusalem during World War I, he was hailed in the American press as Richard the Lion-Hearted, who had at last won the Crusades and driven the pagans out of the Holy Land.”
About This Quote
Source Lecture: “Media and Propaganda”, 1995, University of Arizona
He critiques the mythologizing of military victories, noting the distortion of historical facts by media narratives
In simple terms: Media often glorify war heroes, misrepresenting reality
Key Takeaway
Question media narratives and seek factual history
Themes
media criticism
historical distortion
war propaganda
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- reading history
- media analysis
- critical discussions
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
mythmaking
public perception
historical memory
Questions to Reflect On
- What role does media play in shaping public memory of war?
- How can we promote balanced historical accounts?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on heroic narratives can obscure complex causes of conflict
![“And who is the hero of that story? Who slew the dragon [totalitarianism]? Yes, it was the ordinary man, the taxpayer, the grunt who fought and won the wars. Yes, it was America and its allies. Yes, it was the great leaders: FDR, de Gaulle, Adenauer, Truman, John Paul II, Thatcher, Reagan. But…” quote by Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/798/charles-krauthammer-1232_great-leader_and-who-is-the-hero-of-that-story-who-sl_908027.jpg)
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
