--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [For business after WWII ] democracy…" description: "\"[For business after WWII ] democracy means getting people to regard government as an alien force that's robbing them and oppressing them, not as their ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/noam-chomsky-42_aliens_for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means_3212168.jpg" --- # \[For business after WWII \] democracy means getting people… ![“[For business after WWII ] democracy means getting people to regard government as an alien force that's robbing them and oppressing them, not as their government. In a democracy it would be your government.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/noam-chomsky-42_aliens_for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means_3212168.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/noam-chomsky-42_aliens_for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means_3212168.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/noam-chomsky-42_aliens_for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means_3212168.jpg) > “\[For business after WWII \] democracy means getting people to regard government as an alien force that's robbing them and oppressing them, not as their government. In a democracy it would be your government.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy should empower citizens, not alienate them as oppressors; it must feel like their own government. **In simple terms:** Democracy must feel like your own government. Key Takeaway Ensure government serves its people. Themes politics democracy citizen rights Mood critical reflective Type analytical political When to use this quote - voting - civic engagement - policy advocacy - public discourse Key Concepts social contract power dynamics legitimacy Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens reclaim ownership of government? - What safeguards prevent alienation? A Different Perspective Power can become oppressive if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-government-281889/) [Democracy Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-means/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-democracy-358651/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Regard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard/) [Regard Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard-government-1604959/) [Robbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robbing/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) [Wwii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wwii/) [Wwii Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wwii-democracy-6005704/) ## Related quotes > [Government under democracy is thus government by orgy, almost by orgasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/government-under-democracy-is-thus-government-by-orgy-almost-by-orgasm/) [Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/) > [It is curious that people tend to regard government as a quasi-divine, selfless, Santa Claus organization. Government was constructed neither for ability nor for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-curious-that-people-tend-to-regard-government-as-a-quasi-divine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For which reason I would exhort you to pay all due Regard to the government over us; to the KING and all in authority;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-mayhew/for-which-reason-i-would-exhort-you-to-pay-all-due-regard-to-the/) [Jonathan Mayhew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-mayhew/) > [Democracy doesn't mean much if people have to confront concentrated systems of economic power as isolated individuals. Democracy means something if people can organize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/democracy-doesn-t-mean-much-if-people-have-to-confront-concentrated/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The Ottoman Empire . . . The rulers in Turkey were fortunately so corrupt that they left people alone pretty much - were mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-ottoman-empire-the-rulers-in-turkey-were-fortunately-so-corrupt/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If there is a rotten government in a democracy, the main reason for this is that there is a rotten majority over there!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-is-a-rotten-government-in-a-democracy-the-main-reason-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The form of government is a democracy when the free, who are also poor and the majority, govern, and an oligarchy when the rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-form-of-government-is-a-democracy-when-the-free-who-are-also-poor/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [There is no better form of government than democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/there-is-no-better-form-of-government-than-democracy/) [Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/) > [Every time the Tories are in government, our democracy takes a battering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-lewis/every-time-the-tories-are-in-government-our-democracy-takes-a/) [Clive Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-lewis/) > [An ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/an-ideal-form-of-government-is-democracy-tempered-with-assassination/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [The federal government and our democracy is not a speedboat. It's an oceanliner, as I discovered when I came into office. It took a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-federal-government-and-our-democracy-is-not-a-speedboat-it-s-an/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democracy-tempered-with-assassination/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Because the rich are generally few in number, while the poor are many, they appear to be antagonistic, and as the one or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/because-the-rich-are-generally-few-in-number-while-the-poor-are-many/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-fraser-tytler/a-democracy-is-always-temporary-in-nature-it-simply-cannot-exist-as-a/) [Alexander Fraser Tytler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-fraser-tytler/) > [“In other words, the government of the democracy is the only one under which the power which lays on taxes escapes the payment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/in-other-words-the-government-of-the-democracy-is-the-only-one-under/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Aliens quotes > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) > [Ay-firmative,' Eve said, and tried for a smile. 'Sorry. An Aliens reference always makes me feel better at times like this. Exept I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/ay-firmative-eve-said-and-tried-for-a-smile-sorry-an-aliens-reference/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-fan-of-any-genre-but-am-a-fan-of-movies-that-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/) [Twe Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twe-stephens/) > [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Evangelicals are distraught over the state of America because they have not been taught that we're aliens here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/evangelicals-are-distraught-over-the-state-of-america-because-they/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Even the Supreme Court, back when it used to makes sense, the Supreme Court has never ruled that a baby born to illegal aliens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-the-supreme-court-back-when-it-used-to-makes-sense-the-supreme/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Browse all 1,329 Aliens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[For business after WWII ] democracy means getting people to regard government as an alien force that's robbing them and oppressing them, not as their government. In a democracy it would be your government.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Noam Chomsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means-getting-people-to-regard/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aliens" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means-getting-people-to-regard/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/noam-chomsky-42_aliens_for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means_3212168.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/noam-chomsky-42_aliens_for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means_3212168.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/noam-chomsky-42_aliens_for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means_3212168.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[For business after WWII ] democracy means getting people to regard government as an alien force that's…” — Noam Chomsky", "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": "Noam Chomsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[For business after WWII ] democracy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means-getting-people-to-regard/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/for-business-after-wwii-democracy-means-getting-people-to-regard/#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 } } ] } ```