--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the questions asked in that study…" description: "\"One of the questions asked in that study was, How many Vietnamese casualties would you estimate that there were during the Vietnam war? The average res..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a61/noam-chomsky-42_appropriate_one-of-the-questions-asked-in-that-study_2589207.jpg" --- # One of the questions asked in that study was, How many… ![“One of the questions asked in that study was, How many Vietnamese casualties would you estimate that there were during the Vietnam war? The average response on the part of Americans today is about 100,000. The official figure is about two million. The actual figure is probably three to four…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a61/noam-chomsky-42_appropriate_one-of-the-questions-asked-in-that-study_2589207.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a61/noam-chomsky-42_appropriate_one-of-the-questions-asked-in-that-study_2589207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a61/noam-chomsky-42_appropriate_one-of-the-questions-asked-in-that-study_2589207.jpg) > “One of the questions asked in that study was, How many Vietnamese casualties would you estimate that there were during the Vietnam war? The average response on the part of Americans today is about 100,000. The official figure is about two million. The actual figure is probably three to four million. The people who conducted the study raised an appropriate question: What would we think about German political culture if, when you asked people today how many Jews died in the Holocaust, they estimated about 300,000? What would that tell us about German political culture?” [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. The passage compares underestimation of Vietnam casualties to Holocaust denial, suggesting such ignorance reveals cultural denial and moral blind spots. **In simple terms:** People often minimize tragedies, exposing cultural attitudes. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about historical facts. Themes history memory political culture denial Mood critical concerned Type analytical provocative When to use this quote - education - public discourse - policy making Key Concepts cognitive bias collective memory Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about how societies process trauma? - How can we improve public understanding of history? A Different Perspective Estimates may be influenced by political agendas, not just ignorance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appropriate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriate/) [Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/) [Average Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-response-1846000/) [Casualties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/casualties/) [Casualties Estimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/casualties-estimate-1845998/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Holocaust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holocaust/) [Holocaust Estimated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holocaust-estimated-1846002/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Officials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officials/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-culture/) [Questions asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions-asked/) [Raised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raised/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Response Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response-americans-1845999/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [Vietnam war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam-war/) [Vietnamese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnamese/) [Vietnamese Casualties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnamese-casualties-1846001/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, historians have become both more accurate and more honest—fractionally more brave, one might say—about that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/since-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-in-1989-historians-have-become-both/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I don't feel that there is anything deep in the political culture that prevents "educating the masses." I'm old enough to recall vividly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-feel-that-there-is-anything-deep-in-the-political-culture/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Our legal and political culture has created a bias in the law that borders on censorship against reading, displaying, or quoting the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/our-legal-and-political-culture-has-created-a-bias-in-the-law-that/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [Unfortunately the niveau of political culture is not particularly high in Poland - a relic of the communist past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladyslaw-bartoszewski/unfortunately-the-niveau-of-political-culture-is-not-particularly/) [Wladyslaw Bartoszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wladyslaw-bartoszewski/) > [One of our ambitions as independents is to alter our political culture. We want to leave behind the bullying, intimidation and tribalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciana-berger/one-of-our-ambitions-as-independents-is-to-alter-our-political/) [Luciana Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciana-berger/) > [Burmese political culture lacks an understanding of negotiated compromise. We have to build up that kind of culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/burmese-political-culture-lacks-an-understanding-of-negotiated/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [Britain is blessed with a functioning political culture. It is dominated by people who live in London and who have often known each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/britain-is-blessed-with-a-functioning-political-culture-it-is/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [There's a widespread cultural barrenness across art and political culture. But there are some pockets of resistance on the extreme margins, like the techno-savvy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/there-s-a-widespread-cultural-barrenness-across-art-and-political/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [We have got to change the political culture in America. We need a political revolution. That means we are working on politics not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-have-got-to-change-the-political-culture-in-america-we-need-a/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Well, I think it's just remarkable how wrong the conventional wisdom was. It was utterly shocking that Donald Trump won to people who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-vance/well-i-think-it-s-just-remarkable-how-wrong-the-conventional-wisdom/) [James Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-vance/) > [But having said that, what's happening with campaign finance reform and our political culture is devastating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-having-said-that-what-s-happening-with-campaign-finance-reform/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The fear of blacks has become the dirty little secret of our political culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-podhoretz/the-fear-of-blacks-has-become-the-dirty-little-secret-of-our/) [Norman Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-podhoretz/) > [It is up to us to push for a transformation in political culture in which the basic human dignity of migrants is unequivocally respected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sarkar/it-is-up-to-us-to-push-for-a-transformation-in-political-culture-in/) [Ash Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sarkar/) > [I think all that we would know of America back home is foreign policy, and maybe the snippets of the madness of political culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-think-all-that-we-would-know-of-america-back-home-is-foreign-policy/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [It is sad to witness the persistence in our society of the racism and xenophobia that seems to be a permanent part of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/it-is-sad-to-witness-the-persistence-in-our-society-of-the-racism-and/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) ## 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 Appropriate quotes > [“Appropriate is overrated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-w-kohlhagen/appropriate-is-overrated/) [Steven W. Kohlhagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-w-kohlhagen/) > [I was for many years myself a journalist and it is not appropriate to say a programme should not be broadcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-monckton/i-was-for-many-years-myself-a-journalist-and-it-is-not-appropriate-to/) [Christopher Monckton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-monckton/) > [I don't think 'This Means War' is an appropriate picture to do in 3-D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcg/i-don-t-think-this-means-war-is-an-appropriate-picture-to-do-in-3-d/) [McG](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcg/) > [There is no single best kind of death. A good death is one that is "appropriate" for that person. It is a death in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-s-shneidman/there-is-no-single-best-kind-of-death-a-good-death-is-one-that-is/) [Edwin S. Shneidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-s-shneidman/) > [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [I would not, under any circumstances, try to impose my personal faith and belief on the rest of the country. I don't think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/i-would-not-under-any-circumstances-try-to-impose-my-personal-faith/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) > [I have no policy, for or against: only a personal style. Which is to say, I use them when I think it's appropriate to;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-have-no-policy-for-or-against-only-a-personal-style-which-is-to-say/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [While the intelligence profession oftentimes demands secrecy, it is critically important that there be a full and open discourse on intelligence matters with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/while-the-intelligence-profession-oftentimes-demands-secrecy-it-is/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [Computer Science is a science of abstraction -creating the right model for a problem and devising the appropriate mechanizable techniques to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-aho/computer-science-is-a-science-of-abstraction-creating-the-right-model/) [Alfred Aho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-aho/) > [For Father's Day, my kids always give me a bottle of cologne called English Leather. It's appropriate! To them I always smell like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/for-father-s-day-my-kids-always-give-me-a-bottle-of-cologne-called/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [As Mayor, I will fully support my Arts Commission and its professional selection committees so that they can commission a full range of public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-newsom/as-mayor-i-will-fully-support-my-arts-commission-and-its-professional/) [Gavin Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-newsom/) > [I'm very sensitive in real life. I cannot not cry if someone around me is crying. I will start to cry if someone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-m-very-sensitive-in-real-life-i-cannot-not-cry-if-someone-around-me/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [Hate demands existence, and he who hates has to show his hate in appropriate actions and behaviors; in a sense, he has to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/hate-demands-existence-and-he-who-hates-has-to-show-his-hate-in/) [Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/) > [A reader does not suddenly comprehend what is being read or studied, in a snap, miraculously. Comprehension needs to be worked forged, by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/a-reader-does-not-suddenly-comprehend-what-is-being-read-or-studied/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) [Browse all 1,130 Appropriate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the questions asked in that study was, How many Vietnamese casualties would you estimate that there were during the Vietnam war? The average response on the part of Americans today is about 100,000. The official figure is about two million. The actual figure is probably three to four million. The people who conducted the study raised an appropriate question: What would we think about German political culture if, when you asked people today how many Jews died in the Holocaust, they estimated about 300,000? 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