--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's unfortunately common - to blame…" description: "\"That's unfortunately common - to blame immigrants, to blame the African-Americans who are being helped by federal programs, to blame anyone available, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/noam-chomsky-42_african-american_that-s-unfortunately-common-to-blame-imm_162509.jpg" --- # That's unfortunately common - to blame immigrants, to… ![“That's unfortunately common - to blame immigrants, to blame the African-Americans who are being helped by federal programs, to blame anyone available, to direct attention away from the roots of the distress which you're suffering. This combines with xenophobia, white supremacy, racism, misogyny…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/noam-chomsky-42_african-american_that-s-unfortunately-common-to-blame-imm_162509.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/noam-chomsky-42_african-american_that-s-unfortunately-common-to-blame-imm_162509.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/noam-chomsky-42_african-american_that-s-unfortunately-common-to-blame-imm_162509.jpg) > “That's unfortunately common - to blame immigrants, to blame the African-Americans who are being helped by federal programs, to blame anyone available, to direct attention away from the roots of the distress which you're suffering. This combines with xenophobia, white supremacy, racism, misogyny, and other quite unpleasant phenomena which are far from being eradicated. All of this makes for a pretty dangerous brew. But economic issues are right in the center of it. And you can see this in the fact that so many former Obama voters now voted for Trump, or just didn't bother voting.” [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 argues that scapegoating minorities distracts from deeper economic problems, linking prejudice to broader social issues. **In simple terms:** Blaming minorities hides real economic causes and fuels hate. Key Takeaway Address root economic causes instead of blaming groups. Themes politics prejudice economics social justice scapegoating Mood concerned analytical urgent Type political critical analytical When to use this quote - election cycles - policy debates - community meetings - media analysis Key Concepts xenophobia white supremacy racism misogyny systemic oppression Questions to Reflect On - What policies could reduce both economic distress and prejudice? - How can societies confront systemic bias? A Different Perspective Economic solutions alone may not change deep‑seated biases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [African american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-american/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Distress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distress/) [Economic issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-issues/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Misogyny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misogyny/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Supremacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supremacy/) [Voters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voters/) [Voting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voting/) [White supremacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-supremacy/) [Xenophobia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/xenophobia/) ## Related quotes > [There are many Sheriff Arpaios. People who have taken to local city, county, and state governments across the county the idea that immigrants are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-de-la-rocha/there-are-many-sheriff-arpaios-people-who-have-taken-to-local-city/) [Zack de la Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-de-la-rocha/) > [I have no truck with this notion that immigrants are to blame for all of the country's problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-have-no-truck-with-this-notion-that-immigrants-are-to-blame-for-all/) [Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/) > [In the public debate, while commentators and critics have targeted immigrants with blame and bullying, our nation's immigrants have simply kept on working, kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-gutierrez/in-the-public-debate-while-commentators-and-critics-have-targeted/) [Luis Gutierrez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-gutierrez/) > [Economists argue about the relative impact of immigrants versus robots on wage stagnation - voters don't care much. They blame immigrants. It's easier to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katty-kay/economists-argue-about-the-relative-impact-of-immigrants-versus/) [Katty Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katty-kay/) > [It is always easier to have somebody to blame, but immigrants are not the cause of the country's economic woes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/it-is-always-easier-to-have-somebody-to-blame-but-immigrants-are-not/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [ \[Donald\] Trump is explained with the intersection of a number of things: our economic crisis, the way it's easier to blame immigrants, with the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/donald-trump-is-explained-with-the-intersection-of-a-number-of-things/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [It's the age old thing: If you want to get elected, blame immigrants. 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This combines with xenophobia, white supremacy, racism, misogyny, and other quite unpleasant phenomena which are far from being eradicated. All of this makes for a pretty dangerous brew. But economic issues are right in the center of it. 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