--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The goal is a society in which the basic…" description: "\"The goal is a society in which the basic social unit is you and your television set. If the kid next door is hungry, it’s not your problem. If the reti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/noam-chomsky-42_assets_the-goal-is-a-society-in-which-the-basic_2737510.jpg" --- # The goal is a society in which the basic social unit is… ![“The goal is a society in which the basic social unit is you and your television set. If the kid next door is hungry, it’s not your problem. If the retired couple next door invested their assets badly and are now starving, that’s not your problem either.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/noam-chomsky-42_assets_the-goal-is-a-society-in-which-the-basic_2737510.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/noam-chomsky-42_assets_the-goal-is-a-society-in-which-the-basic_2737510.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/noam-chomsky-42_assets_the-goal-is-a-society-in-which-the-basic_2737510.jpg) > “The goal is a society in which the basic social unit is you and your television set. If the kid next door is hungry, it’s not your problem. If the retired couple next door invested their assets badly and are now starving, that’s not your problem either.” [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. A critique of individualism, suggesting society should prioritize collective responsibility over personal convenience. **In simple terms:** Society should care for neighbors, not ignore them. Key Takeaway Promote communal responsibility and empathy. Themes social responsibility collectivism ethics Mood thoughtful critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - community projects - neighborhood aid - policy debates Key Concepts political philosophy social contract Questions to Reflect On - How can we encourage collective care? - What limits exist for communal responsibility? A Different Perspective Individual freedoms also matter; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assets/) [Basic Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basic-social-3002192/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goal Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal-society-2287838/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Hungry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungry/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Next door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-door/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Retired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retired/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Society Basic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-basic-3002190/) [Starving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starving/) [Starving Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starving-problem-3002191/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Units](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/units/) ## Related quotes > [We have always understood that the foundations of the family, as an eternal unit, were laid even before this earth was created! 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Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [The goal of society in general is to succeed in the world, whereas the goal of enlightenment is to transcend beyond it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hawkins/the-goal-of-society-in-general-is-to-succeed-in-the-world-whereas-the/) [David Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hawkins/) > [Shouldn't the long-term goal of any society be complete unemployment?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/shouldn-t-the-long-term-goal-of-any-society-be-complete-unemployment/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [Israel uses sophisticated attack jets and naval vessels to bomb densely-crowded refugee camps, schools, apartment blocks, mosques, and slums to attack a population that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/israel-uses-sophisticated-attack-jets-and-naval-vessels-to-bomb/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I try to become a singer. 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Only then will you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-dunaway/you-must-give-soldiers-reasons-to-have-confidence-and-pride-in/) [George W. Dunaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-dunaway/) > [The family remains the basic unit of society and the first school in which children learn the human, spiritual and moral values which enable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-family-remains-the-basic-unit-of-society-and-the-first-school-in/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## 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. 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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. 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I needed to adopt a steward's mentality toward the assets He had entrusted - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/if-god-was-the-owner-i-was-the-manager-i-needed-to-adopt-a-steward-s/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) [Browse all 957 Assets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assets/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The goal is a society in which the basic social unit is you and your television set. If the kid next door is hungry, it’s not your problem. 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