--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, in our society, we have things that…" description: "\"“Well, in our society, we have things that you might use your intelligence on, like politics, but people really can't get involved in them in a very se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/noam-chomsky-42_consumerism_well-in-our-society-we-have-things-that_1853061.jpg" --- # Well, in our society, we have things that you might use… ![“Well, in our society, we have things that you might use your intelligence on, like politics, but people really can't get involved in them in a very serious way―so what they do is they put their minds into other things, such as sports. You're trained to be obedient; you don't have an interesting…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/noam-chomsky-42_consumerism_well-in-our-society-we-have-things-that_1853061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/noam-chomsky-42_consumerism_well-in-our-society-we-have-things-that_1853061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/noam-chomsky-42_consumerism_well-in-our-society-we-have-things-that_1853061.jpg) > ““Well, in our society, we have things that you might use your intelligence on, like politics, but people really can't get involved in them in a very serious way―so what they do is they put their minds into other things, such as sports. You're trained to be obedient; you don't have an interesting job; there's no work around for you that's creative; in the cultural environment you're a passive observer of usually pretty tawdry stuff; political and social life are out of your range, they're in the hands of the rich folk. So what's left? Well, one thing that's left is sports―so you put a lot of the intelligence and the thought and the self-confidence into that. And I suppose that's also one of the basic functions it serves in the society in general: it occupies the population, and keeps them from trying to get involved with things that really matter. In fact, I presume that's part of the reason why spectator sports are supported to the degree they are by the dominant institutions.”” [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. Society channels intellectual energy into sports to distract masses from political engagement, maintaining elite control. **In simple terms:** Sports keep people busy so they don’t challenge power. Key Takeaway Recognize distractions and seek meaningful involvement. Themes politics distraction power media culture Mood critical analytical Type sociopolitical critical When to use this quote - political activism - community organizing - critical media consumption Key Concepts social control elite dominance psychology of diversion Questions to Reflect On - How does sport serve both oppression and empowerment? - Can entertainment be both distraction and solidarity? A Different Perspective The argument may overlook genuine joy and community benefits of sports. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consumerism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumerism/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Social life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-life/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) ## Related quotes > [I became interested in AI in high school because I read 'Goedel, Escher, Bach,' a book by Douglas Hofstader. He showed how all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-etzioni/i-became-interested-in-ai-in-high-school-because-i-read-goedel-escher/) [Oren Etzioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-etzioni/) > [I promise you that during my life, I was more concerned about not letting people down, about doing my part, than I was ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-jones/i-promise-you-that-during-my-life-i-was-more-concerned-about-not/) [Jerry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-jones/) > [So many things in sports are out of your control, so I really don't look too far ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mullin/so-many-things-in-sports-are-out-of-your-control-so-i-really-don-t/) [Chris Mullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mullin/) > [This ability to conquer oneself is no doubt the most precious of all things sports bestows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-korbut/this-ability-to-conquer-oneself-is-no-doubt-the-most-precious-of-all/) [Olga Korbut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-korbut/) > [My policy was just to give good things for sports in my region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bubka/my-policy-was-just-to-give-good-things-for-sports-in-my-region/) [Sergei Bubka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bubka/) > [To go from the middle to the top is one of the most difficult things you can do in sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwane-casey/to-go-from-the-middle-to-the-top-is-one-of-the-most-difficult-things/) [Dwane Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwane-casey/) > [One of the worst things in sports is when selfishness gets disguised as truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/one-of-the-worst-things-in-sports-is-when-selfishness-gets-disguised/) [Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/) > [When I tied the record five years in a row, even over in Europe, it wasn't really talked about. It is disap-pointing because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sampras/when-i-tied-the-record-five-years-in-a-row-even-over-in-europe-it/) [Pete Sampras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sampras/) > [When we grew up, we wanted to do two things: to own a sports team and a casino.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-gilbert/when-we-grew-up-we-wanted-to-do-two-things-to-own-a-sports-team-and-a/) [Dan Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-gilbert/) > [I like to feel that I understand little things about sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-james/i-like-to-feel-that-i-understand-little-things-about-sports/) [Bill James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-james/) > [All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/all-over-the-place-from-the-popular-culture-to-the-propaganda-system/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It's been a real success - one of the great business successes in the United States - to break down organization, to separate people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-been-a-real-success-one-of-the-great-business-successes-in-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/as-long-as-the-general-population-is-passive-apathetic-diverted-to/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In religion and politics, people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/in-religion-and-politics-people-s-beliefs-and-convictions-are-in/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Our modern world of old story is completely failing humanity. This is the reason that increasing numbers of people have become and are becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kumar/our-modern-world-of-old-story-is-completely-failing-humanity-this-is/) [Satish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kumar/) ## 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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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. 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It was built... on market efficiencies. It was not built on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-bresch/the-pharma-pricing-system-was-not-built-on-the-idea-of-consumer/) [Heather Bresch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-bresch/) > [“We consumer and become exactly what we create. In all times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/we-consumer-and-become-exactly-what-we-create-in-all-times/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) [Browse all 628 Consumerism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumerism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Well, in our society, we have things that you might use your intelligence on, like politics, but people really can't get involved in them in a very serious way―so what they do is they put their minds into other things, such as sports. You're trained to be obedient; you don't have an interesting job; there's no work around for you that's creative; in the cultural environment you're a passive observer of usually pretty tawdry stuff; political and social life are out of your range, they're in the hands of the rich folk. So what's left? Well, one thing that's left is sports―so you put a lot of the intelligence and the thought and the self-confidence into that. And I suppose that's also one of the basic functions it serves in the society in general: it occupies the population, and keeps them from trying to get involved with things that really matter. 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