--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people denounced [former Iranian…" description: "\"When people denounced [former Iranian president Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad for rejecting and criminalizing homosexuality, it should be remembered that was tr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/844/noam-chomsky-42_aggression_when-people-denounced-former-iranian-pre_1149112.jpg" --- # When people denounced \[former Iranian president Mahmoud\]… ![“When people denounced [former Iranian president Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad for rejecting and criminalizing homosexuality, it should be remembered that was true of the United States until very recently. Women's rights were unheard of. Civil rights proponents were horribly treated, not just in the South…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/844/noam-chomsky-42_aggression_when-people-denounced-former-iranian-pre_1149112.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/844/noam-chomsky-42_aggression_when-people-denounced-former-iranian-pre_1149112.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/844/noam-chomsky-42_aggression_when-people-denounced-former-iranian-pre_1149112.jpg) > “When people denounced \[former Iranian president Mahmoud\] Ahmadinejad for rejecting and criminalizing homosexuality, it should be remembered that was true of the United States until very recently. Women's rights were unheard of. Civil rights proponents were horribly treated, not just in the South. It was awful there, but pretty bad here. Environmental issues did not exist. Opposition to aggression was virtually zero. In fact, so little, that to this day, even scholarship mentions the Vietnam War as beginning in 1965.” [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. Historical US policies have often denied rights to minorities, mirroring global injustices. **In simple terms:** US has a history of oppression similar to other nations. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront past injustices. Themes history human rights politics inequality memory Mood thoughtful urgent Type reflective educational When to use this quote - education - policy reform - activism - public discourse Key Concepts civil rights colonialism social movements historical revisionism Questions to Reflect On - How can societies learn from past failures? - What steps can prevent repeating oppression? A Different Perspective Past injustices are often minimized or forgotten. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Environmental issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental-issues/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Scholarship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholarship/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [Vietnam war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam-war/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Women 's rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-s-rights/) [Women'S Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-s-rights-2/) ## Related quotes > [The enemies of the country and of freedom of the people have always denounced as bandits those who sacrifice themselves for the noble causes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emiliano-zapata/the-enemies-of-the-country-and-of-freedom-of-the-people-have-always/) [Emiliano Zapata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emiliano-zapata/) > [Regulate the banks, get money out of elections; raise the minimum wage, environmental issues. They're all very important and the Occupy movement made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/regulate-the-banks-get-money-out-of-elections-raise-the-minimum-wage/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“In fact, I think all of this screaming about "Political Correctness" that we hear these days in the elite culture is basically just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-fact-i-think-all-of-this-screaming-about-political-correctness/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I have never moved away from my mainstay - trying to address all the environmental issues that come to me. I consult with law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brockovich/i-have-never-moved-away-from-my-mainstay-trying-to-address-all-the/) [Erin Brockovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brockovich/) > [As the leader of an oil-producing nation, I know how hard it can be to prioritize environmental issues, but the short-term risk to our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-bongo-ondimba/as-the-leader-of-an-oil-producing-nation-i-know-how-hard-it-can-be-to/) [Ali Bongo Ondimba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-bongo-ondimba/) > [“I am concerned with social and environmental issues. What rational person is not? But advocacy and art do not mix. Art is a seduction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-am-concerned-with-social-and-environmental-issues-what-rational/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Environmental issues are on everyone's mind. It's part of our culture now and I can only applaud and laud anyone who is doing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/environmental-issues-are-on-everyone-s-mind-it-s-part-of-our-culture/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) > [The most important environmental issue is one that is rarely mentioned, and that is the lack of a conservation ethic in our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/the-most-important-environmental-issue-is-one-that-is-rarely/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [I believe that in order to tackle the big issues of the world today, like environmental issues, we need everybody's involvement. We need the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/i-believe-that-in-order-to-tackle-the-big-issues-of-the-world-today/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) > [On almost every environmental issue I care about, in fact, I've been wrong at one point or another. I used to think that climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/on-almost-every-environmental-issue-i-care-about-in-fact-i-ve-been/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [God put the human race in charge of managing the resources of the entire planet for the benefit of all life. Therefore, we, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-ross/god-put-the-human-race-in-charge-of-managing-the-resources-of-the/) [Hugh Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-ross/) > [Climate change isn't just an environmental issue; it's a technology, water, food, energy, population issue. None of this happens in a vacuum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-titley/climate-change-isn-t-just-an-environmental-issue-it-s-a-technology/) [David Titley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-titley/) > [“If you believed in capitalism, you had to attack science, because science had revealed the hazards that capitalism had brought in its wake. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-oreskes/if-you-believed-in-capitalism-you-had-to-attack-science-because/) [Naomi Oreskes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-oreskes/) > [It is important to allow a broad debate on energy and climate. We must urgently explore realistic ways to address the different scientific, technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennart-bengtsson/it-is-important-to-allow-a-broad-debate-on-energy-and-climate-we-must/) Lennart Bengtsson > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) ## 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 Aggression quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [We have nothing in our history or position to invite aggression; we have everything to beckon us to the cultivation of relations of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-nothing-in-our-history-or-position-to-invite-aggression-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Boxing can be so important to young people, it keeps you off the street and you can channel your energy and aggression in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/boxing-can-be-so-important-to-young-people-it-keeps-you-off-the/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [“That which is of great value cannot be attained through aggression. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/that-which-is-of-great-value-cannot-be-attained-through-aggression/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [I can remember watching MTV Cribs - these amazing houses - and looking around my house where there was no carpet on the floors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bugzy-malone/i-can-remember-watching-mtv-cribs-these-amazing-houses-and-looking/) [Bugzy Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bugzy-malone/) > [Nationalism, on my opinion, is nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nationalism-on-my-opinion-is-nothing-more-than-an-idealistic/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I really like battle ropes. They're so versatile; you can get a terrific workout doing a ton of different exercises with them. My clients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-peterson/i-really-like-battle-ropes-they-re-so-versatile-you-can-get-a/) [Gunnar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-peterson/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) Empress Dowager Cixi > [I'm not going to appeal to violence or aggression - of course not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/i-m-not-going-to-appeal-to-violence-or-aggression-of-course-not/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [This is passive-aggression in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-is-passive-aggression-in-action/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-child-hits-a-child-we-call-it-aggression-when-a-child-hits-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/major-international-interventions-are-doomed-unless-the-us-is/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) [Browse all 860 Aggression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When people denounced [former Iranian president Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad for rejecting and criminalizing homosexuality, it should be remembered that was true of the United States until very recently. Women's rights were unheard of. 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