--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm politically on the left, no question…" description: "\"I'm politically on the left, no question about it. I oppose sweatshops, I oppose exploitation of labour in the third world.\" — Norman Finkelstein" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/norman-finkelstein-8854_exploitation_i-m-politically-on-the-left-no-question_656599.png" --- # I'm politically on the left, no question about it. I… ![“I'm politically on the left, no question about it. I oppose sweatshops, I oppose exploitation of labour in the third world.” quote by Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/norman-finkelstein-8854_exploitation_i-m-politically-on-the-left-no-question_656599.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/norman-finkelstein-8854_exploitation_i-m-politically-on-the-left-no-question_656599.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/norman-finkelstein-8854_exploitation_i-m-politically-on-the-left-no-question_656599.png) > “I'm politically on the left, no question about it. I oppose sweatshops, I oppose exploitation of labour in the third world.” [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker identifies as leftist, opposes sweatshops and labor exploitation worldwide. **In simple terms:** Leftist stance against labor exploitation. Key Takeaway Support ethical labor practices. Themes politics human rights labor Mood concerned hopeful Type ethical activist When to use this quote - fair trade initiatives - consumer advocacy - policy lobbying - corporate audits Key Concepts social justice globalization ethical consumption Questions to Reflect On - How can consumers influence fair labor? - What policies best protect workers abroad? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched supply chains is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exploitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) [Labour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labour/) [Sweatshops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweatshops/) [Third world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Politically I am neither left nor right! And this kind of political-ethical standpoint-- being in the middle-- usually brings about seclusion and isolation! 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I’m done with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/what-the-hell-s-the-matter-with-you-men-are-you-cowards-as-well-as/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [I have an idea for sweatshops: air conditioning! That's simple. 14 year old boys working twelve hour days? "Yeah, but they're comfortable!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-have-an-idea-for-sweatshops-air-conditioning-that-s-simple-14-year/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [GLHR... has used Greenpeace-style media antics to draw more public attention to the plight of sweatshop workers than the multimillion - dollar international trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/glhr-has-used-greenpeace-style-media-antics-to-draw-more-public/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Adolescence was invented in the 19th century to enable middle-class families to keep their children out of sweatshops. But it has degenerated into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/adolescence-was-invented-in-the-19th-century-to-enable-middle-class/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [“Go home now,” says I. “Keep away from the saloons. Save your money. You are going to need it.” “What are we going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/go-home-now-says-i-keep-away-from-the-saloons-save-your-money-you-are/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [“That’s got to stop,” says I. “The idea of any blood-thirsty pirate (Mexican President Diaz) sitting on a throne and reaching across the border…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/that-s-got-to-stop-says-i-the-idea-of-any-blood-thirsty-pirate/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [Our lack of community is intensely painful. A TV talk show is not community. A couple of hours in a church pew each Sabbath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/our-lack-of-community-is-intensely-painful-a-tv-talk-show-is-not/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“I am a citizen of this country,” I declare, “and Mr. Mayor, tonight I will be a citizen of this city when I put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/i-am-a-citizen-of-this-country-i-declare-and-mr-mayor-tonight-i-will/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [For every nineteenth-century middle-class family that protected its wife and child within the family circle, there was an Irish ora German girl scrubbing floors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/for-every-nineteenth-century-middle-class-family-that-protected-its/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) ## More by Norman Finkelstein > [The whole purpose of annual reviews is to keep you abreast of whether or not you are fulfilling the requirements of tenure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/the-whole-purpose-of-annual-reviews-is-to-keep-you-abreast-of-whether/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [Public opinion in the United States has shifted significantly, not just outside but also within the Jewish community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/public-opinion-in-the-united-states-has-shifted-significantly-not/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [There is a fundamental principle. People have the right to defend their country from foreign occupiers, and people have the right to defend their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/there-is-a-fundamental-principle-people-have-the-right-to-defend/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [They used to say Palestinians fight like heroes, now they say heroes fight like Palestinians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/they-used-to-say-palestinians-fight-like-heroes-now-they-say-heroes/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [Every year, the United Nations General Assembly votes on a resolution entitled 'Peaceful resolution of the Palestine conflict.' Every year, the vote is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/every-year-the-united-nations-general-assembly-votes-on-a-resolution/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [As one Israeli said, "It's a big mistake for Israel to say it 'won' the war, when there was no war. There were no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/as-one-israeli-said-it-s-a-big-mistake-for-israel-to-say-it-won-the/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [Why should these Palestinians, who have lived in Jerusalem for hundreds of years, be evicted from their homes so that Jews from Brooklyn can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/why-should-these-palestinians-who-have-lived-in-jerusalem-for/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [I think Israel, as a number of commentators pointed out, is becoming an insane state. And we have to be honest about that. While…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/i-think-israel-as-a-number-of-commentators-pointed-out-is-becoming-an/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [Personal convictions are not politics. Personal convictions, if they become the subject of a group conviction, they become a cult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/personal-convictions-are-not-politics-personal-convictions-if-they/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [I earn - I'm not - I don't want to claim I'm a scholar of great stature, but I have made a certain reputation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/i-earn-i-m-not-i-don-t-want-to-claim-i-m-a-scholar-of-great-stature/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [They've (Israel) lost the battle for public opinion. They claim it's because American Jews know too little.. I claim it's because they know too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/they-ve-israel-lost-the-battle-for-public-opinion-they-claim-it-s/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [I no longer say I'm unemployed. I say I'm unemployable. It's different. An unemployed suggests at a certain point in the future, you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/i-no-longer-say-i-m-unemployed-i-say-i-m-unemployable-it-s-different/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [Israel has been a stage on which American Jews have played out their fantasies of toughness - often from Martha's Vineyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/israel-has-been-a-stage-on-which-american-jews-have-played-out-their/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [Mainstream Jewish intellectuals became 'pro'-Israel after the June 1967 war when Israel became the U.S.A.' s strategic asset in the Middle East, i.e., when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/mainstream-jewish-intellectuals-became-pro-israel-after-the-june-1967/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [As Israel becomes like South Africa, it's increasingly becoming a pariah state, being excluded from culture at large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/as-israel-becomes-like-south-africa-it-s-increasingly-becoming-a/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) [Explore all 77 Norman Finkelstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) ## More Exploitation quotes > [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [When the idea came up, (Newman's Own) I said, "Are you crazy? Stick my face on the label of salad dressing?" And then, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/when-the-idea-came-up-newman-s-own-i-said-are-you-crazy-stick-my-face/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [Communism is inequality, but not as property is. Property is exploitation of the weak by the strong. Communism is exploitation of the strong by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/communism-is-inequality-but-not-as-property-is-property-is/) [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/) > [Marx saw exploitation in terms of the rewards of human labor, but we can see it in terms of all the values of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/marx-saw-exploitation-in-terms-of-the-rewards-of-human-labor-but-we/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is one of the most vicious crimes conceivable, a violation of mankind's most basic duty to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-walsh/the-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation-of-children-is-one-of-the-most/) [James T. Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-walsh/) > [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [For my whole life I have dedicated myself to those who have been subjected to injustice. I've conducted investigations and written in newspapers about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/for-my-whole-life-i-have-dedicated-myself-to-those-who-have-been/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [If we human beings learn to see the intricacies that bind one part of a natural system to another and then to us, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/if-we-human-beings-learn-to-see-the-intricacies-that-bind-one-part-of/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [The marketing of anything is full of exploitation and lies and hype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/the-marketing-of-anything-is-full-of-exploitation-and-lies-and-hype/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [“Often, her mate is the child of a narcissist, already indoctrinated to regard exploitation and disregard as love. Others lured by the narcissistic aura…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elan-golomb/often-her-mate-is-the-child-of-a-narcissist-already-indoctrinated-to/) Elan Golomb > [“A flat tire is like a bad attitude, you won't go anywhere until you change it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-brown/a-flat-tire-is-like-a-bad-attitude-you-won-t-go-anywhere-until-you/) Winston Brown > [Extension work is not exhortation. Nor is it exploitation of the people, or advertising of an institution, or publicity work for securing students. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-hyde-bailey/extension-work-is-not-exhortation-nor-is-it-exploitation-of-the/) [Liberty Hyde Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-hyde-bailey/) [Browse all 648 Exploitation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm politically on the left, no question about it. 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