Cold war Quote by Pankaj Mishra
““the abandoning of ideological conviction – the modern surrogate for religious belief – or us-versus-them thinking won’t be easy. The experts on Islam who opened for business on 9/11 peddle their wares more feverishly after every terrorist attack, helped by clash-of-civilization theorists and other intellectual robots of the Cold War who were programmed to think in binary oppositions (free versus unfree world, the West versus Islam) and to limit their lexicon to words such as ‘ideology’, ‘threat’ and ‘generational struggle’.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The New Cold War” by Pankaj Mishra, 2015
The quote warns that abandoning ideological thinking for a new binary worldview is difficult, as experts and theorists simplify complex issues into us‑vs‑them narratives, especially after crises.
In simple terms: Leaving old beliefs for new binaries is hard; experts keep using simple oppositions.
Key Takeaway
Beware simplistic binaries; seek nuance.
Themes
politics
identity
media
conflict
ideology
Mood
critical
concerned
analytical
Type
commentary
analytical
political
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- journalism
- education
- public debate
- interfaith dialogue
Key Concepts
binary thinking
propaganda
cold war mentalities
terrorism discourse
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we promote nuanced understanding in public discourse?
- What role do media play in reinforcing binary thinking?
A Different Perspective
Simplifying complex issues can ignore deeper causes and foster division.
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