--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You try to steer a course in American…" description: "\"You try to steer a course in American society that's not self-destructive. But America is a country that inflicts injury. It does not like to see anyth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/randall-robinson-16024_america_you-try-to-steer-a-course-in-american-so_1560504.jpg" --- # You try to steer a course in American society that's not… ![“You try to steer a course in American society that's not self-destructive. But America is a country that inflicts injury. It does not like to see anything that comes in response, and accuses one of anger as if it were an unnatural response.” quote by Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/randall-robinson-16024_america_you-try-to-steer-a-course-in-american-so_1560504.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/randall-robinson-16024_america_you-try-to-steer-a-course-in-american-so_1560504.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/randall-robinson-16024_america_you-try-to-steer-a-course-in-american-so_1560504.jpg) > “You try to steer a course in American society that's not self-destructive. But America is a country that inflicts injury. It does not like to see anything that comes in response, and accuses one of anger as if it were an unnatural response.” [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He critiques America’s tendency to label legitimate protest as anger, seeing it as a self‑defensive mechanism. **In simple terms:** America often misreads protest as irrational anger. Key Takeaway Question the narrative that protest is abnormal. Themes politics social justice media reaction Mood critical thoughtful Type political analytical When to use this quote - activism - public discourse - policy debate Key Concepts authoritarianism free speech social control Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports this view? - How can constructive dialogue replace accusation? A Different Perspective The claim may oversimplify complex societal dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accuses Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuses-anger-5852866/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [American society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Anger Unnatural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger-unnatural-5498750/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Destructive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/) [Destructive America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive-america-5852865/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Injury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injury/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self destructive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-destructive/) [Steers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steers/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Unnatural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnatural/) ## Related quotes > [“The phenomenon of female anger has often been turned against itself, the figure of the angry woman reframed as threat — not the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/the-phenomenon-of-female-anger-has-often-been-turned-against-itself/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [I was really worn down by an American society that is racist, smugly blind to it, and hugely self-satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-was-really-worn-down-by-an-american-society-that-is-racist-smugly/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Black people in America have to, for their own protection, develop a defense mechanism, and I just grew terribly tired of it. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/black-people-in-america-have-to-for-their-own-protection-develop-a/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I was heading in a self destructive direction. My priority wasn't together, wasn't in order. So me getting locked up was actually a blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prodigy/i-was-heading-in-a-self-destructive-direction-my-priority-wasn-t/) [Prodigy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prodigy/) > [I was really, really wild in my early twenties and a bit self-destructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/i-was-really-really-wild-in-my-early-twenties-and-a-bit-self/) [Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/) > [“My self-destructive behaviour and self-hatred had hit an all-time high.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-cervone/my-self-destructive-behaviour-and-self-hatred-had-hit-an-all-time-high/) [Christa Cervone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-cervone/) > [One thing I'm recognizing more and more in myself - and looking to change - is going down more of a self-destructive path when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-blackburn/one-thing-i-m-recognizing-more-and-more-in-myself-and-looking-to/) [Tyler Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-blackburn/) > [Experiencing hate is self destructive, as the hate is always redirected to your soul. Learn to let it go. Your soul can only take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experiencing-hate-is-self-destructive-as-the-hate-is-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The protection of evil must be the most self-destructive job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-protection-of-evil-must-be-the-most-self-destructive-job/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [I seem to thrive by destroying the last thing I did, in a kind of cartoon Nietzsche way. Emerson says in "Experience" something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chiasson/i-seem-to-thrive-by-destroying-the-last-thing-i-did-in-a-kind-of/) [Dan Chiasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chiasson/) > [Perfectionism is self-destructive simply because there is no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal. Additionally, perfectionism is more about perception -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/perfectionism-is-self-destructive-simply-because-there-is-no-such/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I'm Irish and always will be, but America has taught me so much. Maybe it's here in the U.S. that we find a healing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fionnula-flanagan/i-m-irish-and-always-will-be-but-america-has-taught-me-so-much-maybe/) [Fionnula Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fionnula-flanagan/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) [Tah the Trickster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tah-the-trickster/) > [“Comedians and artists are some of the loneliest, self-destructive people on the planet. If you enjoy what they produce, take the time to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-inga/comedians-and-artists-are-some-of-the-loneliest-self-destructive/) [Roz Inga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-inga/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More by Randall Robinson > [I'm aware that because America is so powerful - with its tentacles reaching out to the world - one doesn't escape it by leaving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-m-aware-that-because-america-is-so-powerful-with-its-tentacles/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Democracy requires that if you who don't like the outcome of elections you have to tolerate it and then pursue your interest the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/democracy-requires-that-if-you-who-don-t-like-the-outcome-of/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Black people in America have to, for their own protection, develop a defense mechanism, and I just grew terribly tired of it. 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In its vacated space lay living society's imperative questions, unseen, unphrased, unasked, unanswered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/unbalanced-power-poisons-introspection-in-its-vacated-space-lay/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I think people involved with institutions find it harder to know the time to go than the time to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-think-people-involved-with-institutions-find-it-harder-to-know-the/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I've never had any trouble opposing people I've been close to. I've never worried about offending or bothering people I feel strongly about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-ve-never-had-any-trouble-opposing-people-i-ve-been-close-to-i-ve/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Reagan was conservative, but he didn't approach global management with an unbending religious zeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/reagan-was-conservative-but-he-didn-t-approach-global-management-with/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [The whole future of America's black community is at risk. One out of every three young black men in Washington, D.C., is under one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/the-whole-future-of-america-s-black-community-is-at-risk-one-out-of/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I don't know of any situation where you're going to have an officeholder in a country of eight million people who's cut off at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-don-t-know-of-any-situation-where-you-re-going-to-have-an/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [We all have to die, and I preferred to have just one death. It seems to me that to suffer insult without response is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/we-all-have-to-die-and-i-preferred-to-have-just-one-death-it-seems-to/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I got a chance to be in a society where the barriers between classes - social and economic - are not insuperable, where money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-got-a-chance-to-be-in-a-society-where-the-barriers-between-classes/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [I've always thought I had pretty good instincts for people. There is a short list of people I've worked with over my career with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-ve-always-thought-i-had-pretty-good-instincts-for-people-there-is-a/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Americans don't bother to notice anybody else in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/americans-don-t-bother-to-notice-anybody-else-in-the-world/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world: two million people. One out of every eight prisoners in the world is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/the-u-s-has-the-largest-prison-population-in-the-world-two-million/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) [Explore all 41 Randall Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) ## More America quotes > [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/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? 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