---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This war ends, then so do the…"
description: "\"“This war ends, then so do the taxpayer-funded contracts, the drumbeats in the media, the nice Combatant faces, and the patriotic cause to lull the civ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_class-system_this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-fu_1060463.jpg"
---

#  This war ends, then so do the taxpayer-funded contracts…

![“This war ends, then so do the taxpayer-funded contracts, the drumbeats in the media, the nice Combatant faces, and the patriotic cause to lull the civilians and shame the dissenters. The other thing that comes to an end is all the justification for why this country's run the way it is. People will…” quote by S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_class-system_this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-fu_1060463.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_class-system_this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-fu_1060463.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_class-system_this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-fu_1060463.jpg)

> ““This war ends, then so do the taxpayer-funded contracts, the drumbeats in the media, the nice Combatant faces, and the patriotic cause to lull the civilians and shame the dissenters. The other thing that comes to an end is all the justification for why this country's run the way it is. People will wonder why their paychecks are still getting halved to pay off the men who own their utility companies, their roads, their national parks. They'll wonder why they've got to work eighty-hour weeks to support the folks who took their houses and destroyed the middle-class jobs. There's not going to be an enemy to point a finger at anymore. People will see the real problem.””

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When war ends, the narratives, contracts, and patriotic justifications disappear, exposing economic exploitation and systemic inequality.

**In simple terms:** War masks deeper economic problems; ending war reveals them.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address systemic exploitation.

Themes

politics economics war media social justice

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical commentary

When to use this quote

- public policy analysis
- labor activism
- community organizing
- media literacy

Key Concepts

neoliberalism class struggle propaganda

Questions to Reflect On

- What structures sustain inequality after conflict?
- How can citizens hold power accountable?

A Different Perspective

The quote assumes all wars serve elite interests, ignoring defensive or humanitarian motives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Civilians Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilians-shame-2585724/) [Class system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-system/) [Dystopia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dystopia/) [End Justification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-justification-2585723/) [Ends Taxpayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends-taxpayer-2585722/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [National parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-parks/) [Patriotic Cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotic-cause-2585725/) [Scapegoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoat/) [Social-politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-politics-173246/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-ends-403314/)

## Related quotes

> [“Socrates roamed and surrounded by the oppositions in Athens, like a lion that's surrounded by hyenas in the forest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/socrates-roamed-and-surrounded-by-the-oppositions-in-athens-like-a/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [The word patriotism, or its equivalents and derivations, is upon everyone's lips at the present time. It is a magic word which is thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-belfort-bax/the-word-patriotism-or-its-equivalents-and-derivations-is-upon/)

[Ernest Belfort Bax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-belfort-bax/)

> [I’ll tell you what I’m fighting for. Not for England, nor her allies, nor any patriotic cause. It’s all come down to the hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-ll-tell-you-what-i-m-fighting-for-not-for-england-nor-her-allies/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [We must end war before war ends us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/we-must-end-war-before-war-ends-us/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [End the war before it ends you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/end-the-war-before-it-ends-you/)

[Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/)

> [We and you ought not to pull on the ends of a rope which you have tied the knots of war. Because the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/we-and-you-ought-not-to-pull-on-the-ends-of-a-rope-which-you-have/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [The thing that really gets to me is that countries are in the news only when things get out of hand. That's when it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-beah/the-thing-that-really-gets-to-me-is-that-countries-are-in-the-news/)

[Ishmael Beah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-beah/)

> [“He continues to believe, here on his French leave, and at his ease, that the interference is temporary and paper, a matter of messages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/he-continues-to-believe-here-on-his-french-leave-and-at-his-ease-that/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [The Vietnam war will not be over until it ends for everyone. Over four hundred thousand U.S. veterans are still recovering from wounds inflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/the-vietnam-war-will-not-be-over-until-it-ends-for-everyone-over-four/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [When war ends, women are the first to pick up the pieces. Where there is no market place, they go door to door. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zainab-salbi/when-war-ends-women-are-the-first-to-pick-up-the-pieces-where-there/)

[Zainab Salbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zainab-salbi/)

> [“I let all that anger and worry go because they don't belong to me any more than the future does. And I don't wanna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-r-funke/i-let-all-that-anger-and-worry-go-because-they-don-t-belong-to-me-any/)

[Teresa R. Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-r-funke/)

> [Ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. That was the whole idea, right? That‘s why we went. I am reluctant to let that fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/ridding-iraq-of-weapons-of-mass-destruction-that-was-the-whole-idea/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

> [As this long and difficult war ends, I would like to address a few special words to the American people: Your steadfastness in supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/as-this-long-and-difficult-war-ends-i-would-like-to-address-a-few/)

[Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/)

> [War ends only when people love each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/war-ends-only-when-people-love-each-other/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [When the war ends, it will be found that there was an equal amount of 'thuggery' practiced on both sides, that terrible things were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-jones/when-the-war-ends-it-will-be-found-that-there-was-an-equal-amount-of/)

[Rufus Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-jones/)

## More by S. J. Kincaid

> [“What’s a treaty? It’s a piece of paper. An agreement means nothing in itself. It’s the power to force others to comply with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/what-s-a-treaty-it-s-a-piece-of-paper-an-agreement-means-nothing-in/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [“That missleproof glass might as well have been electrified fence and barbed wire. No one could fashion a prison so perfect, so complete, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/that-missleproof-glass-might-as-well-have-been-electrified-fence-and/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [“No wonder the sky had to be blotted out by advertisements. The stars drowned with lights. If everyone could see beyond Coalition horizons, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/no-wonder-the-sky-had-to-be-blotted-out-by-advertisements-the-stars/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [“They'd taken everything. Everything, and people simply had let them. People had meekly surrendered the world to them in hopes those CEOs would finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/they-d-taken-everything-everything-and-people-simply-had-let-them/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [“Sei straordinaria" disse piano. È molto egoista da parte mia riuscire solo a pensare che ti voglio solo per me?" Mi misi a balbettare.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/sei-straordinaria-disse-piano-molto-egoista-da-parte-mia-riuscire/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [“There’s not a person in history who achieved greatness without choking back some pride, without ever smiling at someone they despised, without playing along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/there-s-not-a-person-in-history-who-achieved-greatness-without/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [“Not just in America. When I left my primary school, my father said, 'Son, you are now a man,' then he gave me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/not-just-in-america-when-i-left-my-primary-school-my-father-said-son/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [“&lt;&gt; disse piano. &lt;&lt;È molto egoista da parte mia riuscire solo a pensare che ti voglio per me?&gt;&gt; Mi misi a balbettare. &lt;&gt; Curvò la bocca in uno strano sorriso. E poi mi baciò.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/disse-piano-molto-egoista-da-parte-mia-riuscire-solo-a-pensare-che-ti/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [“Wyatt avoided the petty gunfights and headed to a saloon and rigged up a bunch of Molotov cocktails. Her firebombs against members of Tom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/wyatt-avoided-the-petty-gunfights-and-headed-to-a-saloon-and-rigged/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

[Explore all 10 S. J. Kincaid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

## More Class system quotes

> [Love is infectious. You know, God is infectious-God flowing through us and us being little-baby creators and s--. But His energy and His love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/love-is-infectious-you-know-god-is-infectious-god-flowing-through-us/)

[Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/)

> [“That missleproof glass might as well have been electrified fence and barbed wire. No one could fashion a prison so perfect, so complete, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/that-missleproof-glass-might-as-well-have-been-electrified-fence-and/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [Inequality hardens society into a class system. Inequality divides us from one another... Inequality undermines democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/inequality-hardens-society-into-a-class-system-inequality-divides-us/)

[George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/)

> [Controlling women as the means of reproduction is made even more necessary by any race or caste or class system. It just comes together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/controlling-women-as-the-means-of-reproduction-is-made-even-more/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [The essence of a class system is not that the privileged are conscious of their privileges, but that the deprived are conscious of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/the-essence-of-a-class-system-is-not-that-the-privileged-are/)

[Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/)

> [“No wonder the sky had to be blotted out by advertisements. The stars drowned with lights. If everyone could see beyond Coalition horizons, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/no-wonder-the-sky-had-to-be-blotted-out-by-advertisements-the-stars/)

[S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/)

> [We are social animals and we have a hierarachical and unequal society. It is a class society, and the class system creates and perpetuates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-b-schor/we-are-social-animals-and-we-have-a-hierarachical-and-unequal-society/)

[Juliet B. Schor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-b-schor/)

> [Educational enterprises do not for any length of time remain immune from the struggle of interests for power which is the dominant feature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-muste/educational-enterprises-do-not-for-any-length-of-time-remain-immune/)

[A. J. Muste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-muste/)

> [“I believe that virtue shows quite as well in rags and patches as she does in purple and fine linen,... even if Gargery and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-believe-that-virtue-shows-quite-as-well-in-rags-and-patches-as-she/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Animals in pens have lots of time to develop theories", said the Cow, "I've heard more than one clever creature draw a connection between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/animals-in-pens-have-lots-of-time-to-develop-theories-said-the-cow-i/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [Anyone from abroad will tell you that it is the class system that really lies at the root of our problems, economic and industrial.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/anyone-from-abroad-will-tell-you-that-it-is-the-class-system-that/)

[Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/)

> [ \[Mahatma Gandhi\] said that the first president of India ought to be a harijan girl, an untouchable. He was so against the class system… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/mahatma-gandhi-said-that-the-first-president-of-india-ought-to-be-a/)

[Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/)

> [People think there's a rigid class system here, but dukes have been known to marry chorus girls. Some have even married Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/people-think-there-s-a-rigid-class-system-here-but-dukes-have-been/)

[Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/)

> [I’m not a big fan of the class system, to be honest. It feels ugly to me. If you’ve got something to say and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-the-class-system-to-be-honest-it-feels-ugly-to/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [I was particularly anxious that I shoot the tires out of the class system. All it is these days is a hobby of certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-was-particularly-anxious-that-i-shoot-the-tires-out-of-the-class/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

[Browse all 35 Class system quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-system/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“This war ends, then so do the taxpayer-funded contracts, the drumbeats in the media, the nice Combatant faces, and the patriotic cause to lull the civilians and shame the dissenters. The other thing that comes to an end is all the justification for why this country's run the way it is. People will wonder why their paychecks are still getting halved to pay off the men who own their utility companies, their roads, their national parks. They'll wonder why they've got to work eighty-hour weeks to support the folks who took their houses and destroyed the middle-class jobs. There's not going to be an enemy to point a finger at anymore. People will see the real problem.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "S. J. Kincaid"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-funded-contracts-the-drumbeats/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Class system"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-funded-contracts-the-drumbeats/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_class-system_this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-fu_1060463.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_class-system_this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-fu_1060463.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_class-system_this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-fu_1060463.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This war ends, then so do the taxpayer-funded contracts, the drumbeats in the media, the nice Combatant…” — S. J. Kincaid",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "S. J. Kincaid",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“This war ends, then so do...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-funded-contracts-the-drumbeats/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-funded-contracts-the-drumbeats/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
