Ball game Quote by Stephen King
““Your own politicians make our Dr. Goebbels look like a child playing with picture books in a kindergarten. They speak of morality while they douse screaming children and old women in burning napalm. Your draft-resisters are called cowards and ‘peaceniks.’ For refusing to follow orders they are either put in jails or scourged from the country. Those who demonstrate against this country's unfortunate Asian adventure are clubbed down in the streets. The GI soldiers who kill the innocent are decorated by Presidents, welcomed home from the bayoneting of children and the burning of hospitals with parades and bunting. They are given dinners, Keys to the City, free tickets to pro football games.” He toasted his glass in Todd's direction. “Only those who lose are tried as war criminals for following orders and directives.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower, 2005
The quote condemns the hypocrisy of leaders who claim moral authority while committing atrocities, and highlights how dissenters are punished while perpetrators are celebrated.
In simple terms: Leaders claim morality but commit horrors; dissent is punished, perpetrators rewarded.
Key Takeaway
Question moral hypocrisy and protect dissent.
Themes
politics
war
hypocrisy
justice
power
Mood
angry
outraged
critical
Type
political
condemnation
explanatory
When to use this quote
- activism
- journalism
- human rights advocacy
- military oversight
- public protest
Key Concepts
Moral relativism
state violence
propaganda
civil disobedience
Questions to Reflect On
- How do societies justify violence under moral pretenses?
- What mechanisms protect whistleblowers?
A Different Perspective
The quote may exaggerate for dramatic effect, reducing nuanced analysis.
![“Perhaps one cannot, what is more one must not, understand what happened, because to understand [the Holocaust] is almost to justify...no normal human being will ever be able to identify with Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, Eichmann, and endless others. This dismays us, and at the same time gives us a…” quote by Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d1f/primo-levi-2751_able_perhaps-one-cannot-what-is-more-one-must_950690.jpg)
![“Hitler's historical hero had always been Frederick the Great. [Later], under Goebbels' prompting ... Napoleon emerged ... as his model. … Frederick the Great was a man who knew when to stop [and] Napoleon did not.” quote by Ernst Hanfstaengl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/387/ernst-hanfstaengl-38129_goebbels_hitler-s-historical-hero-had-always-been_876378.jpg)
