--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here's the positive scenario: that…" description: "\"Here's the positive scenario: that something has been going wrong in American society. You see it in wage growth, opioid abuse, many other social indic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/tyler-cowen-4396_abuse_here-s-the-positive-scenario-that-someth_2413995.png" --- # Here's the positive scenario: that something has been… ![“Here's the positive scenario: that something has been going wrong in American society. You see it in wage growth, opioid abuse, many other social indicators, as you know. Sometimes it's better to get the bad reaction to that over with quickly while your civil society still is strong and you can…” quote by Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/tyler-cowen-4396_abuse_here-s-the-positive-scenario-that-someth_2413995.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/tyler-cowen-4396_abuse_here-s-the-positive-scenario-that-someth_2413995.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/tyler-cowen-4396_abuse_here-s-the-positive-scenario-that-someth_2413995.png) > “Here's the positive scenario: that something has been going wrong in American society. You see it in wage growth, opioid abuse, many other social indicators, as you know. Sometimes it's better to get the bad reaction to that over with quickly while your civil society still is strong and you can react and respond and protest, and you know, four or eight years from now, make another decision, and maybe it's better to have that happen in 2017 than 20 years later when some of our problems are worse and our national mood is worse.” [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Addressing crises early can prevent deeper, later problems by leveraging a still‑strong civil society to act swiftly. **In simple terms:** Act early to avoid worse future crises. Key Takeaway Take decisive action now. Themes social policy crisis management public sentiment timing civic engagement Mood urgent optimistic strategic Type advisory motivational When to use this quote - policy reform - community organizing - public health initiatives - economic planning Key Concepts preventive governance social resilience collective action Questions to Reflect On - How can we mobilize society quickly during a crisis? - What safeguards ensure swift action without overreach? A Different Perspective Early interventions may be limited by political inertia or public fatigue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [American society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) [Civil society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-society/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) [Positive Scenario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-scenario-6086856/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Protest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protest/) [Protest Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protest-know-5142258/) [Respond Protest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respond-protest-6086855/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) ## Related quotes > [Any time you do something - a protest - you know there's going to be backlash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-reid/any-time-you-do-something-a-protest-you-know-there-s-going-to-be/) [Eric Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-reid/) > [Until educators, individuals, artists, intellectuals and various social movements address how the metaphysics of casino capitalism, war and violence have taken hold on American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/until-educators-individuals-artists-intellectuals-and-various-social/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Sometimes, you know, the president is a father-like figure in American society, to most Americans, even today, no matter how cynical we've become. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/sometimes-you-know-the-president-is-a-father-like-figure-in-american/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [Public image is extremely important in American society and I observed personally that the Presidency of John F. Kennedy did much in the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/public-image-is-extremely-important-in-american-society-and-i/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [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/) > [Black people cannot and will not become integrated into American society on any terms but those of self-determination and autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/black-people-cannot-and-will-not-become-integrated-into-american/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [I believe it is essential to have English as the official language of our National Government, for the English language is the tie that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/i-believe-it-is-essential-to-have-english-as-the-official-language-of/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [Hip-hop is contributing to American society's misogyny and racism, hyper-sexuality anti-Black representations. Hip-Hop isn't setting the standard for misogyny. No one reduces the presidency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakari-kitwana/hip-hop-is-contributing-to-american-society-s-misogyny-and-racism/) [Bakari Kitwana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakari-kitwana/) > [ “The Sexual plight of these children \[those adolescents experimenting sexually\] is officially not mentioned. The revolutionary attack on hypocrisy by Ibsen, Freud, Ellis, Dreiser,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-sexual-plight-of-these-children-those-adolescents-experimenting/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [“As a culture, we had no heroes. Certainly not any politician--Barack Obama was then the most admired man in America (and likely still is),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-culture-we-had-no-heroes-certainly-not-any-politician-barack/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Cumulatively, American society is sliding toward a new form of 'authoritarian democracy'. Elections continue, free speech is generally protected, institutions operate in accordance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/cumulatively-american-society-is-sliding-toward-a-new-form-of/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [I have tried to defend what is most precious to our American society, a society that is now at war against the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/i-have-tried-to-defend-what-is-most-precious-to-our-american-society/) [Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/) > [I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-don-t-see-much-future-for-the-americans-it-s-a-decayed-country-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## More by Tyler Cowen > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [When humans team up with computers to play chess, the humans who do best are not necessarily the strongest players. They're the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/when-humans-team-up-with-computers-to-play-chess-the-humans-who-do/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“The great adventures of life, the surprise of strangers, of strangeness, of the electric and eclectic moments of happenstance, and also of extreme ambition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/the-great-adventures-of-life-the-surprise-of-strangers-of-strangeness/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“Mark Liszewski, executive director of the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum (Hershey, Pennsylvania), remarked: “Instead of Ford versus Chevy, it’s Apple versus Android.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/mark-liszewski-executive-director-of-the-antique-automobile-club-of/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“Americans are in fact working much harder than before to postpone change, or to avoid it altogether, and that is true whether we’re talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/americans-are-in-fact-working-much-harder-than-before-to-postpone/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“three-quarters of today’s youth between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four are unfit to serve for one reason or another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/three-quarters-of-today-s-youth-between-the-ages-of-seventeen-and/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“Once you're using sides and sauces you're on the right track and you're also following the general principles about how to eat well in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/once-you-re-using-sides-and-sauces-you-re-on-the-right-track-and-you/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [A lot of local food is very tasty. I'm very happy to eat it. I just don't think it's the same thing as saving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/a-lot-of-local-food-is-very-tasty-i-m-very-happy-to-eat-it-i-just-don/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [If you and your skills are a complement to the computer, your wage and labor market prospects are likely to be cheery. If your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/if-you-and-your-skills-are-a-complement-to-the-computer-your-wage-and/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Sports is remarkably cognitive. I think it's underrated just how smart it is. Actually, if I had more time, I would spend more time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/sports-is-remarkably-cognitive-i-think-it-s-underrated-just-how-smart/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“In other words, a culture of the casual is a culture of people who already have achieved something and who already can prove it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/in-other-words-a-culture-of-the-casual-is-a-culture-of-people-who/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [I see three forces militating in favor of growing inequality: increasing measurement of worker value added, automation through smart software, and globalization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/i-see-three-forces-militating-in-favor-of-growing-inequality/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“Few people read coffee-table photo books, and indeed they are not intended to be read. I find the text in these books is often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/few-people-read-coffee-table-photo-books-and-indeed-they-are-not/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“As chain stores rise, there is also a loss of dynamism, competition, and market entry for new ideas and products. Keep in mind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/as-chain-stores-rise-there-is-also-a-loss-of-dynamism-competition-and/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [The lesson about food is that the most predictable and the most orderly outcomes are always not the best. They are just easier to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/the-lesson-about-food-is-that-the-most-predictable-and-the-most/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) [Explore all 111 Tyler Cowen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“Words are free. It does not mean you should abuse them. Be kind with them. They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Here's the positive scenario: that something has been going wrong in American society. You see it in wage growth, opioid abuse, many other social indicators, as you know. 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