In every community there is a class of people profoundly dangerous to the rest. I don't mean the criminals. For them we have punitive sanctions. I mean the leaders. Invariably the most dangerous people seek the power. While in the parlors of indignation the right-thinking citizen brings his heart to a boil. (p. 51) Saul Bellow
About This Quote

According to sociologist Robert Nisbet, the greatest danger in society is the leaders. Those who are most dangerous are those who are elected to govern. They are often not distinguished for their intelligence but are chosen because they are willing to go along with the rest of the crowd. They will say whatever is popular, do whatever the crowd demands, and more actively participate in their neighbors' lives than they do their own.

The people that follow them blindly have no idea that they are being manipulated by the leaders. When the citizens get upset about something, they will go to social media to express their anger. The problem with this method is that it does nothing but increase the number of people who are angry, which only serves to increase their anger even further.

For example, today there is a constant barrage of news stories about political correctness. When someone hears these stories, instead of looking at all sides of an issue, they immediately jump in and scream “PC!” and “Offensive!” They want everyone to see how wrong they think it is and how right they think they feel. To them it is important that everyone else feel like them and think like them and if no one does or says anything, then nothing has been accomplished at all.

People like this alienate themselves from others who don't agree with them and ultimately cause themselves pain when they can't get anywhere because no one wants to talk to them any longer.

Source: Herzog

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More Quotes By Saul Bellow
  1. It's usually the selfish people who are loved the most. They do what you deny yourself, and you love them for it. You give them your heart.
  2. A man is only as good as what he loves.
  3. Unexpected intrusions of beauty. This is what life is.
  4. A man may say, "From now on I'm going to speak the truth." But the truth hears him and runs away and hides before he's even done speaking.
  5. The old continued to have one resurgence of foolishness after another, until the organism gave out altogether.
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