Claims to civilization often mask violence and egoism

Evidence

So civility rests – necessarily? – on a certain hypocrisy. It has served – but need it, must it? – as a mask for the conniving egoism and violence of men with a reputation for refined manners. I am reminded here of Gandhi’s being asked what he thought of western civilization: “Well,” the wise one quipped back, “that would be a good idea.” — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 251

Categorization

• CANDY: Gandhi’s ‘that would be a good idea’ quip is a light, repeatable one-liner.
• XREF: connects to: Sade’s heroine attacks civilization through its own tabooed heritage; Civilization recreates the sacrificial situation it claims to abolish — Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia: Reflections from…, 106; Outward conformity breeds domestic brutality where civilization’s force does not reach — Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia: Reflections from…, 189 (+1 more)