“It seems to me that obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly inculturated in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocracy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all. Keeping most people unaware that freedom of confident action is there for just a small number of people props up those in power and serves to keep power in the hands of the same groups that have most of it already.” PeopleStatesHandsSeemsActionChoicesWhiteUnitedNumbersUnited StatesGroupsRacismAdvantageDemocraticMalesAvailableMythPropsWhite PrivilegeSmall NumbersMeritocracy Author:Peggy McIntosh
“We have to be realistic about what we can achieve in Afghanistan. The notion that the United States can build a Western-style democracy there is a myth” StatesUnitedUnited StatesDemocracyAchieveStyleWesternNotionMythRealisticAfghanistan Author:Barbara Boxer
“If we [Americans] are a strong people, a united people, why do we always have to hear how great we are? What is this self-love? Where does this come from? It got worse, because after the war we thought we'd won it. That's the first myth. Frankly, Russia won it. The Soviet Union sacrificed far greater form than anyone else to win that war. Secondly, we had the atomic bomb. We should not have dropped it on Japan. We did as an example to the Soviets, not to defeat Japan and to save American lives. These are myths that we explode with a lot of research early on.” PeopleIfsShouldFirstsDoeWarSelfFormWinningStrongUnitedGreaterExampleSelf LoveResearchUnionsDefeatMythRussiaBombsJapanSovietSoviet UnionAmerican LifeAtomic BombStrong People Author:Oliver Stone
“There's a longstanding myth about the United States that is still very prevalent in Europe [despite recent developments]. Historically the "America" of this myth is an incredible human adventure and an experiment in political democracy. But at the same time, or so we're told, it's the land of extremes where the worst can happen.” HumansStillsStatesHappensAmericaPoliticalUnitedUnited StatesDemocracyLandWorstAdventureDevelopmentEuropeIncrediblesExtremesMythExperimentsDespite Author:Bruno Dumont
“I meet a number of people as a writer of fiction who say "Oh, I don't read much fiction," as if the history of the United States, just as an example, isn't an exercise in storytelling and myth-making.” PeopleIfsStatesUnitedNumbersFictionUnited StatesExampleExerciseMythStorytelling Author:Yann Martel