All war propaganda consists, in the last resort, in substituting diabolical abstractions for human beings. Similarly, those who defend war have invented a pleasant sounding vocabulary of abstractions in which to describe the process of mass murder.

Summary

This quote by renowned linguist and author Noam Chomsky sheds light on the deceptive nature of war propaganda. Chomsky argues that to manipulate public opinion in favor of war, propaganda replaces the complex reality of human beings with abstract concepts that evoke fear, hatred, and justification for conflict. Likewise, those who support or excuse war employ euphemistic language that conceals the true nature of war as the widespread killing of people. The quote underscores the importance of scrutinizing and questioning the framing of war to avoid dehumanization and understand the true consequences of violent conflicts.

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