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About this quote

What does it mean?
Defending bourgeois virtues is often against the current middle class, not just against artists.
In plain terms
Middle-class values need defending from the middle class itself.
What can you take from it?
Be wary of your own group when defending common values.

Where it applies

  • cultural debate
  • class analysis
  • social commentary

Putting it to work

  • question group conformity
  • defend shared values

Questions to consider

  • Who threatens the values you hold?
  • Do you resist your own culture?

Another view

Sometimes defending virtues is about protecting against external threats.

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