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The Final Speech from The Great Dictator (1940)

charliechaplin.com

331–340 of 412 posts

Re: The Final Speech from The Great Dictator (1940)

#331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This speech reminds me of the anarchist Errico Malatesta. Some of his comrades tried to call him the “Lenin of Italy” and he said he never wants to be the ruler of others, and that no matter how good his heart is if he were put in that position he would be corrupted by power just as everyone else would be. This video covers it: https://youtu.be/KYI-Bra-hP0

That's great. It's true though, it would be hard to go from an anarchist to a ruler just because people think you would be good in that position. Humans find it very hard not to be corrupted by power.

> Humans find it very hard not to be corrupted by power.

I will say yes, and also anarchists would argue that corruption of power is basically a simple function of the system. A ruler living in the capital will be unable to make appropriate decisions for rural farmers or urban factory workers. That those people should decide for themselves how best to operate, and they should do so by vote or elected and re-callable delegates. As a ruler is isolated from the functions of the people, they will be unable to see what decisions are appropriate, and they will lean in to what is in front of them.

Re: The Final Speech from The Great Dictator (1940)

#333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think people generally, and the Silicon Valley set in particular, have a hard time abstracting from “would I like” to “would the world be a better place if”. Would I like to live a thousand years? Yes, with the obvious caveats. Would the world be a better place if the technology for living a thousand years existed? Absolutely not, at least not at first, and certainly not today. There’s a great many people around ri…

> There’s a great many people around right now who’s primary redeeming quality is their impending mortality Ha ha, that's funny (but not nice — but I like it).

“All men have an emotion to kill; when they strongly dislike some one they involuntarily wish he was dead. I have never killed any one, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction.” – Clarence Darrow

“a new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” – Max Planck

Re: The Final Speech from The Great Dictator (1940)

#334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, you can just look this stuff up; it’s not like what ol’ Mini-Hands says at campaign rallies is secret or anything: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-says-im... What you have to remember is that he’s not, you know, a smart guy. And the base he’s appealing to with this stuff are also generally, well, probably not in the running for any Nobel prizes.

https://www.c-span.org/amp/video/?c5098439 He was talking about illegal immigrants. You can disagree with that of course, but why leave that out?

Still, that kind of language is extremely divisive, and will only lead to bad.

Re: The Final Speech from The Great Dictator (1940)

#335

It would be really cool if people stopped being gullible marks for psychopathic pedophiles. ‘Perverted, degenerate and indecent acts’ http://archive.today/2020.07.25-172048/https://www.telegraph...

Pls add Shakespeare. Add Carrol. Add Faulkner. Add Poe. Commit -m "people I despise for some strange reason, not for their work"

Hating someone for manipulating minors into sex isn't a strange reason, weirdo

Re: The Final Speech from The Great Dictator (1940)

#336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HN has more variety when it comes to posters than you think. There's one guy here who spent time in prison for eco-terrorism.

Ughhh.. I hate that word, especially when it refers to the protest acts like spaghetti on art, or slow march on a road delaying traffic etc... I think partly because it smells like a society that has started worshipping "traffic" or "business as usual" instead of doing that by deliberate choice.

Maybe this is splitting hairs but those just seem like classic non-violent protests instead of terrorism. Ecoterrorism is something like spiking trees so that loggers will get blasted with chainsaw shrapnel when they try to cut through a 1000 year old tree. Terrorism is of course a loose term but it generally requires some element of violent coercion. Throwing soup at a painting is obnoxious but children will not have nightmares over it.

Re: The Final Speech from The Great Dictator (1940)

#337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HN has more variety when it comes to posters than you think. There's one guy here who spent time in prison for eco-terrorism.

I spent 3 months in prison for getting drunk, stealing a row boat, and escaping from the police on said boat. My cellmates called me a low budget pirate. That was 10 years ago now. I've met tons of people like me who are otherwise in fields you'd associate with intellect. Some of us just have a knack for testing the limits of society.

At probably a similar level of intoxication we found a boat and used it to enter a military compound in the city center of a small town called Delft. Me and my companion who were in the military at the time thought that would be a good idea.

The boat however was leaking quite a bit and sunk right after we arrived. We managed to get into the building, which had a museum, and found a nice spot to sleep. It was not a difficult choice, either that, a forced exfiltration or a nightly swim.

The next morning the person who opened the building did not even try to contain 2 x 2m young men.

Re: The Final Speech from The Great Dictator (1940)

#338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's great. It's true though, it would be hard to go from an anarchist to a ruler just because people think you would be good in that position. Humans find it very hard not to be corrupted by power.

> Humans find it very hard not to be corrupted by power. I will say yes, and also anarchists would argue that corruption of power is basically a simple function of the system. A ruler living in the capital will be unable to make appropriate decisions for rural farmers or urban factory workers. That those people should decide for themselves how best to operate, and they should do so by vote or elected and re-callable…

There’s an excellent capital, capitol, Das Kapital, capital pun in here somewhere.

Re: The Final Speech from The Great Dictator (1940)

#339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If he actually changed Amazon's behavior so that it wasn't a horrible place to work for? If he donated an actual, significant portion of his wealth that required real sacrifice on his part? Basically, if he did something that had a positive effect on the world that also had real consequences for him. Something that actually shows he _means_ it, actually _wants_ the world to be better even if it hurts himself. If Bezo…

You do realize there's people who want to be homeless?

I don’t know why you got downvoted. “Smoke your rent, live in a tent” is their motto in Portland.
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