Some eighteen hundred years ago Christ was crucified; this morning, perhaps, John Brown was hung. These are the two ends of a chain which I rejoice to know is not without its links.
The Republican editors, obliged to get their sentences ready for the morning edition,—and their dinner ready before afternoon,—speak of these men, not in a tone of admiration for their disinterestedness and heroism, not of sorrow even for their fate, but calling them “deluded fanatics,” “mistaken men,” “insane,” or “crazed.” Did it ever occur to you that a sane set of editors we are blessed with?—not “mistaken men;” who know very well on which side their bread is buttered!
4 comments:
Thank you for continuing this publication of Thoreau's work. It is much appreciated.
Any thoughts on how this endorsement of violence for the sake of a cause coexists with Thoreau's famous concept of civil disobedience? Is civil disobedience in Thoreau non-violent by definition? Gandhi and MLK seem to have thought so...
all media since the beginning write what sells, its a business!, sex and violence sells! tragedy, corruption, it gives people what they dont have in their lives! and gossip etc etc..., the media does not care about the incident! only the money it will make by luring us to desire it!, it says a lot about who we are as a race! marthas cat had kittens, who would pay to hear that ? send me a quarter.
Good to see the media was the same in Henry's time (making more judgements than proclamations) as in ours ... somehow I don't think he'd be delighted with our info-tainment 'news' shows!
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