by toscaveritas » Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:28 pm
I haven't posted here in a while. Been busy and mostly just trying to read occasionally, to keep up with this board and other matters. <br><br>But I must comment on this one! <br><br>Control freaks, egomaniacs, criminals and fascists come in all shades, creeds, races and nationalities. NO people, race or nation is without those elements. No people are immune to be taken over, exposed to mindcontrol/propaganda and fear-based herd manipulation (us vs. them). That's just for the record and I think everyone would agree .<br><br>As far as literature goes....<br><br>I don't care whether something is a forgery or proven , documentedly 'authentic'. Heck, many authors are known to have stolen material, used 'ghost writers' , etc.Even artists used students and lay people to do work for them, for which they later harvested the praise. Those things are unfortunately normal but don't lessen the products value or content in any way. <br><br>I actually learned alot from reading Machiavellis' 'The Prince' , which is FICTION, but very accurate in describing mechanisms of power. Should one discount and not read it because it is fiction? What about George Orwell? Fiction = junk? <br><br>I've never read 'the protocols' and probably won't even get to for lack of time and other priorities, BUT I wouldn't even discount or junk it because of questionable authorship. It may be a forgery- but does it outline structures, methods of control/power in a similar fashion as Machiavelli did in his FICTIONAL book? <br><br>Names, places, dates are interchangeable and of no importance really, especially with The Prince or Orwell's 1984. It's the educational value of how power is gained, expanded and maintained, that is the core issue of interest for me. I don't see how anyone would regard a reader of 'the prince' as being 'anti-italian' or an 'italo-phobe'. So why could an intelligent person not read this and distiguish properly?<br><br>I would apply the same standard there also AND I have to agree with slimmouse: if there is such fierce condemnation of one work of literature, it must be interesting! And why do people, who have never read it, quote other people's opinions to try to intimidate you from reading just one work of literature (its just letters in order, really)? <br><br>I don't believe in witch-hunts and book burnings. Those are measures of the desparate and fearful. Freedom needs integrity and honesty, characteristics which need no force or censorship, intimidation or harassment. <br><br>Words can't hurt, they are simply letters assembled in an order, actions can! <br><br> <p></p><i></i>