Originally published in 1976. My how times have not changed.
The civilized have created the wretched, quite coldly and deliberately,
and do not intend to change the status quo;
are responsible for their slaughter and enslavement;
rain down bombs on defenseless children whenever and wherever they decide
that their “vital interests” are menaced,
and think nothing of torturing a man to death:these people are not to be taken seriously
when they speak of the “sanctity” of human life,
or the “conscience” of the civilized world.
James Baldwin, page 489 of COLLECTED ESSAYS (1998), from chapter one of “The Devil Finds Work” (orig. pub. 1976)
Visits: 106
Blaming “the civilized” somehow sounds like blaming Beethoven, Picasso, public TV, and everybody who says “please” and “thank you.” Isn’t it the ruling elite whose “vital interests” demand bombing?