The Single Most Important speech ever conceived/delivered...by an actor known for his silent films(i

This grouping of words rings more true to me than any other I've ever heard or thought. My own thoughts cannot be expressed any better than this great piece of work has to offer...



Transcript:

I'm sorry but I don't want to be an Emperor, that's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible, Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another, human beings are like that. We all want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little: More than machinery we need humanity; More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me I say "Do not despair". The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish. . . Soldiers: don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men. You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate, only the unloved hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers: don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty. In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written: - "The kingdom of God is within man" Not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men; in you, the people. You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy let's use that power, let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age and security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie. They do not fulfil their promise, they never will. Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfil that promise. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness. Soldiers! In the name of democracy: let us all unite!

My favorite part: . . . Soldiers: don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men. You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate, only the unloved hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural.

I made something a while back dedicated to Charlie Chaplin and this speech.

Image here: i.imgur.com... (too large to be embed)

Definitely one of my most favorite speeches ever.

Always been a favorite of mine. Watch it about once a week because it is truly inspirational.

reply to post by Epirus


Wonderful speach.

It inspired this song by Lowkey. Opening is from avout 2:45 in the chaplin video.

Well, f___. I got goosebumps.

Good show OP. Feel like I got hit by a truck.

This is BS.

This was just posted in another thread. This speech is American Propaganda. It gives false impressions of democracy and helps to undermine our Republic.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


Republic- The representation of the people by the few.

Democracy- The people themselves.

You decide

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
This is BS.

This was just posted in another thread. This speech is American Propaganda. It gives false impressions of democracy and helps to undermine our Republic.

It's the closing speech from the movie the great dictator. It's not any kind of propaganda.

Originally posted by buster2010

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
This is BS.

This was just posted in another thread. This speech is American Propaganda. It gives false impressions of democracy and helps to undermine our Republic.

It's the closing speech from the movie the great dictator. It's not any kind of propaganda.

Yeah.. I know. Check the date the movie was made and what was happening in the US at the time. This was in the beginnings of the big push for the idea of democracy to replace the republic. The date was 1940. The FED had been instituted a few years earlier and WW II was in full swing. This is how the US Government delivered propaganda back them, through movies. there are many such movies of the time period.

Originally posted by Renegade2283
reply to post by JohnPhoenix

 

Republic- The representation of the people by the few.

Democracy- The people themselves.

You decide

Republic - representation of the people by a few trusted people who will accurately represent the will of the people.

Democracy - mob rule.

I have decided.

people are sheep! power to the people! the people should be in charge, free obama phones for everyone would be the result.

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix


Republic - representation of the people by a few trusted people who will accurately represent the will of the people.

Democracy - mob rule.

I have decided.

Says who? You?

re·pub·lic:
a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.

de·moc·ra·cy:
government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

dictionary.reference.com

reply to post by christoph


Dont we already have that under a democratic republic.

Or at least something to that effect. Heck, even my technologically inept mom has one of those free phones. I guess I am alone in not having a phone these days.

Very moving speech. Thank you for sharing! S&F!

S+F

Like many great men in history Charlie Chaplin was a socialist. His movies reflected his left-wing sympathies.

He was suspected of being a "communist" during the McCarthy which hunt. The FBI had a file on him, and Hoover tried to get his US residency stopped.

It's about time people take a good look at the real pre-McCarthy left-wing, what passes as the left today is nothing but right of center liberalism.

reply to post by Renegade2283


We are a constitutional Republic. There is a difference. We are also a Nomocracy...the rule of Law. Within a Constitutional Republic, the laws and the rights therein shall be equally applied to the many, the few and even the one. The Mob must NOT rule...that is the death of Liberty to the few and the one.

But most of you do not know the difference and do not care as long as you perceive you are part of the Mob...i.e. the majority. However, fate is a fickle mistress and sooner or later you will find yourself as one of the few and perhaps even the one...what say you then?

It MUST be a Constitutional Republic based on the ideals of a Nomocracy...the rule of law (and order).

Ideally we should be an Anarchy...where the individual governs and controls himself...that is the epitome of Human evolution...where a person "knows" what is right and wrong and "chooses" to do what is right. We have not evolved that far yet...and by all visible signs...we are regressing and de-evolving into Authoritarianism and tyranny...by the choice of "the mob"...

ETA:
A couple of applicable quotes from the ages...

"Republics decline into democracies and democracies degenerate into despotism." - Aristotle

"Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty." - Plato

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
Republic - representation of the people by a few trusted people who will accurately represent the will of the people.

Democracy - mob rule.

But a republic IS a democracy.

If it wasn't a democracy it wouldn't fit it's definition of being a government of 'public matter'. It would be a private institution, much like the government of Soviet Russia.

The opposite of democracy would be totalitarianism.

But in the real world of course a government can call itself anything it wants, whether it fits the definition or not. The democracy we have now is so corrupted it might as well call itself a totalitarian government. Both sides are really not that different to each other. There is no opposition to capitalism, to authoritarian control, only divisions created by issues that are neither left nor right economic or political issues, but social issues.

Left and right has nothing to do with your opinions on abortion or gay marriage etc.

Originally posted by Jeremiah65
reply to post by Renegade2283

 

We are a constitutional Republic. There is a difference. We are also a Nomocracy...the rule of Law. Within a Constitutional Republic, the laws and the rights therein shall be equally applied to the many, the few and even the one. The Mob must NOT rule...that is the death of Liberty to the few and the one.

But most of you do not know the difference and do not care as long as you perceive you are part of the Mob...i.e. the majority. However, fate is a fickle mistress and sooner or later you will find yourself as one of the few and perhaps even the one...what say you then?

It MUST be a Constitutional Republic based on the ideals of a Nomocracy...the rule of law (and order).

Ideally we should be an Anarchy...where the individual governs and controls himself...that is the epitome of Human evolution...where a person "knows" what is right and wrong and "chooses" to do what is right. We have not evolved that far yet...and by all visible signs...we are regressing and de-evolving into Authoritarianism and tyranny...by the choice of "the mob"...

ETA:
A couple of applicable quotes from the ages...

"Republics decline into democracies and democracies degenerate into despotism." - Aristotle

"Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty." - Plato

edit on 11/27/2012 by Jeremiah65 because: (no reason given)

edit on 11/27/2012 by Jeremiah65 because: (no reason given)

edit on 11/27/2012 by Jeremiah65 because: (no reason given)

No, we are "supposed" to be a constitutional republic. However, I don't see that playing out as originally intended. How many times must I see constitutional amendments being openly bended or even broken?

You talk about the whole country as if it is a mob. For a mob to exist, there must be some who are not apart of it IMO. In a democracy where EVERYONE has right to vote directly on things, then there is no mob, only people making choices for themselves. Sure, the choices made wont be the opinions of all, which is where this "mob" comes in, isn't that the case already?

Anyways, this devolving into tyranny that you speak of is not a result of "the mob" but rather the republic part of our society being abused. When certain people can pull strings to control most of the representatives, tyranny and authoritarianism are inevitable. This is where my focus on democracy comes in for me, you speak of Anarchy but wouldn't that result in the collapse of Nomocracy as you call it? With everyone making the choices themselves, that would mean no laws to enforce morals, even if they are not universally agreed upon, they are necessary because there will always be evil, which cant not be allowed to grow and flourish.

I like how you go on to quote Aristotle who is the creator of an Aristocracy..... The epitome of tyranny and oppression. Also Plato who was his mentor. Seems that good ol' Chaplin saw this which is why he said "we think to much and feel to little" and "More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost."

Even if you don't agree, do you see what I am getting at? Im not in my clearest state of mind right now so I have a little trouble properly conveying my point. Depression and anxiety can weigh heavily on ones mind.