ON KEEPING A WIDE HORIZON

[TODAY, WITH BERTRAND RUSSELL]

Never acquiesce in what you believe to be wrong: protest against it, even though your protest may seem useless. Failure to protest in time has put whole nations of well-meaning people in the power of a few wicked men. For example, if you are at a party where someone begins to disparage the Jews, or any other race, do not let them get away with it. Remember that it is from such small beginnings that terrible persecutions grow.

If you share a prejudice, struggle against it. It is very easy to become infected by racial prejudice. Hitler has already won a victory in making us more or less race-conscious (…) We never condemn the whole of our own group, even though there may be hundreds that we dislike (…)

Don’t be afraid of making a fuss. There is a foolish idea that it is “in bad taste” to call attention to the existence of something unpleasant, or to express open disagreement with some one else’s opinions. If by saying what you believe you provoke a scene, that will be regrettable but not nearly so regrettable as allowing error or falsehood to pass unchallenged (…)

It is easier to get away with speaking your mind if you can believe that people you disagree with are not wicked but mistaken. At the same time you should do everything you can to convince them of their mistake. (This is perhaps the most difficult rule of all, and one of the most important.)

Direcção e execução técnica por: João Henrique da Silva Nunes Jales Ribeiro

E-Mail de contacto: jhribeiro@yorn.net

Telefone: +351 - 93 65 60 453