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Sep. 25th, 2004
A bit of Fry
Sep. 25th, 2004 03:09 amStephen Fry is a favorite of mine. Not only because of Jeeves and Wooster, Wilde and Peter's Friends - amongst others... It's his particular sense of humour with a touch of melancholia that always did it for me. Anyway, there's a really good interview of his >here< and the interviewer (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rollick) was kind enough to share the parts that were left out on her own >LJ< post.
It has contains many interesting views, opinions and insights into the man. I'm pasting my favorite part (which I just saw is also up at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
officialgaiman). It was left out and can be found on the editing floor post I linked above.
Bertrand Russell, the great philosopher and mathematician, got into terrible trouble by writing quite fearsome articles against the first World War when it began. He got all these letters from people who said, "My child is prepared to lay down their life for their country. Don't you think that sacrifice demands some respect?" He wrote this extraordinary essay in which he said, "Don't you understand? The sacrifice we're asking of our young is not that they die for their country, but that they kill for their country." That's the sacrifice. To ask a child to kill someone else, whom you've never met. That's a moral choice, pulling a trigger. Having a bullet hit you is not a moral choice. You don't decide to be killed. It's a terrible thing that happens to you. But killing something is something you do and tha'ts a desperate sacrifice. (snip) That’s why people who survive wars don’t like talking about them. It’s not because they’re modest or anything. I’m sure many of them are. It’s because they live with images of squeezing triggers and seeing young men a hundred yards away being torn to pieces. Those are the awful things.
If you have a few, please, do check it out.
rollick) was kind enough to share the parts that were left out on her own >LJ< post.It has contains many interesting views, opinions and insights into the man. I'm pasting my favorite part (which I just saw is also up at
officialgaiman). It was left out and can be found on the editing floor post I linked above.Bertrand Russell, the great philosopher and mathematician, got into terrible trouble by writing quite fearsome articles against the first World War when it began. He got all these letters from people who said, "My child is prepared to lay down their life for their country. Don't you think that sacrifice demands some respect?" He wrote this extraordinary essay in which he said, "Don't you understand? The sacrifice we're asking of our young is not that they die for their country, but that they kill for their country." That's the sacrifice. To ask a child to kill someone else, whom you've never met. That's a moral choice, pulling a trigger. Having a bullet hit you is not a moral choice. You don't decide to be killed. It's a terrible thing that happens to you. But killing something is something you do and tha'ts a desperate sacrifice. (snip) That’s why people who survive wars don’t like talking about them. It’s not because they’re modest or anything. I’m sure many of them are. It’s because they live with images of squeezing triggers and seeing young men a hundred yards away being torn to pieces. Those are the awful things.
If you have a few, please, do check it out.