The greatest speech ever

Those were a lot of big words but I don't feel like he really said anything. He did a great job getting to my heart but once he was there, he seemed to change his mind and back right out.

I must be too shallow for intellectualism.
 
Hmm...

I agree with some of the concepts in the speech, but thought that it was weak overall.

I don't consider some of the "universal truths" this person describes about humanity to be "universal truths". I think those were grand statements to make based on things that he found personally valuable or true, especially because he didn't have evidence to back it up in his speech.

The way he describes "machine men with machine hearts" is ironically unempathetic for a speech that seems to be focused on kindness towards other humans. The video creator singles out some political leaders to portray these sorts of people, but these people have wives and families and are just as human as anyone else.
 
All form, no substance. Contradictory. Most people can't ascertain that though, and will just be all like "oooh ahhh how amazing and inspirational".

I picked out a bunch of quotes (this actually encompasses most of the speech).

1. "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."

2. "Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed."

#1 and #2 are contradictory. Greed has poisoned men's souls? Guess where greed comes from. That's right, men. It's not a separate entity that makes us "bad". The bad is a part of us, always has been, and probably always will be.

3. "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."

What a load of bullshit. What knowledge? Our scientific knowledge?? Look back hundreds, or thousands of years ago. There was a lot more "bad" and "evil" going on back then, and they had way less "knowledge" and "machinery" than us nowadays.

4. "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."

Is this guy for real? #3 and #4 are contradictory. I thought our knowledge, cleverness, and machinery had bad effects? Now he's talking about how these 2 inventions are great?

5. "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."

Guess what, genius: You're vilifying a "system", and glorifying 'natural human nature', but guess who created the "system" to begin with? That's right, human beings...

6. "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. . . "

This makes no fucking sense. Human beings have been selfish and greedy since the beginning of time. This is not an isolated phenomenon occurring because of a few bad apples at this particular point in history.

7. "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."

Heh, again this guy is vilifying some non-existent entity. The people in charge in the military are soldiers too. They just happened to be the ones that rose up the ranks. They came from the exact same place.

8. "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. "

Except "machine men". Except the "bad" and "evil" men. Because those that were unable to grasp power and wealth are clearly the good ones (sarcasm).

9. " 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."

Because those that were unable to grasp power and wealth are clearly the good ones and would run the world much better if they seized power (sarcasm).

And lots of other flowery words that don't seem to really say or mean anything.
 
^

yeah, that too.. full of contradictions. seemed like the guy didn't really realize what he was saying.

I know something that touches on the better aspects of humanity, and things that sound good and feel right may make them enticing and full of truth, but just because something "feels good" or "right" doesn't mean the words are founded by anything. Of course if you believe in this sort of idea anyway, then that's up to you. But it doesn't make people who do the "machine minds" thing any less human. Unless it's a utopia of INFJ Ghandis that this guy is dreaming of, and Ghandi is just one guy and not really a good representation of INFJs or the entirity of humanity.

This communication style is how propagandists and speech makers for totalitarian leaders manipulate people in the first place. By tapping into feelings of unity, love, justice, brotherhood, and humanity and kinship in some form or another. I'm not saying that a speech that includes these aspects to it is bad or manipulative or empty, I'm just saying that it's what gives you that warm fuzzy effect regardless of how solid it is.
 
niffer said:
^

yeah, that too.. full of contradictions. seemed like the guy didn't really realize what he was saying.

I know something that touches on the better aspects of humanity, and things that sound good and feel right may make them enticing and full of truth, but just because something "feels good" or "right" doesn't mean the words are founded by anything.

This communication style is how propagandists and speech makers for totalitarian leaders manipulate people in the first place. By tapping into feelings of unity, love, justice, brotherhood, and humanity and kinship in some form or another. I'm not saying that a speech that includes these aspects to it is bad or manipulative or empty, I'm just saying that it's what gives you that warm fuzzy effect regardless of how solid it is.
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Well I actually broke it down further than this, in my head. Effectively, what the guy's saying is "look, I know you feel like shit about being broke and powerless, but guess what? It's not your fault!"
And the audience is like: ":D:D:D TELL ME MORE."
Speech maker: "See, you're a VICTIM. It was all those bad evil people who are preying on you."
Audience: "It's true it's true :("
Speech maker: "You've been wronged, but now is the time to RISE UP and FIGHT against these monsters!!"
Audience: "YES YES YES!"
Speech maker: "OK, so THESE are the villains, and YOU are the heroes!"
Audience: "Fantastic!!! Let's do this!!! Wait a second, so what are we doing?"

People are dumb and easily manipulated. What can I say. Make them feel good about themselves, and they lose their heads.
 
Out To Lunch said:
Well I actually broke it down further than this, in my head. Effectively, what the guy's saying is "look, I know you feel like shit about being broke and powerless, but guess what? It's not your fault!"
And the audience is like: ":D:D:D TELL ME MORE."
Speech maker: "See, you're a VICTIM. It was all those bad evil people who are preying on you."
Audience: "It's true it's true :("
Speech maker: "You've been wronged, but now is the time to RISE UP and FIGHT against these monsters!!"
Audience: "YES YES YES!"
Speech maker: "OK, so THESE are the villains, and YOU are the heroes!"
Audience: "Fantastic!!! Let's do this!!! Wait a second, so what are we doing?"

People are dumb and easily manipulated. What can I say. Make them feel good about themselves, and they lose their heads.
Click to expand...


Lol yes, that kinda thing is pretty obvious to me. He knows how the people are going to react to the feelings he'll provoke when he says those things.

But you see, Out To Lunch, you are expressing your thoughts in a way that would make INFJs feel hurt and demeaned! And if they can't get past those feelings, they might not listen to what you say!

Goddamnit humanity has no hope because of people like you! When will you ever learn that people want to think less and feel more?
 
To be honest though, I've always wished people as a species would be more compassionate.

But then I realized that not everyone thought this way, and true compassion and love is found in accepting all humans for the way they are, and not wanting to change them to fit my ideal.

And I got over myself.
 
niffer said:
But you see, Out To Lunch, you are expressing your thoughts in a way that would make INFJs feel hurt and demeaned! And if they can't get past those feelings, they might not listen to what you say!
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Only the OP. I felt a strong need to express my reaction and opinion very clearly and directly. I'm sure he may take it the wrong way, but I wasn't really writing to or for him, I was writing for myself mostly, and to basically everyone.
 
niffer said:
To be honest though, I've always wished people as a species would be more compassionate.
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Our culture is really fucked in some ways, actually. It could be a lot softer and kinder.

true compassion and love is found in accepting all humans for the way they are, and not wanting to change them to fit my ideal.
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I feel a very strong agreement with this, because I've thought the same thing before. When you want someone to fit your own ideal, you're placing that expectation or desire on them to suit YOUR OWN needs. Accepting someone for whatever or whoever they are is a way to be GIVING towards them though.
 
While each of you are entiteled to your feelings on the matter, there is a truth in this, those who rise up to over take the corrupt become the corrupt. This is what is wrong with the world, even now the masses speak of corruption, just as they did 70 years ago when this film was made by Charlie Chaplin, who was the actor you saw if that gives you any indication of the satire at play here. The world is contradiction , we say one thing and do another, we promte an ideolgy and act agianst it, this is human nature, thus the contradiction you noted in the clip. This clip shows that nothing has changed in the world, and while we claim that we are better now than we were then , there are still those who die from hunger and slavery, children are still forced in to labor, and women are still abused. The sad part is that those who choose to stand agianst such ideas are forceably removed from the system, those who are given a national platform to speak the truth as it is, are quickly silenced, kinda of like John F. Kennedy. If you choose to see this at face value then so be it, but if choose to look beyond with an open mind and feel the truth instead of think about it, maybe you would understand why this raises emotion in me. What a sad state we live in.
 
Well yeah, people are generally greedy, selfish, and corrupt, I would say. If that was the point, then you're selling what's already been sold :D
 
And you are content with this, it doesn't bother you in any way.....why take the time to destroy something as you did , when you can build from it? I guess thats the thinker in you...
 
I think this speech is a spoof. Consider that it begins with a man sporting a Hitler mustache saying he wants to help all people, jew and gentile. It just continues with broad meaningless platitudes, in constant self contradiction. I don't think this is meant to be taken seriously, I think it is a joke.
 
It was written and directed as a comedy, which is why Chaplin was in it, the movie is full of slap stick and political jabs at Hitler. Putting that aside, the problems adressed in the clip are still present in the world today, and that is what raises emotion in me. Will we ever get past this sense of entitelled power and greed and progresses to a better world? Probably not, and that is what saddens me.
 
I like inspirational speeches. The Charlie Chaplin character is obviously trying to bring out the best of mankind within their current circumstances.

I try to look outside of current events when I can. Sometimes to break through rigidly held mindsets one must embrace the unthinkable.
For me - that is to choose love wherever possible - whenever I am able. It's hard some days when it seems the whole world is determined to oppress, to tear down, and to hate.

I include one of my favorite all time inspirational videos for you.
I wish you peace today.

[video=youtube;3Zl9puhwiyw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zl9puhwiyw&list=FLQeTGqmp2iSKuLwXvMNL9xg& index=47[/video]
 
Out To Lunch said:
Well yeah, people are generally greedy, selfish, and corrupt, I would say. If that was the point, then you're selling what's already been sold :D
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Forensic1104 said:
And you (Out to Lunch) are content with this, it doesn't bother you in any way.....why take the time to destroy something as you did , when you can build from it? I guess thats the thinker in you...
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Well, if this is something that is against a part of human nature then why are you trying to change it? If your goal is to try and rid humanity of greed then good luck to you because that's a part of the human condition.

Everybody's interests are all equally as important so lets hold of on deciding what's best for others.
 
[MENTION=1798]Out To Lunch[/MENTION]

I agree. There was hardly any substance. The speech was all feeling.
Not only does he contradict himself, but there are logical fallacies in his message, of itself. Humans are merely another species of life on this planet. It is the nature of life to fight, prey on, exterminate and feed on other living beings for its own survival. To say that men, somehow, are left out of the loop that is the very nature of life, is to say that men are above nature. We have not transcended nature, or its laws.
 
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