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This is an essay by John C. Wright who has written, among other things, regret that he didn't physically assault Terry Pratchett: "I sat and listened to pure ev
by GFK_of_xmaspast 11y ago
This is an essay by John C. Wright who has written, among other things, regret that he didn't physically assault Terry Pratchett: "I sat and listened to pure evil being uttered in charming accents accentuated by droll witticism, and I did not stand up, and I did not strike the old man who uttered them across the mouth: and when he departed, everyone stood and gave him an ovation, even though he had done nothing in his life aside from entertain their idle afternoons." (http://www.scifiwright.com/2011/10/the-watchtowers-of-atlantis-tremble/ http://www.scifiwright.com/2011/10/the-watchtowers-of-atlant... )
- prewett 11y agoYou miss the context, though. The unnamed writer (presumably Prachett) advocated suicide as something positive and talked an audience member into suicide. All for the sake of feeling better (or, rather, not feeling). For Wright, humans are made in the image of God, and to kill yourself as if you were a horse with a broken leg is a travesty. To advocate doctors killing people, even if they want to be killed, is to treat people in an amoral, atheistic way that destroys civilization. And in the comments, Wright regrets that he did not have the gall to stand up and do something about this evil. It's a bit like, if you knew what would happen when Jar-Jar proposed giving Palpatine dictatorial power, regretting not actually doing something instead sitting while everyone else pulled civilization down around you.