Five of Many
John Brown, the American abolitionist who tried to lead a slave rebellion and was gruesomely executed in the attempt, came up in conversation today. I said at the time that he is one of my five greatest heroes, which caused me to think about who the other four would be. Here is the complete list, in no real order:
John Brown
Nat Turner
Lucas Radebe
Oliver Cromwell
Fidel Castro
Questions and comments would be appreciated, but concerns I can do without. I'm not really sure why "concerns" is part of that cliché at all. So just questions and comments, please.
John Brown
Nat Turner
Lucas Radebe
Oliver Cromwell
Fidel Castro
Questions and comments would be appreciated, but concerns I can do without. I'm not really sure why "concerns" is part of that cliché at all. So just questions and comments, please.
posted by Meesher at 7:54 PM
10 Comments:
Good ol' Fidel...interesting...
Why Fidel? Are you a soccar fan?
It's an interesting list. Why those five? And how does Cromwell fit in?
Did you add Fidel last just to make sure we were paying attention? ;)
Cromwell and Castro are very similar figures: revolutionary egalitarians who flaunted orthodoxy to improve the lives of their countrymen. I don't need to justify Fidel's actions; the results speak for themselves. No, Sar, I didn't put any thought into the order.
Turner and Brown were less successful revolutionaries, but such is the nature of America. A nation based on a revolution mythology is now hysterically against the practice. Finally, Radebe is, I admit, a soccer star, who played ten years for Leeds United. But he is also an incredibly influential humanitarian, and anyone who is Nelson Mandela's hero gets a look in on my list too.
While I might change my mind as to whether these five men are my "greatest heroes" (there are so many candidates), there is no doubt that they will all be remembered as people who did more than I ever could to make the world a better place.
Truely Fidel has led the Cuban people to a virtual paradise on Earth. Which makes one wonder why so many try to escape in amphibious taxis.
Cuba is one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, due almost entirely to (surprise!) the American trade blockade. On the other hand, even with their poverty, Cubans have exemplary medical and educational systems, for everyone, and no homelessness or starvation, which can't be said for a single other Latin American country or the United States. Of course, some people will leave for the US for the enormous amount of wealth that is here, but that doesn't take away from how much better Cuba is than it would be as a capitalist plaything.
Basically, in other words, you are complete scum. Is that it?
Thank you, so sweet. I love all my fans, especially H. Simon Kittay, who, according to hskittay.blogspot.com, has a "cute grasp."
My only worry is that this is a reference to Scumchester (Manchester) United FC, in which case I'm sure anyone who knows me will vouchsafe that I am not, in fact, scum. So no, H. Simon, I don't support them. You'll notice in this post that I praise a star of one of their rival sides, Leeds United FC.
It's absurd and false to assume that you couldn't do as much to "make the world a better place." Revolutionaries assume the opposite--that almost anyone can contribute, and that there's no telling whose contribution will really amount to much.
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