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If You Won’t Listen to Dead White Men…
On the riots:
- Anger and madness are brothers. African proverb
- A doctor who invoked a storm on his people cannot prevent his house from destruction. Nigerian proverb
- Outside noisy, inside empty. Chinese proverb
On Antifa:
- Parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their toes. Chinese proverb
On Revolution:
- Don’t throw out the old pot until you have the tinker make a new one. Zimbabwean proverb
On toppling statues:
- There are two kinds of perfect people: those who are dead, and those who have not been born yet. Chinese proverb
- To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without root. Chinese proverb
- The dead add their strength and counsel to the living. Hopi proverb
On cancel culture:
- A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. Chinese proverb
- If words fail no others will avail. Zimbabwean proverb
On redressing the past:
- You cannot build a house for last year’s summer. Ethiopian proverb
On pushing Americans too far:
- Even a hare will bite when it is cornered. Chinese proverb
You should be a contributor.
What an astute and clever OP, Richard! Although I hope the last quotation is understated. I think ultimately all hell will break lose. Nicely done!
I read is was a Swahili proverb and I liked it because it reminded me of what I frequently dealt with: The daughters of lions are lions too.
Jimmy Carter knows all about that.
Of course there is wisdom from other cultures. One benefit of Western Civilization is that it’s not afraid to learn truth from other sources. If the current crop of 30 and younger citizens would realize this (sometimes against what they’ve been taught), they wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the ideas from Dead White Males.
Great job, Richard!
Awakened a sleeping giant rabbit?
A púca could be bad news for them.
I love these.
Might I note that part of the reason I love them is that they are ‘exotic’ in that they are new and foreign. What sounds like ‘dumb stuff your grandparents say’ in my country always sounds more interesting and novel – not to mention eternal and wise – when it comes from elsewhere.
A lot of those Dead White Men were Middle Eastern Brown People, by the way.
He posts way too often to be a contributor.
I heard Dead White Men open for Soundgarden in Phoenix in ’88.
You cannot build a house for last year’s summer. Ethiopian proverb
My favorite from your list.
Is that the same as “The military is always fighting the last war?”
Or, closing the barn door after the horse has escaped.
Or you can’t step into the same river twice.
They all come off like a Polonious drone by comparison.
Cultural appropriation.
Yes. You can’t say anything because you’re white. And you can’t quote any other group because they’re not your group. Very clever these segregationists.