George and Thomas kill elephants
October 8, 2006 7:49 PM Subscribe
What do George Orwell and Thomas Edison have in common? The both killed elephants. Orwell turned this horrible act into a deeply-perceptive and beautifully-written essay, whereas Edison killed an elephant to prove that his rival Westinghouse's AC electrical system was unsafe. [BBC, IMDB, YouTube -- if you really want to see elephant murder]
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You know who else killed elephants? Hitler.
posted by Effigy2000 at 8:00 PM on October 8, 2006
posted by Effigy2000 at 8:00 PM on October 8, 2006
Sorry about the double. I didn't search as well as I normally would have, because I thought this would go well with all the other elephant links.
If it redeems things a little, the Orwell piece is REALLY worth reading.
posted by grumblebee at 8:04 PM on October 8, 2006
If it redeems things a little, the Orwell piece is REALLY worth reading.
posted by grumblebee at 8:04 PM on October 8, 2006
There's an exchange from Peter Viertel's White Hunter / Black Heart that always occurs to me when I think of that Edison film:
- You're either crazy... or the most egotistical sonofabitch I've ever met... and for what -- to kill one of the rarest, the noblest creatures that walks the face of this crummy earth... and in order for you to commit this crime, you're willing to forget about all of us and let this goddamn [film] go down the drain.
- You're wrong, kid. It's not a crime to kill an elephant. It's bigger than all that. It's a sin to kill an elephant. You understand? Do you understand me? Of course you don't. I don't even understand myself.
posted by dobbs at 8:16 PM on October 8, 2006
- You're either crazy... or the most egotistical sonofabitch I've ever met... and for what -- to kill one of the rarest, the noblest creatures that walks the face of this crummy earth... and in order for you to commit this crime, you're willing to forget about all of us and let this goddamn [film] go down the drain.
- You're wrong, kid. It's not a crime to kill an elephant. It's bigger than all that. It's a sin to kill an elephant. You understand? Do you understand me? Of course you don't. I don't even understand myself.
posted by dobbs at 8:16 PM on October 8, 2006
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posted by solid-one-love at 7:53 PM on October 8, 2006