“Too difficult for ordinary men”
September 28, 2008, 12:59 pm
Posted by Matthew Boudway
Whatever one thinks of the proposed bailout, there was something very ugly about the Treasury Secretary’s impatience with congressmen who dared to question the wisdom of his original three-page proposal. In “From a German War Primer,” Bertolt Brecht has some good lines about the Paulsons of the world.
THOSE WHO TAKE THE MEAT FROM THE TABLE
Teach contentment.
Those for whom the contribution is destined
Demand sacrifice.
Those who eat their fill speak to the hungry
Of wonderful times to come.
Those who lead the country into the abyss
Call ruling too difficult
For ordinary men.
You can read the rest of the poem here.
Very Powerful indeed, Matthew. Poetry does what prose cannot. I would add those clergy before the French Revolution and those like Cardinal Law who are “unambiguously pro life.”
Whatever one thinks of his poetry and plays, Beretold Brecht was a communist sympathizer who chose to live in East Berlin (where he was feted as a cultural celebrity) during the height of Cold War Stalinism. Thus, his views are really not all that objective and indeed highly morally suspect.
Bertolt, of course (these keyboards seem to be getting smaller and smaller!)
I have always thought of myself as a staunch anti communist. I can’t understand what is communistic (?) about these lines? I think it applies equally well all over the world.
Sunil,
The lines don’t have to sound communistic–but if the source is a communist, he is hardly someone to preach morality to anyone else. Brecht’s “good lines about the Paulsons of the world” are made highly suspect by his belief in one of the most murderous ideologies in human history, one that caused far more pain and suffering than anything Paulson has ever done. That is why Brecht’s ideological underpinnings are relevant.
Mr. Reid – you need to take a step back and understand the context and the complete life of Bertolt Brecht. You are passing judgment on a complete life and its works based on a couple of generalizations.
Bertolt Brecht was born and grew up in the context of the rise of National Socialism and Fascism. Because of his opposition to these movements, he was attracted to and believed himself to be a Marxist (that is different than communism). He fled Europe in stages to escape the Nazi plague.
He was involved in the American Hollywood blacklisting and because of that, returned to Europe and eventually East Germany (he did not support West Germany because it allowed former Nazis into its government).
As a teacher of history, Brecht’s plays can dramatically bring across history and the points of history via dramatic plays e.g. favorite is the Resistble Rise of Auturo Ui. It graphically shows how societies bend to the authoritarian and the safe even when it makes no sense. His plays about the religious wars of the 16th and 17th century are excellent.
So, here is a link: Shortcut to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht
Bill DeHaas,
As a longtime actor who studied theater history extensively in college and for my own pleasure, I am quite aware of Brecht’s life story. I even admire some of his theatrical innovations. What I do NOT admire is his politics, nor do I conside him a moral voice on any issue or policy. For all practical purposes, there is no difference between a “marxist” and a “communist” in the real world–both have caused untold suffering.
Mr. Reid – guess I understand your judgment but I look at a human being’s life differently. First, it appeared to me that Mr. Boudway’s point in using Brecht’s quote was to say that there are times when it is too difficult for ordinary men. I do not believe that Brecht was an “ordinary” man given what he faced in his life; the immense challenges and changes. I may not agree with Marxism but there was more to this man than just a political position.
Had a very good history prof who once surprised us on a final exam about famous Civil War characters by asking the question – “would you have been friends with this person – why or why not?” The list included men such as Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Calhoun, Webster.
This question forced you to dig deep into the full, complete life of an individual – most lives are filled with complexity, a search for truth & integrity (even if you don’t agree with their final decision), nuance, etc.
It appears to me that Brecht made significant contributions to human progress even if he did make a wrong turn politically (I think I understand what drove him that way). Ultimately, he appears as a tragic figure but one who tried to fight for justice in his own way.
Child labor is one of the hottest conversations today. Due to the poverty that we are experiencing, children, at their early age are forced to work to help their parents financially. Nonetheless, speaking of wages, the University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach was recently asked by a reporter what he thought about his salary. Jim Calhoun is the state’s highest paid employee, during a $2 billion budget shortfall. He was questioned about whether he was going to reduce his own salary; the reporter was quickly shot down. His response was that his salary of over $1 million annually was justified because his basketball team seems to be able to turn a profit. Fair enough, right? Not like Wall Street; they have their salary clipped from now on if they need payday loans because they can’t run their companies.