Jean-Paul Sartre Quotes
When the rich [and politically powerful] make war, it's the poor [and politically weak] who die.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. The Devil and the Good Lord, and Two Other Plays. Translated by Kitty Black, Vintage Books, 1960, p. 15.
In May of 1886 police had killed some strikers for an 8 hour work day at the McCormick Plant in Chicago. A left wing newspaper called a rally using the word “revenge.” (See {43614}.) The next day, at the rally, someone threw a dynamite bomb killing several police who in turn wounded and killed many of the protestors. 31 people were indicted for the “Haymarket Bombing,” 8 were tried, and 7 were convicted and sentenced to death including Spies. There was however, no evidence linking any of the defendants with the bombing, only evidence linking them with left wing, anarchist positions and writings.
The Supreme Court had ruled that there could be no limits placed on the amount of money that could be spent by a rich company or person to campaign for a candidate. It would deny them their right to freedom of speech. That was the context of Hollings’ remark.
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism and phenomenology, and one of the leading figures in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. His work has also influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, and literary studies, and continues to influence these disciplines.
