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Sarah Orman's avatar

Thank you for sharing this E.B. White essay. I'm glad I read it this morning. This line especially resonates with me: "One of the earliest truths (and to him most valuable) that the author of Mein Kampf discovered was that it is not the written word, but the spoken word, which in heated moments moves great masses of people to noble or ignoble action." As a mother of teenagers, I worry a lot these days about how the next generation is (or isn't) learning to read and write. But if you want to raise leaders, it's also important that they be able to give a persuasive, coherent speech. If our children learn how to speak in public, maybe they will be less likely to be swayed by charismatic fascists.

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Rona Maynard's avatar

Astonishingly right for the terrifying moment at hand. White saw and articulated not only the threat to freedom, but the quiet power of writing.

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