"From them appear how small are the real wants of human nature, which we Europeans have increased to an excess which would certainly appear incredible to these people could they be told it. Nor shall we cease to increase them as long as luxuries can be invented and riches found for the purchase of them; and how these luxuries degenerate into necessaries …."
All answers should contain one or more of the following:
1. Year when written
2. Person who wrote it (in this case the person is not well known so a short description of the person is acceptable)
3. Circumstances (what the line refers to, why it was written and/or any other historical context)
All winners will be judged on historical accuracy and/or imaginative thinking.
11 comments:
My wild guesses-
Year: 1847
Person: Engels?? I suppose he's pretty well known.
Circumstances: An unheard-of concept emerges across wide swaths of industrializing nations: conspicuous consumption. Sickened by the sight of bourgoise women obsessing over trifles like jewlry and silk, the writer pines for the good life as a noble savage, who has more important things to worry about.
Wow, I was way off.
Jim, have you seen Avatar? Cameron paraphrases another quote from this same guy: "they seemed to set no value upon anything we gave them, not would they part with anything of their own."
If they had vaccines, I bet they'd want that.
Ha Ha. Good guesses...especially the circumstances. It's funny, clever, ironic of you to mention vaccines. (I almost added a spoiler here but it will wait.)
No, I haven't...yet.
Oh rats! I didn't think this would be on the internet. I disbelieved my own mantra "All knowledge is on the internet."
There one rule:
No searching the line (or part of it).
When- 1933
Who- Captain Englehorn
What- The German captain, spending weeks at sea with high maintenance Hollywood actors Ann Darrow, Preston, writer Driscoll and director Denham, upon landfall writes this passage in his captain's log. Following the observation of the friendly inhabitants of Skull Island, the entire entry of the log is the Captain's desire for the simple life. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. Where on Skull Island the only chore for the local inhabitants is to promptly feed an over-sized gorilla named King Kong.
I read the passage first and googled it before realizing I had questions to answer, wasn't paying attention, being a dummy.
Pete wins for imagination!
Here's my not-googled, non-creative, no-attempt-at-humor answer.
When: 1899
Who: Thorstein Veblen
What: possible quote from his book, The Theory of the Leisure Class, in which he presents his theory of conspicuous consumption. I assume that he's talking about some traditional non-industrial society; it could be any.
Excellent guess. I will give the answers and some comments after the week end--there is still time to get your guess in. 3 down, over to you Kitty.
Here are the answers:
The source for the 'line' was "The Age of Wonder" by Richard Holmes, an excellent Christmas gift from Patty and Bob.
When: 1769
Who: John Banks (later, Sir John Banks)
What: It was recorded in his revealing journal while on a 3 month stop in Otahite (Tahiti) during Captain Cook's 3 year voyage of scientific (and colonial) exploration around the world.
I, too, was surprised that the statement came prior to the industrial revolution, but on reflection I think that perhaps ever since the first spear or piece of pottery, mankind has felt the ambivalence of the convenience of new 'things' versus the (as Banks puts it) "the anxieties attending upon riches."
I loved this quote:
"…anxieties intended maybe by Providence to counter balance the pleasure arising from the possession of wished for attainments, consequently increasing with increasing wealth, and in some measure keeping up the balance of happiness between the rich and the poor."
Of course, Banks was incredibly wealthy; so wealthy that he was booted out of a later Cook expedition when the Royal Society feared the expedition was being taken over by Banks and his financing. And while the rich, it seems, can afford to hold those sentiments, he also was a handsome, likable, smart, hardworking, and interesting man.
He, apparently, truly liked and respected the Tahitians. He learned (somewhat) their language and customs, joined in their society and rituals, and became good friends with the local queen and (more than friends) a beautiful member of her retinue. He became the liaison between the British and the Tahitians.
He collected incredible amounts of plant and animal specimens, but also became interested in native culture. He was perhaps the first anthropologist. He later became president of the Royal Society. Apropos to a holiday discussion, he genuinely believed that British society was often cruelly restrictive towards women, although he thought part of the blame was theirs.
I don't know why I wrote John Banks. His name is Joseph Banks.
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