This quote was true for the wealthy monarchs and aristocrats ruling Europe in Hugo’s day, but no longer so. In fact, I ran across a column from the Los Angeles Evening Herald from 1918 which eloquently explains why this no longer applies. Written at a time when the standard of living was much lower than today, but when sane perspectives were still found in newspapers.
Some excerpts:
🔹”In India you might see a rajah sleeping, and a miserable slave awake all night moving the “punkah,” or fan, to keep the air running. There the misery of all-night labor inflicted on a poor man gives pleasant sleep to a rich man. But in the American Pullman car, in July, the commercial traveler sleeps by night—and an electric fan, representing human intelligence, keeps the air moving, and nobody suffers.”
🔹”When the Queen of Sheba went to see Solomon, a camel probably carried her jolting on his back. And slaves ran beside her keeping off the flies, tiring themselves out. Later, in fashionable Paris, the rich man going to his dinner was carried in a Sedan chair, with poorly paid human beings running and carrying the weight of his body.”
🔹”There the comfort of the rich was based upon the discomfort of the poor. But today the prosperous gentleman rolls along in a large limousine car on the air which fills rubber tires. A chauffeur, paid a hundred dollars or more a month, well clothed and well fed, turns a little wheel.”
🔹”In tropical countries slaves brought down snow and ice from the mountain tops to cool the drinks of their masters. Now a cheap little refrigerating device, run by a small engine, supplies ice and ice-cold water and even the poorest workman drinks it.”
🔹”Fortunately for the world the number of those who enjoy luxury or comparative luxury is constantly increasing. And the extent to which the happiness of a few is based on the torment of many is diminishing every day”
🔹”But it is not wise to tell any man, rich or poor, that his troubles are all based on the crimes or heartlessness of somebody else, that he is a being without faults, and would be absolutely happy if somebody would kindly get off his back.”
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19180402.2.856&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------
Just incredible. After posting a meme blaming Charlie Kirk for his own murder, they post another a few hours later applauding Democrats for their civility.
Also, if you look at the Occupy Democrats timeline, their posts “denouncing political violence” were variations on “no one should be shot…BUT here’s a quote from Kirk showing he’s a terrible person.” Or sometimes they’d leave the first part out altogether and just attack him. There are no posts denouncing violence without qualifiers trying to gin up their base.
