This reminds me of the “scamp” Lin Yutang considers society’s best defense against tyranny:
“In this present age of threats to democracy and individual liberty, probably only the scamp and the spirit of the scamp alone will save us from becoming lost as serially numbered units in the masses of disciplined, obedient, regimented and uniformed coolies. The scamp will be the last and most formidable enemy of dictatorships. He will be the champion of human dignity and individual freedom, and will be the last to be conquered. All modern civilization depends entirely upon him.”
I discussed the role of the scamp/heyoka/satirist/rascal in my letter exchange with David Josef Volodzko:
This reminds me of the “scamp” Lin Yutang considers society’s best defense against tyranny:
“In this present age of threats to democracy and individual liberty, probably only the scamp and the spirit of the scamp alone will save us from becoming lost as serially numbered units in the masses of disciplined, obedient, regimented and uniformed coolies. The scamp will be the last and most formidable enemy of dictatorships. He will be the champion of human dignity and individual freedom, and will be the last to be conquered. All modern civilization depends entirely upon him.”
I discussed the role of the scamp/heyoka/satirist/rascal in my letter exchange with David Josef Volodzko:
• “Dissident Dialogues: Margaret Anna Alice” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dissident-dialogues-margaret-anna)
I love this description. Thank you for sharing this.