On 6 Mar 01, at 10:04, Jean-Louis Couturier wrote:
> Stalin killed and tortured a lot of people.
> Pol Pot killed and tortured a lot of people.
> Sade wrote about making people suffer, in a mostly moral way
> and about taboo sexual practices. Even if you find this
> unpalatable, in what way is it evil?
>
> I personnally nominate Isabella of Spain who started all
> the unpleasantness with regards to the Inquisition.
>
>
> Jean-Louis Couturier, from a hotel room in Austin
Let me be very careful in saying that I do *not* condemn Sade on
the basis of his writings. I have no problem whatsoever with
anything anyone feels like committing to print. I've read a bit of
Sade and, much to my dismay, found it quite enjoyable in parts.
(His recent movie wasn't that bad either :-))
On the other hand, Sade didn't restrict himself to writing. He was
picked up several times for his imprisonment and abuse of
prostitutes.
Anyone care to think about how much you'd have to do to make a
prostitute complain to the police in pre-revolutionary France?
Yes, it's completely arbitrary who we do and don't label evil. Sade,
personally, I would. Isabella? Well, she did basically found Spain
by uniting Castille and Aragon. And she did bankroll Columbus'
trip. And, to her credit, she made a point of visiting almost every
town in Castille, making her one of the most visible monarchs in
European history, and familiarizing herself with local concerns
MUCH more than even most modern politicians do.
It just so happens the local population of Spain at that time was big
on killing Muslims and expelling Jews. *sigh* So much for the
wisdom of rule by majority opinion.
-Brian Giles
