A Sign of the Times Dear randall: From time to time, we here at Team Grayson yield the floor to someone else. Today, we thought that it would be fun to share with you one of the great political speeches of all time - except its not delivered by a politician, and its not a speech. Its a monologue written by the great screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, from the spectacular movie Network (1976). Enjoy! TV Anchor Howard Beale: I dont have to tell you that things are bad. Everybody knows that things are bad. Its a depression. Everybodys out of work, or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickels worth, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street. Theres nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and theres no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat. We sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if thats the way its supposed to be. We know that things are bad -- worse than bad. Theyre crazy. Its like everything everywhere is going crazy. So we dont go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller. And all we say is, Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I wont say anything. Just leave us alone. Well, Im not going to leave you alone. I want you to get mad! I dont want you to protest. I dont want you to riot. I dont want you to write to your Congressman, because I wouldnt know what to tell you to write. I dont know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the streets. All I know is that first, youve got to get mad. Youve got to say, Im a HUMAN BEING, Goddamnit! My life has VALUE! So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now, and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, IM AS MAD AS HELL, AND IM NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE! I want you to get up right now! Sit up, go to your windows, open them, stick your head out and yell - IM AS MAD AS HELL, AND IM NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE! Things have got to change. But first, youve got to get mad! Youve got to say, Im as mad as hell, and Im not going to take this anymore! Then well figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first, get up out of your chairs, open the windows, stick your head out and yell! Say it! IM AS MAD AS HELL, AND IM NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE! Paid for and Authorized by the Committee to Elect Alan Grayson If you do not wish to receive further email from Congressman Grayson, please click here to unsubscribe. cl.exct.net/?qs=3287c38ac0d60c088b83de3a9eb170892dff4d6e1b569bb014da45c787bdf63c
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 21:51:27 +0000
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