"Don't Liberate me - I'll Do It Myself" Graffiti, Paris May 1968
Here is another quote, presumably from the same graffiti wall in Paris, May 1968:
"To be free in 1968 means to participate."
What is actually interesting is not that these quotations seem to contradict each other, but what they actually mean in the context of events in France in 1968. That was the year of the "socialist revolution" in France under the leadership of the French Communist Party, to "liberate" the workers. Taking this context in consideration, my interpretation of "Don't Liberate me - I'll Do It Myself" is that the author was protesting the communist movement and the threat of a communist dictatorship in France. Then it becomes very ironic and contradictory if one tries to use the same quotation to oppose the war in Iraq and to express solidarity with the Saddam's dictatorship. One could, of course, make an argument that the American-imposed regime in Iraq will also be a dictatorship, but it would still be a gross misuse of the said quotation. It's like writing an essay in support for the white supremacists and signing it with the "I have a dream..." quotation. Very funny, don't you think? So much for the topic of this
thread.
Here are more
France 1968 Quotes. I chose the most consistent one for my signature here at JavaRanch:
"Hide yourself, object!" Graffiti, Paris May 1968
(sounds like the French communists knew a few things about encapsulation)

[ March 31, 2003: Message edited by: Eugene Kononov ]