On the record
We say, morally, that high character is conformity to present public opinion; we say industrially that the present order is best and that children must be trained to perpetuate it.
Said by
W.E.B. Du Bois
Source
gutenberg.orgW.E.B. Du Bois: “We say, morally, that high character is conformity to present public opinion; we say industrially that the present order…”
Editor's note · Context
This statement critiques societal norms that equate high character with conformity to prevailing public opinion.
Share
More from W.E.B. Du Bois
Jan 1, 1903
One ever feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.
Jan 1, 1903
The form and disposition of the laborers’ cabins throughout the Black Belt is to-day the same as in slavery days.
Jan 1, 1903
Alas, with the years all this fine contempt began to fade; for the words I longed for, and all their dazzling opportunities, were theirs, not mine.
Jan 1, 1903
The direct result of this system is an all-cotton scheme of agriculture and the continued bankruptcy of the tenant.