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Help me pick a winner

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Which of the four responses best addresses the question?

Poll ended at Sat Nov 19, 2016 12:41 pm

 
Total votes : 0

Help me pick a winner

Postby Dukasaur on Mon Nov 14, 2016 12:41 pm

The following was posed as a task for the contestants:
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Creative Component: Identify the statue above, and the inscription. What do you think of that as a slogan?


Here are the answers. Please choose the best.

  1. The image provided is of the life size bronze bust of Jan Garrigue Masaryk, of Prague. It is located above the entrance to the villa where his father T.G. Masaryk lived. The inscription says: Pravda vítezí, ale dá to fušku – Jan Masaryk diplomat, státník, humanista 14.9.1886-10.3.1948. Or in English, the inscription is: Truth prevails, but it takes some elbow grease. Jan Masaryk, diplomat – statesman – humanist.

    While there is no date tied to the quote, I think it could speak about where he was in his political career at the time of his suicide/murder. I would imagine there was some sleepless nights in the Masaryk household in being the only Liberal amongst his Communist government colleagues. The kind of pressure he was under would have required him to really roll up his sleeves and work hard to ensure that he was heard. And it was ultimately this pressure that may have been attributed to why he would have taken his own life.

    In the end, maybe, just maybe, I think the truth did prevail. And the elbow grease certainly was needed, but it was used for all the hard work it must have taken to prove that his death was a murder rather than a suicide. To be able to uncover all the truths that were hidden behind the lies of the communist regime, the hard work ensured that 45+/- years after his death, it was recognized what the truth really is. So while it would be a romantic notion to read the quote and use it to reflect upon yourself or the world around you, I think what Jan has been quoted as saying, is very prophetic, and it truly shows that in the end, no matter what it takes, the truth always will prevail.
  2. The Statue is a bust of Jan Masaryk - the Czech politician.

    The inscription is 'Pravda vítězí, ale dá to fušku'. (The truth prevails, but it's a chore).
    Along with his name date of birth and date of death, and 3 words summing up his life, diplomat, statesman, humanist.
    All that is easy to glean from Wikipedia or such like.

    The key question is what do I think of the slogan?

    To me this slogan has its roots in an earlier quote by Mark Twain, 'A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes'.

    What they try to both show is that, all a lie has to do is be heard and it is believed, the truth has to work to be accepted - Truth has to prove itself.
    A lie is often spoken first or loudest or by the victors whilst the truth gets buried by this, having to fight to be heard. Repeated enough times the lie becomes the truth.

    This slogan is as relevant today as it was in Jan Masaryk's day, in Mark Twain's day even throughout all History.
    You only have to look at the political campaigns that are waged on personal insult or false promises rather than on facts.

    As a slogan for me it challenges me not to accept what I hear first, to research what is going on and ultimately to discover the 'real' truth.
    It says you have to work to get the right answer but in the end you will get there and when you do it will have been worth it.
  3. Jan Masaryk
    Memorial plaque with Masaryk´s quote "Pravda vítězí, ale dá to fušku" (The truth prevails, but it's a chore). It is a reference to Czechoslovak national motto Veritas vincit (Truth prevails).

    It reminds of the saying, " The truth will set you free but first it will kick you in the face." (and many other variations along that line.) And it is very ironic with the US elections for president where both candidates seem to have a loose relationship with the truth and one even seems to have never encountered the word.

    And what occurred historically reminds me of the quote, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

    But people always seem to think it could never happen here. (Here being wherever they are.)
  4. The statue of Jan Masaryk is located in Hlavni mesto Praha, Czech Republic. The quote reads: "Pravda vítězí, ale dá to fušku" (The truth prevails, but it's a chore).

    The quote is, of course, apropos to our times, and to any moment throughout time, including both the past and what is to come. The truth can be very elusive, is never black and white, and in many cases, is open for interpretation. In other words, I disagree that the truth is eventually revealed. Often times, the truth will never be known, or will be distorted by historical perspective.

    The quote is better interpreted then, not as a romantic notion, but as a call to action. That we should not accept truths as given. A chore implies work. Long, tiring, tedious effort. And the hope conveyed by the quote is not that that the truth will always be known, but that no matter how messy it gets, truth should always be QUESTIONED. That people should not just accept the prevailing story or belief of the times, but that we should be willing to get our hands and hearts a little blemished in our quest of the noblest of elusive treasures: knowledge.

(The order of the entries has been randomized. Even if you know who wrote which one, please do not reveal it.)

NOTE: If you just follow the link here, it takes you to the written part and by-passes the poll itself. Please scroll up for the poll.
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Lieutenant Dukasaur
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Re: Help me pick a winner

Postby Dukasaur on Sun Nov 20, 2016 1:32 am

Thanks everybody.
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