Charlie Chaplin - Final Speech from The Great Dictator
Why Hacker News recommends it
Commenters cite it as inspirational and relevant whenever power, technology and humanity are in tension.
What it is
The closing speech from Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film The Great Dictator, in which the barber appeals for humanity, kindness and liberty over machinery and cleverness.
Recommended by 2 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2022 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Recommends qbasic_forever · 2022-07 · on “Cinema’s greatest scene: ‘Casablanca’ and ‘La Marseillaise’ (2015)”
Watch Chaplin's The Great Dictator and it's really amazing when you realize it came out in 1940 and was created in the late 30's, right when Hitler was seizing power and starting WW2. Chaplin was a genius and realized the most powerful way to hurt Hitler was to make him look like a fool and mock him. Its monologue is an equally unforgettable scene: [this video]
Recommends UtopiaPunk · 2026-06 · on “India's surprise baby bust is a warning to the world”
Is the concern that we'd marginalize parents and kids? As a parent of little kids, that's a concern that wasn't even on my radar. I had no idea that that was a major concern of people. Wild. I'm not saying it is a fabricated or unfounded fear, I just don't have that concern at all for myself. As a parent of little kids, I worry much more about them living fulfilling lives as they grow up in the future. I'm concerned about climate change, wars, and an economic system that will allow them to live self-actualized lives. I have no doubt that the population number plays some factor in that, creating problems that must be solved. But ultimately, humans have created amazing technologies and the Ear
Cites neogimp · 2023-12 · on “We think too much and feel too little”
[this video] the line "The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish…" gave me a chill. i believe in science, progress, and long for a day where everyone is treated with equality and empathy. but- once billionaires start living longer with longevity regimes / giant piles of money, how long until we are subjected to the whims of a maniac who will not die like musk, bezos, or gates?