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When quoting a historical figure, one should make sure the quoted person actually said the quoted words. Otherwise, one ends up looking like an awkward Ben Carson, who calmly recited a fake Joseph Stalin quote during the South Carolina GOP debate. Even worse, Carson did so as part of his closing statement, so he’s been stuck with those words for weeks. He likely didn’t find the quote on his own, as Snopes debunked it as a Facebook meme. This same social media platform is where Sarah Palin got in some trouble by posting a Mahatma Gandhi quote.
Palin may be gunning for that coveted Trump Vice Presidential nomination with the timing of this Facebook post. They’ve already joined unholy forces in the most dramatic way, and things aren’t looking much better with Palin’s latest endorsement tidbit. She posted these words from Gandhi — “first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” — overlaid on a Trump photo.
See, this is an inspirational quote and sort of works with Trump playing Rocky music at his rallies. Such fighting imagery alongside a quote from such an honorable, respected figure should be a home run. There’s just one problem. As Felicity Morse of the BBC points out, Gandhi never said these words.
Nope. This quote’s origins are nebulous, but no evidence exists of Gandhi dropping this particular wisdom. In all likelihood, the words source from trade unionist Nicholas Klein, who said something pretty dang similar in 1918:
“First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you. And that, is what is going to happen to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.”
Considering how Trump reportedly ignored his own unionized hotel workers while he was in Las Vegas for the Nevada caucus, it’s a good bet that Klein wouldn’t appreciate his words being linked to Trump (erroneously or not).
(Via Sarah Palin on Facebook & CS Monitor)