Powerful quote should not be butchered

While I commend the Daily for attempting to tackle a serious topic in the recent editorial "First they came for the French fries...," I am disturbed to see a powerful saying butchered merely for a catchy headline. Martin Niemoeller, a Protestant German who strongly opposed the Nazis, wrote the famous saying: "First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak out for me."

Taking this evocative and powerful message and using it as a cute headline demeans and belittles the importance of the saying. The blatant disregard for its seriousness shows a lack of tact by the editorial staff and headline writers. I am happy to see the Daily addressing serious issues on its editorial page on a regular basis, which is something the paper did not do during my four years at Tufts. However, more caution and care should be put into writing headlines. Clever puns should be kept for the sports and arts sections, not the editorial page.



Zachary Bromer

LA '01