Normally I would let an article like this one just quietly float past, without comment. But I found it so laugh out loud ridiculous that I can’t resist comment.
Apparently a group of Shakespeare deniers (I don’t particularly care to name them and give them any sort of Google juice) put up £40,000 to debate Stanley Wells’ Shakespeare Birthplace Trust on the usual, and of course Wells told the buggers to go pound sand, that he’s tired of rehashing the same old arguments.
The fun part comes at the end, where their leader gives us a perfect example of why it is impossible to argue logically with them:
“As Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.’ We’ve got to the fight bit.”
First of all, yes, he really did compare his cause to Gandhi, so there’s that. The more amusing bit to me, however, is that the entire article is about the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s refusal to debate the topic. So no, Mr. Anonymous, you’ve not got to the fight bit. You’re barely at the ridicule bit, honestly. Most of us would prefer to keep ignoring you.
Thank you, though, for the demonstration in how to ignore facts when they’re right in front of you and only state what supports your case. Ironic, innit?
According to the Christian Science Monitor, that quote isn't even from Gandhi, it's likely from a speech by a unionist: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0603/Political-misquotes-The-10-most-famous-things-never-actually-said/First-they-ignore-you.-Then-they-laugh-at-you.-Then-they-attack-you.-Then-you-win.-Mohandas-Gandhi
It looked to me like the SBT did make a serious effort to fight. They came out with Shakespeare Bites Back and the SAC responded point by point leaving the SBT with a black eye. Then the SBT came out with Shakespeare Beyond Doubt and the SAC again responded and left the SBT TKO'd. That is why the SBT doesn't want to get into the ring again.
The Newsweek article once again rakes over the same ashes fanning the dying embers. It strikes me that no matter how often the antis cry foul and cite their proofs, they are still a minority. The Declaration of reasonable doubt numbers has topped around 3000 signatures. Yet easily a 1000 Shakespeare companies and hundreds of festivals and pretty much every faculty globally denies the deniers. The biggest fb group on Shakespeare has some 16 million likes. Who's fooling who? The SAQ has always been and will always remain a fringe activity. That said,
they need to be challenged. I am not a dupe. I am not a robot. I looked at the evidence and found it wanting. I looked at theirs and found it wanting more.
all the best,
Will