Ken Kesey speech

(spoken to a large Vietnam War protest rally at Berkeley, as recorded by Tom Wolfe)

You know, you're not going to stop this war with this rally, by marching... That's what THEY do... They hold rallies and they march... They've been having wars for ten thousand years and you're not gonna stop it this way... Ten thousand years, and this is the game they play to do it... holding rallies and having marches... and that's the same game you're playing... THEIR game...

(singing with harmonica) Home, home on the range... Home... home... on the ra-a-a-a-ange...

I was just looking at the speaker who was up here before me... and I couldn't hear what he was saying... but I could hear the sound of it... and I could hear YOUR sound coming back at him... and I could see the gestures... and I could see his jaw sticking out like this... silhouetted against the sky... and you know who I saw... and who I heard?... Mussolini... I saw and I heard Mussolini here just a few minutes ago... Yep... you're playing their game...

Home... home on the range...

We've all heard all this before, but we keep on doing it... I went to see the Beatles last month... And I heard 20,000 girls screaming together at the Beatles... and I couldn't hear what they were screaming, either... But you don't have to... They're screaming Me! Me! Me! Me!... Me!... I'm Me!... That's the cry of the ego, and that's the cry of this rally!... Me! Me! Me! Me!... And that's why wars get fought... ego... because enough people want to scream Pay attention to Me... Yep, you're playing their game... There's only one thing to do... there's only one thing's gonna do any good at all... And that's everybody just look at it, look at the war, and turn your backs and say... Fuck it...

Home... home on the range...

Just look at it and turn away and say... Fuck it....