Misattributed Quote of the Day: “I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.”
You’ve undoubtedly seen this quote somewhere online today, most likely attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s both pensive and timely; certainly looks like something a nonviolent activist such as King would say.
Unfortunately, he didn’t. And neither did anyone else before today, when the originator of the quote took to Twitter and decided to pretend to quote King.
“What do you get out of saying something pithy, and getting no credit for it?,” asks The Atlantic‘s Megan McArdle. “Perhaps they only wanted to say this thing, and knew that no one would pay attention unless it came from someone else,” she posits. “Or, perhaps they are getting a gargantuan kick out of seeing people repeat their lie ad infinitum.”
As Abraham Lincoln once said: “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re not quoting Martin Luther King, Jr.”
[theatlantic / photo: wikimedia.]
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