What made me think of the "Great War" was its catalytic event--the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. Not only did the murder of one man eventually lead to the death of millions, but it also resulted in profound changes in economics, philosophy, the arts, technology, religion, and politics. Also, the failure of Tsarist Russia in World War I triggered the Russian Revolution, an event which affected the rest of the 20th Century.
How crazy those people were, this schoolboy thought. Things would never get so out of control nowadays over the death of one man few had heard of.
Like the Archduke Ferdinand, the killing of one man, George Floyd, by the police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis in May has mushroomed unimaginably. Nationwide protests, looting, and riots have been the result, with millions agreeing that "structural racism" has been built into the bones of America since its founding.
One man, one death, one crime---and suddenly the world's one indispensable nation of 330 million people is rotten to the core.
I am not going to dismiss or deride the feelings of those who are upset, but this geezer has seen such emotion many times before. Programs will be started, most of which will be ineffectual.
All this, too, shall pass.
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