... in a savage land ... it would be scandalous to eat without having loudly called out thrice whether there is not somebody wanting to share the food. All that a respectable citizen has to do now is to pay the poor tax and to let the starving starve. The ... theory which maintains that men can, and must, seek their own happiness in disregard of other people's wants is now triumphant all round in law, in science, in religion. It is the religion of the day.
-Petr Kropotkin, Mutual Aid, 1902
Well, that was 113 years ago. We need a minor elision to bring the second sentence up to date: "All that a respectable citizen has to do now is...let the starving starve."
Tony Benn - 10-minute history lesson (video).
