American Rhetoric: Movie Speech
"Meet John Doe" (1941)
John Doe Delivers National Radio Address
If anybody should ask you what the average John Doe is like,
you couldn't tell him because he's a million and one things. He's Mr. Big and
Mr. Small. He's simple and he's wise. He's inherently honest, but he's got a
streak of larceny in his heart. He seldom walks up to a public telephone
without shoving his finger into the slot to see if somebody left a nickel
there.
He's the man the ads are written for. He's the fella
everybody sells things to. He's Joe Doakes, the world's greatest stooge and the
world's greatest strength.
Yes, sir -- Yes, sir, we're a great family, the John Does.
We are the meek who are -- who are supposed to inherit the earth. You'll find
us everywhere. We raise the crops; we dig the mines, work the factories, keep
the books, fly the planes and drive the busses. And when a cop yells:
"Stand back there, you!" He means us, the John Does!
We have existed since time began. We built the pyramids. We
pulled the oars for Roman emperors, sailed the boats for Columbus, retreated
from Moscow with Napoleon and froze with Washington at Valley Forge.
Yes, sir. We've been in there dodging left hooks since
before history began to walk. In our struggle for freedom we've hit the canvas
many a time, but we always bounced back! Because we're the people -- and we're
tough.
They've started a lot of talk about free people going soft
-- that we can't take it. That's a lot of hooeyl A free people can beat the
world at anything, from war to tiddle-de-winks, if we all pull in the same
direction.
I know a lot of you are saying "What can I do? I'm just
a little punk. I don't count." Well, you're dead wrong! The little punks
have always counted because in the long run the character of a country is the
sum total of the character of its little punks.
But, we've all got to get in there and pitch. We can't win
the old ballgame unless we have teamwork. And that's where every John Doe comes
in. It's up to him to get together with his teammates. And your teammate, my
friend, is the guy next door to you. Your neighbor -- he's a terribly important
guy that guy next door. You're gonna need him and he's gonna need you, so look
him up. If he's sick, call on him. If he's hungry, feed him. If he's out of a
job, find him one.
To most of you, your neighbor is a stranger, a guy with a
barkin' dog and high fence around him. Now, you can't be a stranger to any guy
that's on your own team. So tear down the fence that separates you. Tear down
the fence and you'll tear down a lot of hates and prejudices. Tear down all the
fences in the country and you'll really have teamwork.
I know a lot of you are saying to yourselves, "He's
askin' for a miracle to happen. He's expectin' people to change all of a
sudden. Well, you're wrong. It's no miracle. It's no miracle because I see it
happen once every year. And, and so do you -- at Christmas time. There's
somethin' swell about the spirit of Christmas, to see what it does to people,
all kinds of people.
Now, why can't that spirit, that same, warm Christmas spirit
last the whole year around? Gosh, if it ever did, if each and every John Doe
would make that spirit last 365 days out of the year, we'd develop such
strength, we'd create such a tidal wave of good will that no human force could
stand against it. Yes sir, my friends, the meek can only inherit the earth when
the John Doe's start lovin' their neighbors.
You better start right now. Don't wait till the game is
called on account of darkness.
Wake up, John Doe. You're the hope of the world.
