Letters: Jungle Massacre
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: When you headline the account of the Hutu massacre in Uganda with a reference to "the law of the jungle" (4 March), you make the common mistake of reversing the proper meaning of the term. It means not so much the absence of order imposed from above as the presence of order evolved from below.
It was authoritatively expounded a century ago by Rudyard Kipling in his two Jungle Books. The Mowgli stories repeatedly quote it to describe the practical rules which must be observed by every community - in this case the imaginary community of animals in the Seeonee Hills of central India - if its members are to coexist without external authority.
In this sense, the law of the jungle - based on the slogan, "We be one blood, thou and I" - represents the same concept as that of universal human rights, and it should not be applied to the violation of such rights.
MARY LEWIS
Freedom Press
London E1
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments