Can someone tell me the origin of the cliche' "Don't kill the messenger?" Extra points if you can relate it in a kind but accurate way to AB.
by 
justinoldguy
ANSWERS: 3
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For most of time, (because we didn't have telephones, email, radios, etc) the way to get news from point A to point B was the use of a messenger. Many times the messenger brought bad news. To make a point the messenger was slaughtered and sent back, even though he was only the one conveying the message, he wasn't the one who created the situation that was undesirable. So the term means simply don't kill me i'm just delivering the bad news. As for AB - people ask questions, and when some of us give honest, well thought out answers, they don't like what they see. So, then they rate us down, because they didn't like the news, and in fact they are simply "killing the messenger". Edit -- The exact phrase "Don't kill the messenger" is rumored to be part of a line from 'Antigone' by Sophocles... although I couldn't find any proof of that... even after scanning the text of the play myself. Maybe someone else will have better luck with that.
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DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER -- From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" by Gregory Y. Titelman: "Don't shoot the messenger. Don't blame the person who brings bad news. This idea was expressed by Sophocles as far back as 442 B.C. and much later by Shakespeare in 'Henry IV, Part II' (1598) and in 'Antony and Cleopatra' (1606-07) Don't hurt innocent people. Originated in the United States in the Wild West, around 1860. During his 1883 tour of the United States, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) saw this saying on a notice in a Leadville, Colorado, saloon. It is sometimes attributed to Mark Twain, but neither Wilde nor Twain has ever claimed authority." the phrase finder
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It came from Medeival times when Kings would send messages to other kingdoms that might be several days run. The messenger was never allowed to read the message because if it were bad news the king that recieved the message would kill the messenger for bringing it. I have noticed that if someone doesn't like the answers to a question that they rate it down even when there is proof of the quality of the answer. Also, the opinion questions should not be allowed to have ratings as, how can you rate an opinion? Right or wrong, it is their opinion!
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