Prize-fighting is still accepted as a display worthy of a civilized people despite the fact that all those connected with it are fully aware it caters to the latent sadistic instincts.

The speaker argues that prize-fighting is still treated as a display fit for a civilized people, even though everyone involved knows it feeds latent sadistic instincts. It's a charge of hypocrisy: a society calls itself civilized while enjoying something it privately recognizes as cruel.

Context reviewed 19 September 2026