Do you know how to catch wild pigs?

[Azur]

Got this in email, thought it was pretty good...

There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some Exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt.



The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.



In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'



The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming.

When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat the free corn, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.



Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.



The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/ Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time.


One should always remember 'There is no such thing as a free Lunch!' Also, 'You can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America, you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gate slams shut!

 

[anart]

Hi Azur,

This actually sounds like one of those anti-social services emails sent out by the far right political groups. Also, they neglect to mention that the gate slammed shut at birth -there is no American Democracy -and in a forest where the foraging is 'fixed' from the get go, it's a ludicrous comparison - if America was 'free' and there were equal foraging opportunities for all, that would be a different case - but the truth is that the 'gate slammed shut' a long, long time ago and it has nothing at all to do with social services and societal safety nets, which are, in fact, very few and far between and certainly no where near the level they should be to ethically and adequately care for society at large.

 

[ScioAgapeOmnis]

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/ Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time.

It's true Americans are losing their freedoms, but not because of any communist or socialist kind of policies. They are losing freedoms because of ignorance and fear based on illusory threats. I guess you could say that socialist policies would result in loss of freedoms if they are used as distractions - "bread and circuses". But not because helping people survive and get food and medicine and housing is "bad" in and of itself and results in "loss of freedoms" - that's disinfo. It's only "bad" if it is used as such - as in the example with the pigs where the pigs were simply not paying attention, and the fence was built slowly one step at a time that they did not realize it happening. The example with the pigs would've worked without free food as well - you could build a fence slowly around the natural grazing grounds of a herd of pigs, and they'd react the same way and not notice it. The free food part was just thrown in to turn it into a problem of "free lunch", which it never was, it was a problem of "not paying attention"!

Bottom line, it's disinfo, it includes truths but twists the conclusion to mean socialism/communism = the problem.

Also, as I understand it, free lunch is a problem because there is no such thing. STO helps - but does not just provide for you what you can learn to do yourself, or with some help. So someone who just provides disempowers you from the ability to do it yourself and creates a reliance on them for this, that's true. Also free lunch is used as a distraction. But socialist policies is akin to STO assistance not STS "free lunch". Socialist policies do not just make everything free, they simply provide some assistance.

But our socialist policies are practically non-existan, it's dog-eat-dog capitalism. Imagine if all the money we use for wars and other such things would instead be used for humanitarian ways? Suddenly everybody's life would improve *dramatically* with no additional effort. Is that a result of "free lunch"? Well not really, it's simply them not *taking* what they're now taking away. We all earn a LOT more than we actually get from our work, because right now most of the efforts of humanity are used towards destruction and control, or just into the top of the hierarchy of any corporation we happen to work for, and people get only a tiny fraction of the returns their efforts would otherwise yield if the pathocracy did not spend all those resources towards its own purposes and thrown us a bone to gnaw on just to maintain the illusion that we're "earning a living". All those countless trillions either being mysteriously "lost" or simply invested into war or going into the pockets of a some "people" at the top, and that's just a start.

So I dunno what "wonderful government help" this story refers to, EVERYTHING is being taken away from the average folk, and if they decide to give us a scrap of the results of our *own* efforts it's considered "free lunch"? It's like building that fence over a long time and once it encloses you on all sides, opening a little part of the fence and calling it "a huge amount of freedom!" while ignoring that the entire fence wasn't there before.

 

[Youngfox]

Although Anart makes the good point that such analogies are utilized by far right groups that are “anti-social services” that analogy works much better when you apply it to the “boiling frog” effect of the unthinking acceptance of “convenience technologies” as benevolent advances of our “consumer”, (formerly human) experience.

Of course “bread and circuses” are no longer free to the masses ala Rome.
Because of the hard work of folks like Edward Bernaise and his psychopathic ilk, it does not have to be free.
People will step on each other’s necks to be the first to shell out for the latest techno trinket status symbol that can (like “Onstar” or even this computer I’m typing on) be used against you.
(replace “free corn” with the latest high end status techno luxury)

The society at large does not seem to cast much suspicion upon facts like “GM Onstar” can disable your car engine and unlock your doors.

The illusion of freedom is just that and yes the gates slammed shut long ago but the mostly unheralded “dual uses” of today’s “convenience technologies” as outlined on today’s SOTT page article,

http://www.signs-of-the-times.org/articles/show/141570-More+Technology+Means+Less+Privacy

highlight the way in which we matrix dwellers are, almost passionately, making the jobs of our controllers much easier.

 

[Cyre2067]

Ya... that's straight disinfo - may I inquire what ya thought was "pretty good" about it Azur?

 

[Azur]

Ya... that's straight disinfo - may I inquire what ya thought was "pretty good" about it Azur?

I hadn't looked too deep into it as some here have, but the thought that struck me was the development of the dependency aspect as well as how one can easily be led by exploited laziness.


Unless you grow your own food and built your own house, hidden somewhere where you can't be found, it is pretty much impossible to not depend on someone else. It's a matter of degree. The other thing, though, is the centralization of who you depend on which concentrates power to the latter...

 

[anart]

Ya... that's straight disinfo - may I inquire what ya thought was "pretty good" about it Azur?

I hadn't looked too deep into it as some here have, but the thought that struck me was the development of the dependency aspect as well as how one can easily be led by exploited laziness.

It seems that dependency is impossible to avoid in this existence - it is also not always a bad thing - an example: no one can get out of here alone. The general masses of humanity are born into dependency, so was it the dependency aspect that caught your interest in this 'story'?

Unless you grow your own food and built your own house, hidden somewhere where you can't be found, it is pretty much impossible to not depend on someone else.

Even if you grow your own food and built your own house, you are still dependant on someone else - unless you live as a hermit with no emotional attachments/needs - my point is that this existence is very often dependence - though the example you posted is much less about that than it is a socio-political statement.

It's a matter of degree. The other thing, though, is the centralization of who you depend on which concentrates power to the latter...

To what power do you refer? Do you consider general human existence to be one of enslavement? If you do not, then I'm curious as to why not? I'm just wondering since it seems rather obvious that every single human being on this planet lives 'under the power' of others, so how is reducing social services, which is what the article you posted suggests, even approach the real problem? Just some questions, I do appreciate the general illustration of placing the cage slowly and allowing adjustment before placing the next 'side' or level, I just think this particular application of the idea is rather implicitly flawed.

 

[Miss Isness]

What about the gradual imposition of limits so that people become accustomed to them? That certainly is a valid point. I agree that saying the corn symbolizes social programs is not valid in the case of the U.S., however it may be valid regarding countries taken over by communism. I admit I don't know enough about history to say for sure, but I do know that the communist party in Italy backs a lot of social programs, unions, etc.

Perhaps one could say the corn represents what the U.S. once had to offer in the way of job opportunities. It was considered the land of opportunity after all. Of course, that's different now and the corn has been reduced to a pittance. Ironically, there are still a lot of blind people who dream of relocating to the U.S. because instead of seeing the current situation for what it is, they stubbornly fixate on what once was. By now, the reduction of corn has been so gradual that in spite of the fact that the gate is still open, people have become accustomed to fighting over it, and criminalizing the poor. Soon, the gate will be slammed shut, a lot of the remaining corn will disappear, and it will be necessary to work hard to root out truffles like before only within the fenced in territory.

That's my take on it anyway.

 

[Lan8r]

The 'Land of Opportunity' is and has always been an illusion. Therefore if the corn, in relation to the US, represents the illusion of the American Dream, then the fence is not even necessary. There is no sustenance in the illusion of corn. And soon the pigs will starve to death, all the while thinking they are feasting like kings.

 

[Miss Isness]

Hi Lan8r,

You make a good point, and yet I think there's more to it than that. If you look carefully at history, I think you will find that while most of Europe was just trying to get back on their feet in the aftermath of WWII, the U.S. was starting to thrive economically and there were, indeed many opportunities, especially when compared to what was available elsewhere. There is a reason why the U.S. was called the land of opportunity, and that's because word of the success of some immigrants traveled back to their country of origin. That doesn't necessarily mean that all immigrants found opportunity. The Italian mafia certainly did quite well. Others found success as well largely due to the fact that they came in a prosperous period, and being far more determined and accustomed to hardship than Americans that had already achieved a certain level of comfort, they were able to establish their own businesses and become property owners - something that would have been near impossible for them in their countries of origin.

The other thing to consider is that one of the things that contributes to the illusion of opportunity is the availability of cheap, imported goods and the average quality of life in the U.S.. I had a really hard time adjusting to life in Italy when I got here 10 years ago because it's customary to forgo the heating of one's house as much as possible. In fact, a lot of restaurants and clubs don't use any heating in the winter at all, and temperatures sometimes drop below 0 degrees centigrade outside. Furthermore, it's very common for extended families to continue living in the same house until the 'children' get good jobs, or get married, which is often times well after the age of 30.

I don't think being able to move out at a fairly young age, having a toasty house in the winter, and access to cheap goods necessarily constitute an opportunity, but it certainly does contribute to one's well being, and the ease that allows people to dedicate more energy to the pursuit of personal goals.

So, I guess my point is that opportunity, like most things, is relative. Certainly, there was never the opportunity to live in a just, and sane society, where one is rewarded fairly for one's contribution, and the needy are both required to contribute if they can, and taken care of even if they can't.

 

[Azur]

It seems that dependency is impossible to avoid in this existence - it is also not always a bad thing - an example: no one can get out of here alone. The general masses of humanity are born into dependency, so was it the dependency aspect that caught your interest in this 'story'?

Agreed. Born here, and you eat or you die. Built-in dependency. Born to be a taker, if you rationalize being born was important. Tough question. Yes, the dependency is of interest, and even more the leverage it brings to those who would exploit it.

Unless you grow your own food and built your own house, hidden somewhere where you can't be found, it is pretty much impossible to not depend on someone else.

Even if you grow your own food and built your own house, you are still dependant on someone else

Or something else: such as land (plants), or animals. The ancient Natives the World over (as recounted in cultural observation), would ask the World/Universe/Spirits for sustenance: it would come in crops or an animal self-sacrificing itself by being within range of Native tools. Is this how it went, or is it self-conscious culture wide apologia?

- unless you live as a hermit with no emotional attachments/needs

Someone with no emotional bio-chemical induced attachments, seeing emotional needs for what they are, i.e. wants, would have no trouble being a hermit or living in a thriving city. Are there real, non-chemical-corporeal/brain pattern entrainment induced requirements in human beings? I think there are, and when you get down to them, when the fog clears, it won't matter where you are, alone or in a multitude, they remain clear, and independent of your relation to others.

HOWEVER: the individual's perception "matrix" can only evolve and grow to encompass more of "total reality" depending on the individual's experiences. Interaction with the Universe (in our situation) via Earth Nature certainly leads there, but interactions with other individuals who perform housekeeping on their own perception matrix, makes for good exchanges, too.

- my point is that this existence is very often dependence - though the example you posted is much less about that than it is a socio-political statement.

Yes, agreed. I didn't take it at face value, there *was* a not-so-subtle manipulation in the message: get mad, you are being ripped off! But the deeper issues of why goes beyond what most are willing to look at anyway.

Most people would resonate to the core allegory (maybe I'm projecting here), they feel it low down inside somewhere, and they don't really know why, but a response is felt. Where it bubbles to, and how it is channeled or directed to, is the manipulation. So: everybody knows something is wrong, and some exploit the feeling evoked from that.

It's a matter of degree. The other thing, though, is the centralization of who you depend on which concentrates power to the latter...

To what power do you refer?

I'm referring to those who recognize that some/most feel something is really wrong here, and have been crafty in their evocation of the feeling in others, and THEN direct that energy elsewhere (for truth: most don't know what they can DO about it, almost any outlet for the frustration deep down is better than none).

Do you consider general human existence to be one of enslavement? If you do not, then I'm curious as to why not? I'm just wondering since it seems rather obvious that every single human being on this planet lives 'under the power' of others, so how is reducing social services, which is what the article you posted suggests, even approach the real problem? Just some questions, I do appreciate the general illustration of placing the cage slowly and allowing adjustment before placing the next 'side' or level, I just think this particular application of the idea is rather implicitly flawed.

Flawed only if you think that a solution was proposed. Not flawed if you see it was an effort to "draw energy" from a situation.

And yes, oh yes, do I ever consider general human existence to be one of enslavement.

The real crime perpetrated here is seeing that other things are possible, but having no understanding of how to achieve it. If one could not see how it could be different, everything would be blissful, eh?

Wait a minute. Isn't that what is being attempted?

 

[Cyre2067]

Ah, i see what you liked about it now Azur. Thanks. I guess the thing that jumped out of me was that the truth of the slowly built fence (water brought to boil, albeit slow) resonated but then the subtle twist at the end with the correlation of that with social services is what made me think - huh?

It's that same pattern we see in CoIntelPro, truth truth truth... and tiny lil LIE at the end that totally changes the meaning of the entire bit.