h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Once upon a time a society quietly decided to take a family business away from a certain individual simply because of the way certain genes were expressed. The business was given by the government to another member of the society whose genes were expressed differently. The dispossessed family went off to live on the other side of the tracks where they lived a very hard life, looking across the tracks, knowing that they weren't allowed to enjoy what was right there for them to see. They grubbed through garbage cans trying to survive.

Back at the family business, the new owner walked into a going concern. He worked long hours behind the counter (which he got for free) in the building (which he got for free) and he sold the goods (which he got for free) and when those goods were gone, he used part of the revenue to pay for more goods. In time this member of society passed the business (which he got for free) on to his son (as his daughters had all married [as, of course, had his son]). The son now had a thriving business which he recieved for free, merely because of the expression of certain genes. He continued the tradition of his father.

After he passed the business on to his son, society had a realization. The family society had dispossesed really had no particular moral failing that meritted their dispossession. Society felt its conscience. Society wanted to make amends some how. Society realized that it would not be progress to merely disposses the grandson of the first member to have th business in order to restore the business to the grandson of the family that had been dispossessed. Instead, society decided that since certain members of society had benefited for generations from the original crime, society as a whole should make some sort of reparation to the dispossessed family. As well, it was decided that for a few generations, society would level the playing field for the decendents of the victims in order to bring equity to society for the future and for the benefit of all of society.

The family on the other side of the tracks was grateful, of course, but they still were looked down upon by the members of the family who had been given their business, as though it were somehow a moral failing that had caused the removal of their business. The members of the family who were given the business complained that the people on the other side of the tracks were getting "special rights", that it was "reverse descrimination". These members did not appreciate that they had been given a gift by society at the expense of others. They refused to acknowledge the debt they owed to others for the high place they had been given in society.

The people on the other side of the tracks could not find a way to get back across. Despite what were being described as "special rights" they still found themselves going through the garbage to make a living. If any of the daughters of the family actually managed to struggle across the tracks to try to make a better life for themselves and a better society for all, too often they were chased back, or beaten, or even killed for their trouble. The member of society who stood behind the counter shook his head when he read of these incidents and said "act of a madman" "Those people on the other side of the tracks should be satisfied with their special rights" or "I work hard for what I've got; you don't here me bleating about inequality."

Good, but *expressed genes* aren't really along the lines of a classic parable, are they? You should make it what a parable should be, a simple story with a complex moral. But B+ anyway.

I prefer a complex story with a moral so simple that it should be obvious to any idiot over the age of two. ("should" be.)

I've probably told this story before but I'll do it again anyway. I've got a friend whose grandparents were given a quarter section of Pappaschase land by the Canadian government on which to homestead (it was irrelevant at the time, apparently, that the Pappaschase were still trying to get compensation for their land.) This friend's grandparents and parents worked hard on that land and made a productive farm of it. My friend's parents retired quite well after the land was sold and my friend was given an awfully nice start in life.

I once was discussing the compensation for descendents of interred Japanese-Canadians with him and he was steadfastly opposed to such compensation for ancient history (three generations before) until I told him a variation of the parable: Japanese guy has a successful corner store that he built himself. Before he can expand his business, WWII breaks out, the government takes his store and sells it to a white guy for 5 dollars, white guy and his son expand the business over the years. The grandson inherits a multimillion dollar business that was started by the grandfather of the guy that mowes his lawn for 5 bucks an hour.

My friend agreed after that story that it was appropriate to make at least some sort of token restitution for the initial disposession. But he could see the look in my eye, because he immediately went on to yell "But it's different with the Indians!"

It's often different when you're caught holding the bag of stolen goods.

I see the point of your parable - I think it is good, it's a situation we have here in New Zealand (though not exactly the same.) George Takei has written about the situation of Japanese Americans, and his family's loss - have you read his work? (Not that the Indian situation isn't *exactly* the same!)

I've not read Mr. Takei's book. There is, however, a quite large Japanese Canadian literature, most notably, perhaps, Joy Kagawa's "Obasan", which is on the school curriculum in a number of provinces. If all goes well, it will only take a few generations (in Mao's sense of generations of High School students) before Canada will be a very different place. In fact, it's already a very different place from when I was in elementary school (about five Mao generations ago). I can only hope the gains will not be fritterred away.

Nice Cohen reference, BTW, Zoomer. Have you noticed my "Red Needles" entry? (It seems like no one's noticed it.)

I'll have a look, anhaga, for Joy Kagawa's book (it must be availabe here in NZ, surely.)
Canada seems like a place that is changing a lot!

"Canada seems like a place that is changing a lot!"

It's all due to Rev. Paperboy!

Aha! I haven't come across him for a while... How is he?

He must be busy. I've not heard from him in a few days.

"It's all due to Rev. Paperboy"

What, the nation is pining away for me in my abscence?

I am not taking the rap for this, I didn't do nothing, and besides nobody saw me do it!

too bad I already cast my vote for Greatest Canadian

let me guess..........Don Cherry? Stockwell 'Doris' Day? Ralph 'damn those eastern creeps and bums' Klien?

Oh wait that's the list of worst Canadians

like the parable by the way.

Howdy Della, you haven't seen me about for awhile cause Ive mostly been avoiding the Iraq threads. Too many cementheaded uberpatriots from the shallow end of the gene pool in there for me.

Then you should get over to the "I hate to say it" thread encrusted onto the Montreal Massacre entry on the front page. No cementheads there.

Yeah I lurked it and was too annoyed/busy to comment. I'm guessing mullet won't be back to read it anyways. Its nice that he points out that he's a liberal kinda guy. I betcha 'some of his best friends are women'

As if he has any friends

Nice parable, anhaga.

hi Rev,
I always find it strange when people like Mullet post something so inflammatory, get a whole bunch of people arguing about it, and then don't bother to reply again. His personal space says he's a 6th form student. Perhaps he'll grow up one day?

az

Very good, Anhaga.

The CBC has been running a series of documentaries on both radio and tv about the Roma in Slovakia. It is very interesting. The attitude of the Slovak majority mirrors much of what is said about Native people, here in Canada (and in the US).... "They live like they do because they want to", "We already give them too much", "There is no segregation, they are allowed to shop and patronize any shop" (doesn'tmean the chopkeepers have to serve them, though), "They get free housing. What more do they want?"

The most ludicrous statement I ever heard was from the mouth of my own sister, though she knows better now.

When I first started dating the man I eventually married, I was telling her about him. I mentioned he was Native. She suddenly erupted with.... "I get sick of how "WE" give "them" everything and "they" just want more. Did you know that every year the government give "them" a free snowmobile and a case of beer! They just run the snowmobile into the ground because they get another one next year."

I was stunned by this.... Trying not to roll on the floor laughing, I said "I'm not sure where you got that idea from. I can assure you that the government doesn't give them "free snowmobiles" and certainly doesn't give them beer."

I then gave her a few home truths about the conditions that the majority of Reserve natives live in, not of their own choice, and with no options open to them, and often with generations of cultural loss and familial.

She said after that she was wrong and that she was willing to concede that she knew very little what I had told her.

When I told John, he said.... "Geez, I want my case of beer! In fact, I should be requesting retroactive beer. They owe me 30 cases of beer! Who do I contact?"

My father, too, had funny ideas about what "reservation lands" were like. He had the impression that the land given to Natives was prime real-estate. He was surprised to learn that most of the land given, especially in the US was the land no one else wanted.

He really erupted when I told him that in South Africa, the "Homelands" "given" to the black population was arid, remote, desolate, and without sources of food and water. Most people who worked had to travel from their homes, and in many cases, parents lived in shelter provided for employers, while their children lived in the "homelands". Water had to be trucked in. In order to leave the homelands, you needed a pass and had to have a job in order to leave. They weren't free to come and go.

They were under or uneducated because the education allowed for blacks was substandard, as was medical care.

My father was really taken aback. I was surprised because, as someone considered "colored" by South African standards, he should have known better. As someone who had experienced racism, himself, I could not believe that he was ignorant of the facts.

Nice to hear from you, Rev! I know what you mean about the Iraq threads, they've been extraordinarily inactive lately - or maybe there are others I haven't noticed. I must look around!

Do you mean he had come from South Africa, Mudhooks? I thought he was from the sub-continent (your father, I mean.)

He was from India. However, we had been talking about Native people here and the reserves on which many live. I made the comparison to South Africa. He was unaware of the actual conditions in the "Homelands".

He wouldn't have been allowed to travel into South Africa at the time, being non-white.