Listen to Nature

[PunkRocks]

OLD VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house
and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the
summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!


*********************************** **************

MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house
and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the
summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands
to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well
fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper
next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with
food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country
of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries
when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the
news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome." Jesse then has
the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Tom Daschle & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Peter Jennings that the
ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an
immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share."

Finally, the EEOC drafts the "Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act,"
retroactive to the beginning of the summer.The ant is fined for failing to
hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay
his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation
suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges
that Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the
ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the
ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now
abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the
once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Vote Republican

[open mind]

if only things were really that simple and you weren't a complete waste of space.

[_astheruinfalls]

Haha, that's the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

Moral of the story: you're a fucking idiot.

[PunkRocks]

If only you two were mature enough to realize it's a satire; and not respond with personal attacks.

[open mind]

yeah i lack the maturity it involves to completly generalize and ignore real problems.

[_astheruinfalls]

If you were smart enough to realize that it's possibly the stupidest "satire" ever. I don't think it even deserves that title.

[venus/bacchus]

I agree in principle, but that's an extreme oversimplification. My money shouldn't be used to help others unless I decide it should.

[commatosa]

This is the most racist story I've ever heard. So you're basically saying that all minorities don't work for what they get. And all white people do. And the only way a minority lives in a nice house is if it was stolen from white people. And when minorities take over the white people's property it crumbles and goes to shit. I think you have this forum mistaken for KKK.com. You might want to check it out. They'll probably appreciate your story a lot more.

[venus/bacchus]

This is the most racist story I've ever heard. So you're basically saying that all minorities don't work for what they get. And all white people do. And the only way a minority lives in a nice house is if it was stolen from white people. And when minorities take over the white people's property it crumbles and goes to shit. I think you have this forum mistaken for KKK.com. You might want to check it out. They'll probably appreciate your story a lot more.
What the hell are you talking about? When did race ever come into it? It was a story about working for yourself, not depending on others. Learn some discernment.

[commatosa]

What the hell are you talking about? When did race ever come into it? It was a story about working for yourself, not depending on others. Learn some discernment.

Venus, look more into that story. The cricket obviously represents either black or hispanic people, and the ant is obviously a representation of white people. The story is undermining affirmative action. I don't understand how you didn't see that. Yeah, everyone knows that you need to work for yourself in this country. And we dems realize that. But it was ignorant people in the beginning that deprived minorities of their human rights to where us democrats stuck up for the little guy.

[venus/bacchus]

Venus, look more into that story. The cricket obviously represents either black or hispanic people, and the ant is obviously a representation of white people. The story is undermining affirmative action. I don't understand how you didn't see that. Yeah, everyone knows that you need to work for yourself in this country. And we dems realize that. But it was ignorant people in the beginning that deprived minorities of their human rights to where us democrats stuck up for the little guy.
It's a parable, you can attempt to take it at near face value. Not everything is race related. There are lazy white people just like there are lazy black people. There are productive and aspiring blacks along with whites. I don't know why you'd have any reason to make the assuption that race is involved.

[PunkRocks]

It's about working vs not working. There's nothing about race, because I am positive that there are white, african-american, hispanic, and asian people that are both like the ant and like the grasshopper. And in the story, it clearly states what it's about in the first two sentences:

"The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house
and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the
summer away."

The story is undermining affirmative action.
Actually.. Affirmative action deals with those that are employed. The grasshopper in this story was not working. That's the point.

[open mind]

this wasn't a swipe at affirmative action?
Finally, the EEOC drafts the "Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act,"
retroactive to the beginning of the summer.The ant is fined for failing to
hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay
his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

[PunkRocks]

No, actually it's making a very good point that race is brought up where race is not a factor in the beginning. Claiming someone is being racist an easy cop-out when you're a minority and you fuck something up, or something doesn't go right.. like in this story. The fact that the grasshopper was lazy and did nothing has NOTHING to do with the fact that he is a grasshopper and the ant is an ant. However, because one is successful and the other doesn't even try... people supporting the lazy one use that difference to deface the successful of the other.

I go to college in Mississippi and there is a very very good example of this happening in real life with the whole "Not In My Backyard" (NIMBY) deal. There was a company that was considering building a chemical storage site in a very rural, low-populated county. However, the residents that did live in the county were of course against it but really had no backing as to how they could keep it from being built... until someone realized that the county was mostly populated by minorities. They raised a suit against the Chemical company claiming that the company was being racist for picking to put the chemical storage site in a county populated by minorities other than elsewhere. However, the real reasons for it being put there were legitimate reasons. First, the county was one of the least-populated BY ANYONE in Mississippi. Second, the location was very stable and had a sufficient location to support the transportation and security needed for the storage site. And third finally, the impact on the surrounding environment would have been the least there of any of the locations picked out to house this facility. However, at the prospect of losing lots of money in court costs and other charges against the company they had no choice but to compromise putting the facility in a more populated area, with more transportation and security difficulties, and at the cost of greater damage to the surrounding environment... all because these minorities used the unfair premises of race.

[open mind]

there is no economic equity act for lazy people, i'm not stupid, at least make it believable.
i thought you said none of this had anything to do with race.

[PunkRocks]

It doesn't on the surface, but since everyone else decided to dig deep into it, I decided to join in. It's face value meaning and the vast majority of the story have nothing to do with race, except that one bit which was pointed out. And then I expanded on the one bit that was pointed out.

[_astheruinfalls]

Too bad the story takes in no real life details and is one big stereotype.

[PunkRocks]

I wouldn't say that it takes NO real life details because I believe I showed a pretty good example with the story of the chemical plant and relating that to part of the first story.

And as far as the stereotype thing.. stereotypes aren't completley fictitious. Most stereotypes are based upon events that have happened in the past enough to gain quite a reputation and thus become applied to a wider group.


**edited for clarification

[open mind]

problem there is that chemical plants are mentioned no where in your story (that was supposed to have nothing to do with anything)
stereotypes are fucked, basing you views on them isn't a good idea.

[PunkRocks]

problem there is that chemical plants are mentioned no where in your story (that was supposed to have nothing to do with anything)
stereotypes are fucked, basing you views on them isn't a good idea.

This is the story I was referring to...

"I go to college in Mississippi and there is a very very good example of this happening in real life with the whole "Not In My Backyard" (NIMBY) deal. There was a company that was considering building a chemical storage site in a very rural, low-populated county. However, the residents that did live in the county were of course against it but really had no backing as to how they could keep it from being built... until someone realized that the county was mostly populated by minorities. They raised a suit against the Chemical company claiming that the company was being racist for picking to put the chemical storage site in a county populated by minorities other than elsewhere. However, the real reasons for it being put there were legitimate reasons. First, the county was one of the least-populated BY ANYONE in Mississippi. Second, the location was very stable and had a sufficient location to support the transportation and security needed for the storage site. And third finally, the impact on the surrounding environment would have been the least there of any of the locations picked out to house this facility. However, at the prospect of losing lots of money in court costs and other charges against the company they had no choice but to compromise putting the facility in a more populated area, with more transportation and security difficulties, and at the cost of greater damage to the surrounding environment... all because these minorities used the unfair premises of race."

[commatosa]

okay, so why should that make me vote republican? Cause that's what you said at the end of your story.

[PunkRocks]

okay, so why should that make me vote republican? Cause that's what you said at the end of your story.

I was only relating the chemical plant story to the first story because you and Open Mind started going into racist and EEOC stuff. I wasn't establishing a direct link between 'vote republican' and the chemical plant story... just between the racist/EEOC comments in comparison to my chemical plant story.

And as far as the first story ending in the 'vote republican' comment, it's there because:
1) It's the 'morale' of satirical parable.
2) It's the 'morale' because the actions against the ant, and in support of the grasshopper, are by and large prominent beliefs and actions of liberals moreso than conservatives. And since the story portrays the ant being treated unfairly, the 'morale' is anti-liberal.

[open mind]

liberals don't believe everybody less fortunate is simply lazier then everybody else so your moral doesn't really work.

[PunkRocks]

liberals don't believe everybody less fortunate is simply lazier then everybody else so your moral doesn't really work.
Does the story say that everyone who is less fortunate must be lazy? No. It says that being less fortunate because you are lazy is the problem. And it implies that liberals support the less fortunate even if they are the cause of their own misfortune (ex.. laziness). Therefore, if you are against supporting lazy people getting sympathy and help because they become less fortunate due to their laziness, then it would be in support of your beliefs generally to vote Republican. If you don't care about the issue, you can either vote for whoever or you can not vote. It's quite simple.

[open mind]

no one backs people because they're lazy.
point to some programs please.

[PunkRocks]

It's about mindsets, not programs.

[open mind]

why not give examples of the midset in action?

[PunkRocks]

Because:
1) I wasn't talking about specific programs, so why research something I wasn't talking about?
2) I don't feel like doing the research.
3) You need to get over the fact that it is nothing but a satirical story that pokes fun at liberals and was posted mainly for the enjoyment of the conservative people here, and that the story was not written by me or anyone I know.

[Bikeage]

Haha, that's the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

Moral of the story: you're a fucking idiot.

winnar ^^^