Friday, January 18, 2013

Right Track - Lilliput

Back in 1726, Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels. It was a brilliant satire of life as he saw it.  But its parodies are still relevant today.  For instance in Lilliput, the Emperor had decreed that boiled eggs should only ever be cracked or cut open at the small end.  This decree had given rise to six rebellions, and the country was still locked in debate with Big-enders and Little-enders at each others throats.  The law had come into effect after the Emperor had cut himself opening the big end.
We seem to still be locked into fierce debate on other matters, like guns for instance with both sides ready to do battle.  And of course, logic has little to do with the matter.
Wayne La Pierre, the VP of the NRA, drove liberals crazy by saying: The only thing that will stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun!"  Well, if you look at the tragedies of recent mass shootings that is true.  Mostly if the gunman is not shot by arriving officers, he will shoot himself.  But you never want facts to get in the way of a good panic, do you?  Incidentally, I'm a Little-ender myself!

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