The words liberty, equality, fraternity (Liberté, égalité, fraternité, in their original language), once the battle cry of the French revolution, have become rather meaningless words in today's society. Although we are supposed to be all brothers and sisters and all equal under the law, the facts differ. We call ourselves humans but our actions belie our humanity.
The following dialogue is between two chimpanzees named Abu and Mabu: I use A and M to distinguish the speaker.
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A: Why do humans lock up their own people in cells away from their families and communities? It's really inhuman to do that.
M: They lock up those who have wronged someone in particular, or the community at large, and must be punished to prevent them doing it again.
A: What good does it do to lock people up? They should make amends for any harm done to others and be free to contribute to the community's well being. Locking them up doesn't benefit anyone, especially since they have to be fed and guarded. Furthermore, why are so many of them locked up, anyways?
M: They must have a lot of bad people who go around causing harm to others.
A: But how can it be? We don't have such problems. We don't have cells. Why do they need them? It just doesn't make sense.
M: I suppose human morals have deteriorated: they lack our high moral standards. It's also possible that having many possessions, as they do, corrupts their morals and they steal from one another. We only compete for sex; they probably fight over everything they possess, especially when some have so much and others so little.
A: I see. Someone who has very little would resent those that have a lot, and would try redressing the inequality. Clearly, that's a unique human problem. If they didn't have so many possessions they wouldn't have to worry about losing them!
M: Why are most of the humans locked up either black or dark skin? Do the whites discriminate against people of colour?
A: Surely not. Humans have high moral standards, you know! They would never do such a thing. It would be below their dignity!
M: Why is it that whites own the biggest and most luxurious shelters and non-whites have dingy tiny ones? Is it because whites are bullies?
A: Certainly not! Humans have very high moral standards and they play by the rules. Moreover, they believe in freedom and equality for all!
M: If they believe in liberty, why do they lock people up? And if they believe in equality, why are some more equal than others? Furthermore, who makes up the rules of fair play, and how fair are they?
A: Well. I just don't know! I guess humans are just crazy apes.
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Perhaps human society has become, or always was, so complex that it's impossible to uphold the very same principles on which it was founded. Certainly, the words liberty, equality, and fraternity ring shallow for the masses in today's world. Ironically, coined by them more than two centuries ago, today, they only apply to the ruling classes. If one has wealth, one has liberty, and the more wealth one has the more liberty one can buy. No wealthy person has gone to jail for the financial crimes committed a decade ago that brought about the world financial crisis of 2008.
As for equality, the masses are treated equally bad by the more than equal elites. The crimes of the masses are punished; those of the elites are rewarded. The perpetrators of the financial crisis, not only avoided jail, they were given huge financial bonuses.
As for fraternity/humanity, brothers and sisters treat each other with love and respect and share what little they have. However, as the poor are left to freeze in the cold, their loving brethren at the top of the human pyramid each year steal a bigger chunk of the national wealth, ensuring that more people join the ranks of the poor. And then, there's the question of discrimination against minorities, particularly the blacks. What can I say that hasn't already been said a million times before? It's a tough world to live in for blacks and visible minorities. So much for humanity!
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The Crazy Apes: A Satire of Human Society
RandomA baby gorilla asks his father, "What are humans?" The father replies, "They are monkeys without hair, who believe they are masters of everything around them. They build shelters that go up to the sky. Their ego and greed know no limits and take fro...
