Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Ant and Grasshopper
Ant and the Grasshopper
CLASSIC 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.
--------------------------------------------------
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.
BBC, CNN, AAJ TAK, NDTV 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.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor
grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticizes the Government for not
upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the
grasshopper.
Opposition MP's stage a walkout.
Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a
Judicial Enquiry.
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against
Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]", with effect from the beginning of the winter.
The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left
to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government and
handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by BBC,CNN, AAJ TAK and
NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice".
Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the
UN General Assembly.
CLASSIC 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.
--------------------------------------------------
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.
BBC, CNN, AAJ TAK, NDTV 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.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor
grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticizes the Government for not
upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the
grasshopper.
Opposition MP's stage a walkout.
Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a
Judicial Enquiry.
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against
Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]", with effect from the beginning of the winter.
The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left
to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government and
handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by BBC,CNN, AAJ TAK and
NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice".
Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the
UN General Assembly.
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