The two biggest factions among the mice of the house were the anti-cat and pro-cat factions (mice being pro-cat is a phenomenon that can be observed but not explained). The pro-cat faction, though irrational and suicidal, had achieved the upper hand and convinced the majority of the mice to let the cat roam the house freely, even though the cat said very clearly, "I'm going to eat you" - something the cat had spoken aloud for the first time. Many mice applauded the cat's "authenticity and honesty" - and then observed in horror as their children were eaten.
The pro-cat forces had never been happier. They had made a deal with the cat for it to eat only anti-cat mice and this the cat did vociferously. And while the cat, emboldened as never before, roamed the house it destroyed as many of the defenses as it could that had been built up over the years to keep the cat out. He lifted up pro-cat mice into places only the cat can reach, having them "guard" windows and other entry points. This infuriated the anti-cat mice, however.
The anti-cat faction pushed back, putting their leader Fancy Peloshi back in a position of power. Fancy had the reputation for being "radically anti-cat" which she had cultivated over the years. In a secret meeting with the cat, however, she told it, "I'll say bad things about you and you say bad things about me and that will keep both our power bases happy. But don't worry, I won't do anything meaningful to get you thrown out of the house. Your bad behavior got me back in power!" The cat wasn't so sure. "Won't your side be angry when you don't do anything?" Fancy Peloshi smiled, "They believe in me, not themselves," she purred. The cat understood all about suckers.
The cat and its mice supporters were having the time of their lives. While it's true the cat did betray on occasion its promise to eat only anti-cat mice, the pro-cat faction thought that was worth the sacrifice for the "greater good" of giving the cat free reign. And while Fancy Peloshi did nothing to keep the cat from feasting on the mice, the anti-cat faction also looked the other way for the "greater good" of keeping Fancy in power. In this way each side hoped to have a future.
Both were wrong.
Though only a sliver of the population, a third faction existed: the pro-mice mice. The pro-mice faction was bitterly hated and vilified by both the anti-cat and pro-cat groups. While it's true the anti-cat faction pretended to represent the pro-mice group that was only part of their power play. The pro-mice group maintained that the only path to survival was the wholesale banning of the cat, no exceptions. "We don't want to hear about how you think you can 'work with the cat'. That's just a fantasy," they scolded Fancy Peloshi. Instead, the anti-cats accused the pro-mice mice of being the fantasists. What both the pro-cat and anti-cat mobs realized was that their power depended on the cat's threat.
In the end, with the majority of the mice refusing to ban the cat altogether, the cat continued to devour them over time one by one, not bothering to distinguish between pro-cat and anti-cat mice. Too late it was determined to ban the cat but the defenses had been so weakened at that point that any decision the mice made was moot. Some mice only learn by dying.
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