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I first heard the crabs in a bucket tale from an old man descended from slaves, I won't relate that version as it was a bit self racist. He was a wise and caring man, a bit worn down by his experiences. He said to me, "The only real way to end racism, is for blacks to befriend white people and remain loyal and decent friends for life."
My father heard the crab story in the same context when he was a child, in the days when you had to be able to safely clean the hoof of a horse to be employable.
This was such a memorable and iconic metaphor, since I actually saw it as a child.
The politics of the Tea Baggers made me think of it, and the relations of the Koch brothers and the Tea Baggers made me realize that the metaphor extended to the men holding the strings, and to the anger and greed making the crab hold onto the meat while being lifted from the water and being lowered into the bucket. While extending the metaphor, I left it clean as I realized that it relates to many unequal relationships and to greed in general.
As I explored the metaphor, I realized that all it takes is one selfish bastard with a plan to infect other selfish bastards with the same plan.
My family wanted crab meat, so they got me started. I refined my methods and learned refinements by talking to other kids. Eventually my methods were simple and clean, as they have to be for a small child to effectively manage armored sea monsters. If you don't tie the string to the pier railing, you will eventually drop it. If you try to pull the crab through too small an opening of the railing, you may distract the crab and he will drop off, possibly near your foot. Bigger kids my reach out with the bucket, but that may end up with the bucket lost. Keep the bucket where it will not be kicked over when you are distracted by the inevitable variations in the game.
It only takes a week or so of learning, and you come up with a pattern that is probably as universal and ancient as water, children, string and buckets.
All it takes is one greedy man capable of a bit of misdirection. A lot of folk want to be good and noble while not doing any of the actions that good and noble people do. While inventing or adopting a scenario where a man can be noble while doing what he really wants to do, it is easy to con or persuade him into taking actions that resonate with his own profit. At the top, by preaching fear of unions and governmental control, eventually all but the ethical and empathic men of high station will come to believe that they are being selfless by being selfish. Eventually they may even go far enough down this rabbit hole and decide that Rand and Jesus can exist side by side.
It doesn't take a conspiracy. As I persuade politicians local, state and national, to ignore inconsistency and allow me to obtain control of land, money or power cheap, I learn that I might as well get more than one deal at a time, and keep this politician loyal to me. Whenever the laws stop reflecting the ethics and desires of the people, you can bet that that is happening.
It doesn't take a conspiracy, as kids on a pier we didn't hate these crabs. We just liked messing with them and eating them. We didn't see it as a war on crabs where we all conspired to perfect each others methods and destroy all crabs. We enjoyed the game, the weather, the waves and the sun. The crabs remained short sited and competitive.
By my view, barn raising made America great much, much, more than competition ever did. We don't go into business to compete, unless we are crabs. We go into business to improve our lives. Win-Lose is OK for games, but in life Win-Lose means you are a crab. Win-Win is the only way for people to live.
If you think greed is good, then you are either holding the string or you are a crab.
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