Created
July 8, 2013 19:05
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Proudly lifted from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6006721
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"It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..." | |
"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?" | |
"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee | |
forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like to straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The | |
leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people." | |
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy." | |
"I did," said ford. "It is." | |
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?" | |
"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government | |
they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want." | |
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?" | |
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course." | |
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?" | |
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?" | |
"What?" | |
"I said," said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, "have you got any gin?" | |
"I'll look. Tell me about the lizards." | |
Ford shrugged again. | |
"Some people say that the lizards are the best thing that ever happened to them," he said. "They're completely wrong of | |
course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone's got to say it." |
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