The prison
There is a prison, somewhere in our universe. There is no escape from this prison. The only escape is death.
Every 20 to 30 years, 100 new prisoners are brought to this prison. 50 of these prisoners are male, and the other 50 are of course female.
Of the 100 prisoners, 90 live in the worse parts of the prison. They have limited access to food, water, and medicine.
Out of the remaining 10, 9 hold special keys. These keys control the machines that produce all the food, water and medicine that all prisoners depend on.
Aside from the keys, the machines require prisoners to turn wheels to provide power to them. Some prisoners must repair the machines, and other prisoners distribute the food, water, and medicine the machines produce.
As key holders, the 9 prisoners get to choose the prisoners who carry out these jobs. They also determine how the food, water, and medicine are distributed. The 9 prisoners give small, at times insufficient amounts of food, water, and medicine that is produced to the other 90 in exchange for their labor. The rest they keep for themselves.
The 90 compete among themselves for these limited jobs. Those that are not chosen are made to suffer, at times going hungry and dying. This helps motivate the other 90 prisoners to obey the 9 key holders, regardless of how inhumane or cruel their leadership may be.
1 prisoner is made the warden. This prisoner controls the entire prison. The prisoner, always a male, holds the most powerful key of all. This master key can shut down all the machines that other 9 control. This makes everyone subservient to the warden.
The warden chooses one prisoner to lead the other 99. This is because there was a prison rebellion that led to one of the previous wardens being killed. Rather than being seen as the leader, the warden delegates that power to his chosen prisoner. To make it seem fairer, the warden nominates 2 prisoners and lets the other 97 prisoners decide which one will be his fall guy. Guy because usually the warden selects another male to be the leader. Technically, by the laws of the prison set after the rebellion, any prisoner can nominate any other prisoner. However, because of the power of the warden to determine how much (or how little) food everyone gets, the other prisoners are afraid to nominate someone without the blessing of the warden. After all, during the election, the warden could induce other prisoners to vote against the nominee he does not like, by offering them more food, water, and medicine, or in the worse case, threaten to cancel their rations. The warden could also make those who back the leader he does not like to suffer by cutting off their supply.
This leader usually does not have a key. The 9 rarely compete to be the leader. Their jobs turning the keys to the machines are too important. The leader, by law, has the power to command all the other 99 prisoners, including the 10 prisoners that hold the keys. The law even allows them to seize the keys of the 10 prisoners if need be. The leader can decide who gets to live in the best parts of the prison. The leader can even require the 10 prisoners to increase the amount and food and water that the other 90 prisoners get. Yet this never happens.
This is because the warden ensures that only the prisoners that agree with him get nominated. The warden and the other 9 keyholders reward the leader with more food and water than the other 89 prisoners.
Since they are chosen by the warden, the prisoners who become leaders believe in the power of the keys given to 10 prisoners. They have earned the right to hold the keys, they say. They are the only ones with the knowledge to operate the machines that produce the food, water, and medicine that all prisoners depend on. As a result, they have the right to take as much of the food as they want, even though the machines cannot run without the labor of the other 90 prisoners. The other prisoners must be grateful to the 10 prisoners, and allow them to keep as much of the food, water, and medicine as it pleases them, even if it means that some of the other prisoners die of thirst, disease or hunger. It does not matter that most of the food these 10 prisoners keep for themselves goes bad. The 10, after all, don't need so much to live on. However, their ability to turn off the machines makes them too powerful to disagree with.
If a prisoner that disagrees with the warden or the other 9 key holders rises up, the warden uses all his power to crush the dissenter. Sometimes, with his key, he shuts down the machines for some time and blames that shutdown on the ideas of the prisoner that opposes him. This ensures that the other 99 prisoners never choose a leader that will oppose the warden.
Most of the other prisoners believe in the power of the 10 key holders as well. Their possession of the keys is ordained, they believe. After all the maker of the prison (there has to be a maker) predetermined that those 10 should hold the keys that control the machines. There must be something special about them after all that made the maker of the prison give them those keys. Any other prisoner without a key can't possibly know how to control the machines. Since they have this power, as unfair as it is, the 10 must be placated and allowed to hold on to as much of the food, water, and medicine as they want. The other 90 must do all they can to please the 10. Those who do not work hard enough, and are not chosen by the 10 deserve to go hungry, thirsty and sick. That will teach them not to ever challenge the power of the 10 and will ensure that no lazy prisoner gets food.
Now tell me:
Do you agree that the 10 prisoners holding the key have the right to have as much food, water, and medicine as they desire? Do you believe that the other prisoners are just as important, because of the fact that their labor is required to keep the machines running?
Do you believe that the power of the keyholders makes them too dangerous to mess with?
Is there a way to compel the 10 key holders, at the very least, to share the food, water, and medicine to every one of the other 90 prisoners, even if they are not chosen by the keyholders to run the machines?
Should the 10 keyholders even be allowed to determine how much of the food, water, and medicine are distributed to the other prisoners? Should they have the right to select the prisoners that power the machines?
Do you agree with the prisoners who point to the law that governs the prison, and believe that the leader should use his power to compel the other 10 to be fairer in the distribution of the food, water, and medicine, even to the extent of forcefully seizing what they have hoarded?
Would the 10 key holders be justified if they refuse to operate the machines that they all depend on?
Would the 90 prisoners be justified if they refuse to provide the labor required to run the machines, in exchange for a more equitable distribution of food, water, and medicine?
Every 20 to 30 years, 100 new prisoners are brought to this prison. 50 of these prisoners are male, and the other 50 are of course female.
Of the 100 prisoners, 90 live in the worse parts of the prison. They have limited access to food, water, and medicine.
Out of the remaining 10, 9 hold special keys. These keys control the machines that produce all the food, water and medicine that all prisoners depend on.
Aside from the keys, the machines require prisoners to turn wheels to provide power to them. Some prisoners must repair the machines, and other prisoners distribute the food, water, and medicine the machines produce.
As key holders, the 9 prisoners get to choose the prisoners who carry out these jobs. They also determine how the food, water, and medicine are distributed. The 9 prisoners give small, at times insufficient amounts of food, water, and medicine that is produced to the other 90 in exchange for their labor. The rest they keep for themselves.
The 90 compete among themselves for these limited jobs. Those that are not chosen are made to suffer, at times going hungry and dying. This helps motivate the other 90 prisoners to obey the 9 key holders, regardless of how inhumane or cruel their leadership may be.
1 prisoner is made the warden. This prisoner controls the entire prison. The prisoner, always a male, holds the most powerful key of all. This master key can shut down all the machines that other 9 control. This makes everyone subservient to the warden.
The warden chooses one prisoner to lead the other 99. This is because there was a prison rebellion that led to one of the previous wardens being killed. Rather than being seen as the leader, the warden delegates that power to his chosen prisoner. To make it seem fairer, the warden nominates 2 prisoners and lets the other 97 prisoners decide which one will be his fall guy. Guy because usually the warden selects another male to be the leader. Technically, by the laws of the prison set after the rebellion, any prisoner can nominate any other prisoner. However, because of the power of the warden to determine how much (or how little) food everyone gets, the other prisoners are afraid to nominate someone without the blessing of the warden. After all, during the election, the warden could induce other prisoners to vote against the nominee he does not like, by offering them more food, water, and medicine, or in the worse case, threaten to cancel their rations. The warden could also make those who back the leader he does not like to suffer by cutting off their supply.
This leader usually does not have a key. The 9 rarely compete to be the leader. Their jobs turning the keys to the machines are too important. The leader, by law, has the power to command all the other 99 prisoners, including the 10 prisoners that hold the keys. The law even allows them to seize the keys of the 10 prisoners if need be. The leader can decide who gets to live in the best parts of the prison. The leader can even require the 10 prisoners to increase the amount and food and water that the other 90 prisoners get. Yet this never happens.
This is because the warden ensures that only the prisoners that agree with him get nominated. The warden and the other 9 keyholders reward the leader with more food and water than the other 89 prisoners.
Since they are chosen by the warden, the prisoners who become leaders believe in the power of the keys given to 10 prisoners. They have earned the right to hold the keys, they say. They are the only ones with the knowledge to operate the machines that produce the food, water, and medicine that all prisoners depend on. As a result, they have the right to take as much of the food as they want, even though the machines cannot run without the labor of the other 90 prisoners. The other prisoners must be grateful to the 10 prisoners, and allow them to keep as much of the food, water, and medicine as it pleases them, even if it means that some of the other prisoners die of thirst, disease or hunger. It does not matter that most of the food these 10 prisoners keep for themselves goes bad. The 10, after all, don't need so much to live on. However, their ability to turn off the machines makes them too powerful to disagree with.
If a prisoner that disagrees with the warden or the other 9 key holders rises up, the warden uses all his power to crush the dissenter. Sometimes, with his key, he shuts down the machines for some time and blames that shutdown on the ideas of the prisoner that opposes him. This ensures that the other 99 prisoners never choose a leader that will oppose the warden.
Most of the other prisoners believe in the power of the 10 key holders as well. Their possession of the keys is ordained, they believe. After all the maker of the prison (there has to be a maker) predetermined that those 10 should hold the keys that control the machines. There must be something special about them after all that made the maker of the prison give them those keys. Any other prisoner without a key can't possibly know how to control the machines. Since they have this power, as unfair as it is, the 10 must be placated and allowed to hold on to as much of the food, water, and medicine as they want. The other 90 must do all they can to please the 10. Those who do not work hard enough, and are not chosen by the 10 deserve to go hungry, thirsty and sick. That will teach them not to ever challenge the power of the 10 and will ensure that no lazy prisoner gets food.
Now tell me:
Do you agree that the 10 prisoners holding the key have the right to have as much food, water, and medicine as they desire? Do you believe that the other prisoners are just as important, because of the fact that their labor is required to keep the machines running?
Do you believe that the power of the keyholders makes them too dangerous to mess with?
Is there a way to compel the 10 key holders, at the very least, to share the food, water, and medicine to every one of the other 90 prisoners, even if they are not chosen by the keyholders to run the machines?
Should the 10 keyholders even be allowed to determine how much of the food, water, and medicine are distributed to the other prisoners? Should they have the right to select the prisoners that power the machines?
Do you agree with the prisoners who point to the law that governs the prison, and believe that the leader should use his power to compel the other 10 to be fairer in the distribution of the food, water, and medicine, even to the extent of forcefully seizing what they have hoarded?
Would the 10 key holders be justified if they refuse to operate the machines that they all depend on?
Would the 90 prisoners be justified if they refuse to provide the labor required to run the machines, in exchange for a more equitable distribution of food, water, and medicine?
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