The Socialized House Cat

A good friend suggested an appropriate analogy for describing the new breed of democratic socialists that seem to be rising in this country.  He described them as a house cat.

I know that many people have pets they keep in the house.  I'm not one of them.  I believe animals belong outdoors.  Most of you agree with me but seem to make exception for one species or, another.  I suppose one excuse for keeping a cat would be to control an infestation of rodents.  I mention rodents specifically because I don't know of anyone who wants them in their house.  I must remind you, however, that their presence really isn't any different than having some other furry creature underfoot.

Throughout much of history mankind has dealt with animals in ways that meant they often shared space.  Typically it was because they were protecting them from something -- either the environment, or perhaps some predator.  The purpose was to preserve them for personal consumption rather than to lose them to the elements or, some other elemental force which tended to cull the weak, or slow, or merely inattentive.

The problem with house cats is that they serve no purpose.  Oh, I suppose they are good for petting, or talking to if one is lonely.  They can at times be amusing to watch when being taunted with a toy on a string, but they really have no purpose in life except to meet some unfilled need of their master -- if a cat can truly have a master.

House cats tend to lose their survival instincts.  Perhaps it is a matter of selective breeding that chooses for domestication rather than useful skills.  Some small semblance of desire for their natural environment must exist deep within them, however, because they are often seen sitting on the furniture gazing out the window.  It is as though they know there is more to life than their sheltered existence but, they have no clue how to survive within it.  That view extends even to the neighbor's German Shepherd which is often seen romping across the yard in pursuit of a squirrel which usually, but not always, escapes up a tree.

The pampered feline gazes in wonder and perhaps curiosity at the occurrence while never making the connection with his own mortality and the danger presented by the scenario.  It does however, see the freedom of movement and perhaps somewhere deep inside longs to escape the confines of the walls which contain its entire world and enter into the "make-believe" land viewed through the window -- much as a human might daydream about some television presentation.

Many have been led to believe that democracy -- which is literally mob rule -- is the basis for our form of government.  That isn't the case.  We live in a Constitutional Republic which is designed to protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority.  Democracy doesn't even work within a family.  If the parent fails to retain control by veto, the children would vote themselves ice cream and movies and fail to recognize the impending loss of health and shelter due to wasteful and inappropriate spending.  The street would find them living in boxes while attempting to survive among the true predators which stalk and destroy.  Unfortunately, among our elected officials there are those who are both predators and democrats.

Socialism also has its appeal.  It reaches into the envious heart and says, "you should have what they have."  It pays no heed to true justification of the disparities that exist or their purpose within society.  It merely says, I deserve.

By educating the masses to serve as replaceable parts in the assembly line of productive enterprise which fills pockets with wealth unknown throughout the history of mankind, our system has created a huge number of "house cats" without survival skills and without knowledge of the dangers lurking beyond their sheltered existence.  Charles Darwin's theorizing regarding survival of the fittest has been circumvented -- at least temporarily -- by an affluence that finds house cats to be acceptable because it no longer fears the vagaries of a natural order that would find them easy prey if required to survive beyond the protective walls.  The allure is strong, but the consequences deadly.

We have created our demise by failing to educate succeeding generations of youth to the dangers beyond the walls.