Just like a paradox, one day you’re reading a book which name you can’t remember but ironically its ideas you’ll probably never forget. Funny how that works.
The story was as shocking as it gets, it revolved around an evil genius plan to bring slavery back to the modern world. It was like reading a prequel to 1984 and other dystopian novels, only this time you’re invited to take a peek behind the scene to watch it all unravel before your eyes.
It was scary, but not because how surprisingly outrageous the entire process was. What's terrifying is that at no time you could really say that this was something entirely unimaginable.
When Strange Becomes Familiar
The story takes place in the beginning of last century at a time where monarchies were starting to lose total dominance over their population. The ruling class was growing desperate for finding way to re-brand slavery as something positive, and more importantly, something socially acceptable.
But how can you convince the newly emancipated public to spend their lives in servitude again?
The answer was as simple as it was surprising: In reverse. This way no one will see it coming.
They started looking for a popular slogan to sneak that enslaving machine behind, and more importantly they made it appear as if it was a necessity for “the common good”.
This genius little trick didn't only divert the public from revolting, but instead they did the exact opposite. They fell for that enslaving exercise and fell for it bad. Hell, some even began to believe that it’s their duty.
Soon after that, they would start to shun everyone who dared to question it.
And just like that, with a sway of tongue they had half the battle won.
The Theory of Reverse Slavery
As all reverse-engineering strategies go, you must start from the end goal towards the present situation.
Suppose you’re a big fan of the 1700s and you want to bring slavery back to the internet era.
If you’ve told people that you want them to work 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and you want them to give you the 100% of the fruit of their labor, do you think they would accept that?
Hell, no.
Instead what you should do is what the ruling class have always done, implement the everlasting strategy of the frog and the boiling pot.
You search for some moth-eaten despotic society that was efficient in turning free-willed humans into dedicated servants and you take a page right out of their playbook.
You replicate that exact old system, only this time you invent a new word so that no one can add two and two together.
Let’s say you call that system Paxes.
Every single ruling class in history of the world have had some kind of equivalent system, whether it’s a monarchy, a theocracy or a military dictatorship or what have you.
You figure it's all a scam, huh? All them folks? They're just wrong?
Rustin Cohle: Oh yeah! Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey, "He said for you to give me your fucking share." ― True Detective, The Locked Room.
No matter which era you came in this world, you’re bound to give the fruits of your labor to the ruling class. Unless of course, you’ve been born into the ruling class.
That I’m afraid is an absolute guarantee.
And the other guarantee is that your contemporaries are going to attack if you you question if those fruits are actually going to Gods above, or if the ruling class would keep them for themselves.
“What do you mean you don’t pay paxes for the glory of Rome? Do you want a glory-less Rome, is that what you want?”
This is how it always goes.
So yeah, you don’t need to invent the wheel. Just take something that was tried and proven and implement it again, and guess what? It would appear as the most normal thing in the world.
After all, the most important lesson in history is that we never really learn from it.
You’re still flipping through the pages, but you sense a certain discomfort in chest, cognitive dissonance is hitting you and it’s hitting you hard.
You’re stuck between what your brain is processing and what you don’t want to believe. Thoughts that are too uncomfortable to entertain.
Your friends, your mother even your grandma’s voice are getting into your head. Social pressure is a ghost that's way too close for comfort.
You’re hesitating whether to put the book down or continue reading. You figure you'll let it rest for now and you decide to make some tea. The water in the kettle is boiling though you can’t hear the whistle.
The voices in your head are getting louder and louder.
And they’re all say the exact same thing:
Who will build the roads? Who?
… To be Continued.