Breed The Secret Design To Maintain Racial Inequality Among The Despised Classes (11 page)

Standing at the border in the shadows was a
solitary figure. “This is the threshold guardian,” Justice said.
“He will show you the true nature of the raw product making up our
current society. Again I just want to reiterate that I don’t
believe you are ready for this reality. That being said, if after
seeing the inner workings of Lumpenproletaria you still fail to
understand what we’re trying to accomplish I don’t think you will
ever understand.” Justice abruptly turned and walked back into the
forest leaving me with the threshold guardian.

Chapter 6
-
I sit on a man’s back,
choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and
others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all
possible means – except by getting off his back - Leo
Tolstoy

A cat that looked about my age suddenly
stepped out of the shadows. “So, you are the one that’s been
creating all of the buzz in Lumpenproletaria,” said the cat. I
asked, “Are you the threshold guardian?” He rolled his eyes.
“Follow me,” he commanded and turned back into the shadows. I
quickly caught up with him. I was a little confused because I was
told that Lumpenproletaria was a neutral territory yet the
impression that Justice had left me with was that this guide was
working for Socrates. I decided to inquire. “Excuse me sir, but …”
“Let me ask you a question,” he abruptly interjected. “Are you a
true believer? In animalism I mean. Its all right you can speak
freely. In Lumpenproletaria you are not held accountable for what
you say.” I was taken aback by his forwardness. “Yes,” I replied.
“I believe that once all animals wake up and realize that we all
belong to the same species we will be able to work together for
lasting peace.” The threshold guardian stopped in his tracks and
looked me in the eyes. There was a brief pause then he burst into
laughter. He was actually laughing right in my face. He laughed so
hard he began choking. He coughed violently then exclaimed, “You’re
pulling my leg. You’re not serious are you?” I looked at him in
bewilderment trying to wrap my mind around what was happening.
Suddenly his expression hardened. “You are serious. Well I don’t
want to be the one to crush your dream but that’s exactly what it
is. A dream.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So you don’t
believe in the equality of all animals? You are a speciest spy!” I
accused pointing my paw at him threateningly. He responded
aggressively, “Hey! I’m no speciest! Their ideology is even more
absurd than ours. But at least they are not hypocrites.” “What did
he mean by that remark?” I wondered. He continued, “And save your
threats. There is nothing more the Union can do to me. I’m already
in the worst place on earth.” “So he considers his assignment as a
punishment,” I thought. “Look,” he continued. “I’m not trying to
shake your faith or anything. I just…” “Then don’t!” I interrupted.
“Please. Just do your job. Show me the foundations of society.” I
hope you’ll pardon this outburst. You see I wasn’t ready at that
time to even entertain doubts about animalism. Even though things
were not running as smoothly as I had imagined they would, I was
still invested in the idea of equality for all. The threshold
guardian stood for a moment as if considering something then looked
at me and said, “As you wish Commander.” As the cat walked on, his
entire demeanor changed. His posture improved. His gait became
regimented and gave the impression that he was a disciplined
soldier with a high regard for duty. As we walked I began noticing
my surroundings. There were vines and branches that cast dark
shadows all around us. Thick brush along the Lumpenproletariat
border also made it difficult to penetrate into the interior. All
of a sudden my guide pushed aside some vines and rays of light
beamed into my eyes. Some dust was also swept up into my face. “May
I present…” he announced, “the foundations of society.”

Now, I wasn’t sure what I would see in
Lumpenproletaria. From the build up of expectation however, I was
anticipating something shocking. Nevertheless nothing could have
prepared me for what I saw. I raised my eyes and looked out upon a
barren wasteland. The vegetation stopped at the frontier. At first
everything looked deserted, then I saw some movement. An emaciated
dog with almost all of his fur missing came limping across our
path. His exposed pink skin glistened in the sun. He looked in our
direction but his bloodshot eyes had no glimmer. There was no sign
that he recognized any of his surroundings. He appeared to be
crushed by misery. He hobbled past us in no apparent direction.
“What happened to him?” I wondered. We continued on and came across
a large rabbit that was ferociously barking at a cat in a tree just
out of his reach. The cat had a look of terror as if he felt the
rabbit could swallow him whole. Just then a pack of stray dogs ran
past, chasing each other playfully. After sniffing each other
cautiously the rabbit joined the pack and they ran off together
barking loudly. I glanced over at the threshold guardian
inquisitively. He appeared to not notice my glance and walked on
without saying a word. We walked past tar pits, which had piles of
bones stacked up along the edges. The bones varied in size. Some
could have belonged to a bear while others must have belonged to
chipmunks or squirrels. What caught my attention at the time was
the sheer number of them scattered along the shore of the pits. It
was obvious they were being hauled into the pits because some of
them were covered in tar and submerged in the pit while the other
half was exposed. I remember wondering at the time how deep the
pits were and if they were in fact full of bones. We walked through
the tar pits and came across a large plaza full of animals of all
species. Most of them looked sick. As we walked we had to step over
the dead and dying animals, which were sprawled out on the ground
indiscriminately. The smell of decay was overwhelming. This was too
much to take. I had to know how these animals ended up in these
conditions. I looked over at the threshold guardian and he just
glared at me with an expression that said, “You didn’t want to hear
what I had to say before. Told me to do my job. Now you want
answers huh?” We obviously started off on the wrong foot so I tried
to win over my guide. I said, “Conditions here sure are different
than Fostoria.” And I smiled good-naturedly. “Yeah well, things
were not always like this,” he responded. “At one time
Lumpenproletaria was one of the richest areas around in terms of
produce and vegetation. The animals thrived here. At least that is
what I’m told. Its hard to believe looking at the place now.” “What
happened?” I asked. “We happened,” he replied sardonically. “I mean
domestication happened. When the first domesticated animals arrived
in this area it was full of wild animals and they had their own
wild laws and traditions. Some of these practices seemed barbaric
to the settlers. For example there were some animals that used to
eat other animals. The founders of society couldn’t have citizens
eating one another so the practice was outlawed. Many of these
species couldn’t adapt to the new laws so they either broke the law
and suffered the consequences or they died off of malnutrition.
Whole species became extinct which threw off the ecosystem. The
species that survived the changes didn’t have it much easier.
Succeeding generations found it easier to follow the rules since
they didn’t have anything to compare it to. However they felt
something was missing from their lives. They had sharp teeth for
tearing flesh but only ate vegetables. They had heightened senses
for hunting other animals but only used them for sniffing out
mushrooms and gathering nuts and berries. Although they survived,
gradually a feeling of alienation began to develop among them. The
domesticated newcomers initially showed great interest in the
savage breeds. They tried to educate them teaching economics and
social studies but the attempts were unsuccessful. The wild animals
didn’t understand for example why they now needed to accumulate
more food than they could eat in order to trade it for currency,
which in turn could be traded for other goods. “What is the point
of all of this?” they would say. “If nature provides enough for
everyone’s needs free of charge, why bother with economics?”
Dismayed with the lack of appreciation displayed by the savages the
domesticated breeds lost all interest in them. They were allowed to
manage their own territories however they saw fit, with the
exception of the barbaric practices I mentioned earlier. However
the damage to the ecosystem made it impossible for them to recover
stability. Certain diseases started appearing that eradicated even
more species. Diseases started infiltrating the borders of
domestication, which prompted the rulers of the domesticated lands
to become more involved with the lives of those in
Lumpenproleteria. This involvement eventually evolved into what you
see today. Because they were seen as inferiors their land was
stripped of its resources and the animals were used as slave
labor.

We built our society on the backs of the wild
animals in Lumpenproletaria. Sometimes I almost feel sorry for the
Lumpens. Then I look at them or attempt to speak to one of them and
those feelings immediately disappear. I’m reminded of what a
despicable waste of resources a Lumpen is.” Now let me tell you, I
was shocked at what I was hearing from the threshold guardian. I
didn’t understand what could inspire such feelings of hatred toward
another living being. I asked, “Are they really that bad?” He
extended his paw towards a large group of Lumpens lined up waiting
to receive rations. “Just look at them! They produce nothing; yet
expect to be given everything. They complain about their lot in
life yet refuse to accept any responsibility to change their
circumstances.” Suddenly a large lumpen raccoon walked past us and
the Threshold guardian seized him by the neck. “Beast!” addressed
the threshold guardian to the Lumpen, “has the trade started yet?”
The terrified Lumpen replied, “No sir! Not for another half hour or
so sir!” Releasing the Lumpen the guardian said, “Very well then I
have time to show you the breeding houses before the main event.”
The Lumpen quickly ran away as the threshold guardian wiped his
paws clean with a rag. He apparently felt contaminated just by
touching the Lumpen. I followed my guide across the plaza and
finally came to a stop at a group of large wooden rectangular
structures, which were connected together. There was an entrance
with a swinging door that was constantly in motion as the animals
herded in and out of the entrance. The noises coming from this
structure were indescribable. “This is one of many breeding houses
we maintain here in Lumpenproleteria,” said the threshold guardian.
“You’ve no doubt observed the colorful waves that can be seen from
the top of the canyon? These breeding houses are what supply fresh
Lumpens to be used in battle thus maintaining the constant flow of
those waves.” I observed a couple of Lumpens engaged in
conversation. It was a rabbit and a cat. The rabbit said, “When it
come to dat stage I wanna be well grounded and stuff like dat.” The
cat responded, “I feel you. You gotta believe in you. Cause these
other mutts out here will flip on you in a second. The other day I
was…” Suddenly there conversation was interrupted by a female
Lumpen that walked by. She was a brown mixed breed dog with short
fur and floppy ears. She didn’t make a noise as she passed but her
presence grabbed both of their attention as if she had gripped them
by the collar. Both of the Lumpens followed her with their eyes and
heads, turning completely around in unison. As she disappeared into
the darkness beyond the swinging door of the breeding house, the
Lumpen’s hypnotic trance seemed to have been broken. “As I was
saying,” continued the cat. “Mutts can’t be trusted.” All at once
the cat wrinkled his brow as if remembering something. He then
turned and ran towards the breeding house closely followed by the
rabbit. As the Lumpens darted into the swinging door I looked away
in disgust. “The breeding house is somewhat of a factory that
produces Lumpens,” said my guide. Picking up on my reaction the
threshold guardian asked, “Does this shock you?” I responded, “They
are from different species!” He laughed and said, “I thought you
believed all animals were equal.” He then said calmly, “They are
all Lumpens. Everyone is shocked at first but don’t worry. You get
used to it.” As we were about to move on, a tour group approached
us on the right. I could here the guide saying, “And here we have
the breeding houses. These factories are what supply Cuyamonga with
the raw material we use to maintain our foundations.” I whispered
to my guide, “Are they from Cuyamonga?” He responded, “Yes, but
there is no need to whisper. Lumpenproleteria is a neutral
territory that is maintained by both Cuyamonga and Kliev.”
Nervously I followed my guide as he walked passed the tour group.
He nodded cordially at the Cuyamongan guide as he passed by.
“Well,” said the threshold guardian, “I think it’s time you saw the
main event. Let’s make our way to the slave trade.” My mouth
dropped open as my guide nonchalantly made this remark. As we
walked my mind was racing. “These conditions are so far removed
from the society we are trying to forge in the Union of Animals. I
find it hard to believe that Socrates condones this type of
atmosphere. But according to the threshold guardian he not only
condones it he is maintaining it. But can I really trust this
guardian? I already know he doesn’t believe in animalism. But just
what does he believe in? There is no way Socrates is aware of these
conditions. I’ll tell Niccolo as soon as I see him. But how could
they not be aware of these conditions especially considering
Socrates has a network of spies reporting to him. No. There must be
some kind of conspiracy to cover up these atrocities. Look at this
threshold guardian. I’ll bet Socrates would be interested in
finding out what type of operatives he has representing him.” All
these thoughts ran through my mind in quick succession at lightning
speed as we walked. Again I began to notice my surroundings and I
noticed that not all of the inhabitants of Lumpenproleteria looked
as though they belonged here. Some were well groomed and healthy
looking. I heard a snippet of conversation from two such
inhabitants. “I’m telling you Steve, this is living! Doesn’t it
feel good to get back to the wild, to our roots? His friend
responded, “Well it’s ok to visit but we could never live here.”
“What do you mean? If our ancestors could do it I could do it as
well. Hunting and living off the land.” His friend responded, “What
do you mean ‘our’ ancestors? My ancestors were domesticated. If you
want to claim the wild savages as your ancestors, that’s your
business.” Noticing my interest in the conversation the threshold
guardian said, “You may have noticed that not all of the
inhabitants are Lumpens. We have a regular flow of domesticated
animals that try their paws at living in Lumpenproleteria. Why
anyone would voluntarily choose to live in this wasteland is beyond
me. But I’m told that it’s supposed to awaken some sort of
spiritual experience for them. They imagine they are wild animals
living in the wilderness. To each his own I guess.” We walked back
along the path we had taken towards the plaza. Upon arrival I
noticed that the plaza’s appearance had changed. There was a
platform set up in the middle of the plaza and a large obese cat
with long white fur was walking around the stage examining a number
of Lumpens that had been gathered on the stage. There was a fox, a
cat, a dog a beaver and a rabbit. Presently the obese cat was
inspecting the fox. He ordered, “Open your mouth and stick out your
tongue. Very well. Now lets see those teeth.” The cat forced his
mouth shut then grabbed the fox by his ears and began closely
examining them. He then moved on to the cat and one by one examined
all of the animals in the same way a merchant would inspect
merchandise he is about to purchase. The way the animals were being
roughly handled and examined as if they were objects instead of
living beings left a heavy feeling in my gut. After the inspection
the cat walked to the edge of the platform and addressed the crowds
that were gathering. “Folks! The bidding is about to begin!” he
shouted. “We have some quality merchandise here. These Lumpens are
young and strong. They have been broken in and trained to follow
orders. Let’s start the bidding at one hundred fish tails. Do we
have one fifty? One fifty from the cat with the black fur. Two
hundred. Do we have two fifty? Three hundred. Four hundred. Do we
have four fifty? Four hundred going once, going twice. Sold to the
gray striped tabby from Cuyamonga.” The merchandise was marched off
of the platform and into cages ready to be transported to
Cuyamonga. They were quickly replaced with a new row of Lumpens and
the entire process was repeated. “How is this barbaric practice
permitted in this day and age?” I exclaimed. The threshold guardian
answered, “It was of course Cuyamonga’s idea to have an open slave
trade as it conforms to their culture and ideological views. To the
astonishment of all the surrounding territories however, the Union
of Animals did not object to it. They even participate in the
bidding. Of course the animals bought by the Union are not
considered slaves but comrades and they are immediately freed. Upon
their release they are put to work however, in such back breaking
grueling labor that most of them do not survive long. Its even been
rumored that many of the Lumpens hope they will be bought by
Cuyamongans rather than the Union. This is because although they
will be robbed of dignity living openly as a slave and sub-animal
the living conditions are often much better than those of their
freed comrades in the Union.” I couldn’t believe what I was
hearing. “We’re supposed to be working towards the equality of all
animals!” I exclaimed. “How can the Union condone and even
participate in this farce?” “Well,” said the guardian thoughtfully,
“There are various schools of thought on this subject. However the
consensus view has to do with the ideological views of the
animalists themselves. They feel hardship and humiliation cannot
stop the revolution from coming but rather hastens its arrival and
adds to the ferocity. They welcome hardship. The more miserable the
conditions the better for the cause.” “And what about you?” I
asked. “Do you agree with this view?” “Hey, I’m just the threshold
guardian.” He said. “My views are irrelevant.” The threshold
guardian peered at me suspiciously. “But why do you want to know my
opinion all of a sudden?” I didn’t answer him and he didn’t pursue
the question. At the time I didn’t really know why I asked him this
question. Maybe I felt his opinion was more valid than those who
cannot see the reality of their decisions up close. Because of his
assignment he was given a view of the situation that no one else
had. Certainly he must have formed strong opinions. Suddenly I was
overcome with a sense of despair over life. “If this is the extent
of life for these animals…” I exclaimed, “how can they carry on?”
My guide corrected me. “Sub-animals,” he said. “And you are right.
If this were the extent of their existence most all of the Lumpens
would go out of their minds. They have certain distractions that
allow them to take their minds off their miserable conditions. Some
believe in a prophecy about a Great One who is supposed to come and
save them from these conditions. For the rest of them there is
nip.” “Cat nip?” I asked. “No this is much stronger than cat nip,”
said the threshold guardian. “It is highly addictive and it has
been chemically manufactured just for Lumpens.” The threshold
guardian paused suddenly as if he had just remembered something.
“Also, did you know that a majority of Lumpens fantasize about one
day becoming famous? This of course is a pipe dream but it gives
them hope.” My guide all at once turned cheerful but he had a sly
smile on his face. “You’ve come on a good day! There is a match
scheduled for today in the coliseum. You will have an opportunity
to witness the type of entertainment the Lumpens feed their minds
on.” As we walked toward the coliseum I noticed posters of a large
dog in all types of dynamic poses. He was a very healthy looking
boxer with strong teeth and a shiny coat. On each poster was a
different one-word message written in bold dynamic lettering with
exclamation points added. Some of them had phrases such as
‘Believe!’ or ‘Success!’ etc. I was curious about these posters so
I decided to inquire of the threshold guardian. “Who is the dog in
those posters?” “Oh, that’s Leo,” he responded. “He is the epitome
of what many Lumpens aspire to become. He is their hero. According
to the legend he was born into the most miserable conditions
imaginable and wasn’t expected to live long but somehow he
survived. He applied himself to the art of physical work and
obedient submission. He was favored with a prominent position in
the cannon fodder division of the army and somehow survived with
only slight injuries. After retiring from the service he devoted
himself to becoming a champion gladiator. According to the legend
he retired as a champion because no challenger was able to defeat
him.” Looking up at the posters I was fascinated about this hero.
Something about the expression in his eyes gave me the impression
that he was in possession of some knowledge that no one else knew
about. That’s all I have to say about Leo at this time. But don’t
worry I’ll have more to say about this ‘hero’ later on in our
story. As we got closer to the coliseum the traffic of animals grew
thicker. These animals were noticeably happier as well. They had
smiles on their faces but an empty look in their eyes. Some of them
would walk, quietly musing to themselves then suddenly break out in
hysterical laughter. Just as suddenly, they would then stop
laughing and continue musing while all the time walking towards the
coliseum. When we arrived at the coliseum I was struck with the
immense size of the place. It was hard to imagine that such a
structure was built with animal paws but here it was. We entered
the large doors situated between two large stone columns. After
climbing many flights of stairs we reached the doors, which let out
to the arena. From my seat I could see large dogs being led into
the arena by chains and fetters around their necks. The cats
leading them fastened the chain to an iron loop that was protruding
out of the ground. They then quickly ran out of the arena. No
sooner had they exited than a large iron door was opened and a
grizzly bear walked into the arena. There is no need to describe
what happened next but it was very violent and left me with a
feeling that I would be very sick unless I got out of there
immediately. Picking up on my condition the threshold guardian
ushered me out of the coliseum at once and I did get sick all over
the ground as soon as I exited. Gasping for breath I tried to grasp
what I had just experienced and what it meant for animalkind. As I
said before it would be in poor taste to describe what I saw in the
coliseum but I will describe the reactions of the Lumpens that were
witnessing the event. As I looked around the arena everyone’s eyes
were fixed upon the activities inside the enclosure. No one looked
away in disgust or even cringed. In fact quite the opposite effect
occurred. It was as if they were feeding upon the violence and
didn’t want to miss a second of the show. They appeared to be in an
ecstasy of emotion as they cheered the graphic event. After I
regained my composure I declared to the threshold guardian, “That
was dreadful! How could they bare to watch such filth?” “They are
Lumpens,” responded my guide. “You still seem not to understand the
nature of a Lumpen.” He peered at me inquisitively. “Perhaps you
need to actually speak to a Lumpen to better understand. You see
that young Lumpen over there.” The threshold guardian pointed to a
puppy that was leaning up against a tree and scowling angrily. “I