Breed The Secret Design To Maintain Racial Inequality Among The Despised Classes

by William Chasterson

  The next day Vlad awaked me early. “Christopher,” he said. “I would like permission to accompany you to the conference. We didn’t seem to get on very well yesterday but I want you to know that I harbor no resentment towards you. In fact I would like for us to be friends.” I needed as many friends as I could get so of course I accepted Vlad’s olive branch. “Are we not all heading out together?” I asked. He replied, “The various delegates move at different paces. The important thing is that we all arrive on time. For safety’s sake it’s recommended that we travel in groups of two or more. It’ll take some time to pass through Lupenproleteria so we should probably get moving.” I agreed and after some brief preparation we were on our way. While we advanced toward our destination I had an opportunity to get to know Vlad a little better. His personality was a little rough around the edges but he turned out to be a really good guy. I decided to get his opinion on speciest thought. It was too dangerous to directly ask him so I started off by getting his opinion of Darwin. Since Darwin used to work for Socrates I figured this could be a relatively safe topic for conversation. As we crossed the Lumpenproleterian border I asked, “Vlad, what are your thoughts on Darwin’s theories?” He replied, “Someone’s been researching their modern animal history.” He suspiciously smirked at me then asked, “What exactly do you want to know?” I said, “Well, I know you have strong opinions about nature. Are you confident that Darwin has a correct understanding of animal nature?” Vlad’s mood slightly darkened as if he were bothered by the question. After a pause he gave a deep sigh. “I don’t know,” he said. “I sure hope so. If he’s wrong then animalkind is in a lot of trouble.” I thought, “So I’m not the only one who is bothered by this.” Vlad continued, “I’ve repeatedly gone over his theories in my mind and to be honest with you it doesn’t make complete sense to me. When Darwin used to speak at animalist rallies I tried to pay close attention to his line of reasoning but I often got lost in his complex prose.” All at once my eyes began to burn. The overpowering smell of petroleum in the air alerted me of our proximity to the tar pits. I shook my head and tried to refocus on our conversation. I asked, “Has anyone ever challenged his position?” “No one,” replied Vlad matter of factly. “I wonder why that is?” After a brief pause, Vlad replied, “Well, I have a theory.” He peered at me intently. “Its not a theory on the origin of species but rather on why no one dares to challenge the old cat. You see, his ideas ushered in a whole new way of thinking. He is thought by many to be the father of the modern age. Before Darwin, animalkind was in mental darkness. We were lost. Even those who question Darwin’s theories agree that they do not want to go back to the old days.” Vlad stopped and shrugged. “What are we going to do? Darwin is the only scientist we have.” The conversation inflamed my urge to hear the opposition. Niccolo warned me to never listen to the speciests. But how could I fully understand my own position until I had a thorough understanding of every side of the issue? I noticed that we were now crossing the large plaza where the slave trade was held. I was reminded of the plight of the common animal. My conscience began to prick me. If I listened to the speciests would I be turning my back on the common animal? I reassured myself that everything I did was in behalf of the common animal. I was fighting for him. Interrupting my thoughts Vlad suddenly said, “Its my turn to ask you a question. Are you in love with Molly?” Much like yesterday, the suddenness of the question left me flabbergasted. Was I so obviously affected by her? Had everyone noticed? I stammered, “No, I… Who told you that?” Vlad grinned. “No one had to tell me anything. I have eyes. You could barely string two thoughts together while she was speaking to you.” I thought, “I guess that answers my question. Everyone had noticed.” Vlad continued, “Well, I think you made a good choice. Molly is a first rate comrade. I wish you the best.” Vlad’s words had a pleasing effect on me. This was the third impression in only two days that Molly and I as a couple were not absurd. I remembered Russ’ assurance that he would hook me up and gradually I began to harbor the idea that Molly was to be mine. Inadvertently I began daydreaming about our life together in the future when all animals were to be equal and at peace. I pictured family reunions where I would introduce my mate and our cluster of children to Vincent, Josie and my mother. Despite deep feelings of betrayal that I was harboring, I still felt that eventually I should present my future family to Jeffery and Josephine Chambers. They played such a key role in my development. Thoughts of a future reconciliation with the Chambers often intruded upon my mind but I suppressed them. “Before reconciliation could take place, they had a lot of serious questions to answer,” I brooded. I wasn’t even remotely ready to begin formulating these questions let alone ask them. For the time being I pushed back any thoughts of reconciliation. As we walked passed the breeding houses I noticed a minor scene beginning to unfold. Some Cuyamongan dogs had been conversing with a Lumpen dog and apparently they were secretly making fun of him. He must have somehow become aware of the insincerity of the Cuyamongans because he all at once began barking in anger, “You’re not better than me! You’re filthy mutts! If Cuyamonga is so great, what are you doing here? I’ll teach you to make fun…” The Lumpen’s sentences became incoherent and he began to bark a chain of obscenities at the Cuyamongans. What stood out to me about the confrontation was not the overreaction by the Lumpen but rather the response of the Cuyamongans. Although the Lumpen was exerting himself vigorously to insult the Cuyamongans, they did not seem to be insulted. In fact it seemed as if the angrier the Lumpen grew, the more pleased the Cuyamongans seemed to become. At last the Lumpen looked as if he were about to begin foaming at the mouth. Content with this outcome the Cuyamongans tossed some money on the ground by the paws of the Lumpen and they trotted away laughing amongst themselves. After he calmed, the Lumpen picked up the money and looked at me in humiliation. I quickly looked away to avoid making eye contact. When I casually glanced back he was gone. This scene produced in me a mix of feelings that I didn’t quite understand at the time. I felt sorry for the Lumpen and I longed to intervene but at the same time I felt a slight desire for the humiliation to continue. It was the strangest mix of feelings I had ever experienced and it frightened me. Noticing my preoccupation Vlad remarked, “See how those Cuyamongans treat the common animal? They feel they paid him for his humiliation. They don’t realize that the masses will require a much larger price.” Once again I began to pity the common animal. I hoped I would be effective in my efforts at the conference. I hoped I was worthy to represent this noble creature. As we were about to leave Lumpenproleteria I began to feel a strong urge to give a donation to someone less fortunate than myself. We were nearing the border so I had to act fast. I spotted an old Lumpen St. Bernard dog sitting off to the side of the road staring off into space. His eyes were glazed over and his mouth was slightly open which gave him a very stupid appearance. A stream of drool was steadily streaming out of the left corner of his mouth. I ignored my first inclination that this creature was anything but noble and I approached him. We all received funds to aid us on the journey so I had a little money to give. Extending my arm I said, “Here comrade. This is for you.” The Lumpen gave a start. His eyes were first drawn to mine and then toward my outstretched paw. Gradually his bushy brow began to wrinkle. He slowly turned his back on me. I was astounded. I put away my money in as dignified a manner as possible and walked away. As I ran to catch up with Vlad I thought, “Stupid Lumpen. What is the matter with him?” I felt strange. For some reason my worries about not being worthy to represent the Lumpen had vanished.

  We were now on Cuyamongan soil. Much had transpired since the last time I was in this territory. Nevertheless a tremor of fear swept through my body as I was reminded of the past. Vlad must have noticed my condition because he suddenly remarked, “You don’t have to be nervous about being on enemy soil. As an ambassador you are safer here than anywhere else. If our enemies were going to try something they would never do it while we are on their turf.” I thought about what V
lad was saying and felt better. I also noticed his relaxed demeanor and this put me at ease. This being my first conference, I had no idea where the meeting place was. I just followed Vlad’s lead. At first the route we were taking bustled with other animals traveling to and fro. However as we took various turns the passersby seemed to gradually dwindle. Eventually we found ourselves walking in an area that seemed to be deserted. The question, “Are we lost?” entered my mind but the confident manner that Vlad pushed forward quieted my doubts. Suddenly my companion stopped at a fork in the road. His brow bristled. He looked to the left, then to the right. He turned and looked behind at the path we had taken. He shrugged and turned onto the right side of the fork. All of a sudden the nervous feelings I had when we first entered Cuyamonga began to reemerge. I now thought of how strange it was that there was no escort to greet us at the border. I said to Vlad, “This seems like a very solitary place to hold a conference. Are you sure we took the correct route?” He responded, “I was thinking the exact same thing, but this is the route I always take to reach the conference when it is held in this territory. Is it possible that they changed the location?” We walked on until the path became narrow and covered with brush. Finally we were prevented from advancing as a large barbed wire fence obstructed our path. We peered through the fence and could see movement from a great distance. All at once I gave a start as a skeleton like creature walked into view near the fence. It had the slow gait of a cat but there was no fur. This creature was literally just skin and bones. Startled we jumped back and decided we had obviously taken the wrong path. We practically ran back to the fork in the road. Upon arriving, there was a number of Cuyamongan guards waiting for us with angry faces. They seized us and began shouting angrily at Vlad, “You are not authorized to be in this part of the territory! What were you doing before we spotted you running down that abandoned path?” Vlad just stared at them with a confused look on his face. I didn’t understand why he didn’t respond. The guards were losing patience fast and I didn’t want them to resort to violence so I interjected, “We are delegates from the Union. We were headed for the conference when we lost our way.” My response seemed to surprise the guards. They immediately released us and the lead guard said to me, “You speak Cuyamongan very well.” I didn’t even realize I was speaking Cuyamongan. Upon learning that we were delegates, one of the guards ran off to relay the message. After being detained for about an hour, the guard returned accompanied by a wheat colored striped tabby. The tabby who I assumed would be our escort, entered with a large smile that appeared to be glued on. In a professional tone he announced, “Welcome to Cuyamonga! I apologize for having you detained. I hope you weren’t put out too much. I heard you undertook a self-guided tour. For your own safety I would advise against that in the future.” Our escort said all of this with a smile, which made it difficult to tell if we were being threatened. Vlad exclaimed, “This is the route I took the last time I attended a conference here.” The escort responded, “Much has changed since the last time a conference was held in Cuyamonga. Where did you enter by the way? I was awaiting your arrival at the entrance point newly opened for this conference. I was worried I had somehow missed you. Imagine my surprise on hearing that two foreigners were spotted trespassing on state property.” Vlad scowled disapprovingly. The walk over to the conference was an awkward one. Vlad didn’t open his mouth the entire time so I followed his lead and remained silent.

  Chapter 7 - Extreme positions are not succeeded by moderate ones but by contrary extreme positions - Friedrich Nietzsche

  Upon arriving at the site where the conference was to be held I was astounded by what I saw. First of all, the immense size of the structure we were about to enter greatly impressed me. Up to this point the largest animal made structure that I’d seen was the coliseum in Lumpenproleteria. But this edifice was at least three times as large. The other detail that took my breath away was the large number of animals entering and leaving the building. Despite the large numbers and the great diversity among the crowd there appeared to be order. I would never have imagined it possible to gather this many animals together without a stampede breaking out but here it was. “Come this way,” said our escort as he entered the building motioning for us to follow. “I’ll take you to the section that has been reserved for the Union of Animals. We’re arriving late so you won’t have much time to rest from your journey. The conference begins in just under fifteen minutes.” We were given agendas and directed into a large hall where most of our comrades had already been gathered. After greeting everyone, asking about their journey and relating our unexpected detour the time had come for the opening of the conference. According to the agenda Darwin was scheduled to give a speech that day. I was surprised to find out that not everyone was expected to attend the first day. Vlad said, “I think I’ll skip out on today’s activities. It’s not mandatory that I attend and I’m too tired to listen to Darwin today. I’ve already heard enough of his claptrap when he used to work for Socrates. You should go though Christopher. As our representative you will be expected to attend the entire conference.” Although Vlad and others decided to skip the opening day of the conference, Russ, Murk, Attila and Nathan accompanied me to the main auditorium. As we walked through the busy hallways we garnered much attention. Animals halted in their conversations to watch us pass by. The attention was exhilarating. As members of the Union we were considered to be non-conformist. We were the bad boys and everyone knew it. When we entered the main hall I was given a better impression of the size of the place. Rows of seats surrounded a platform located on the main floor. Our section was near the platform because the Union was expected to give a statement of our positions at some point during the conference. I looked around to see how far up the rows extended. The expanse seemed limitless. I wondered how many territories would be represented. Their appeared to be room enough for every animal in the world to attend. As the conference started I was anxious to hear from Darwin. I had been imagining what he must be like and I wanted to see if my assumptions were correct. According to the agenda, he was to give the final speech before lunch. I waited patiently through opening comments by one of the organizers of the conference. This was followed by an hour-long speech on the need for better communication between territories given by an enthusiastic black cat with green eyes. This speech was followed by a rather boring two-hour speech that I struggled to stay awake for. I don’t remember the theme but it had something to do with the responsible disposal of waste products and environmental footprints. Finally the chairman introduced Darwin to the stage and I straightened my back giving him my full attention. His appearance was much different than I had imagined. He was extremely old with long grey and white fur. He was overweight for his age with overlapping rolls of fat drooping off his frame. With difficulty the old cat slowly maneuvered his way to the platform. Putting all his weight on his haunches he lifted his body up to be visible to his audience. After gazing over the audience, Darwin opened his mouth and began to speak. “As we look around the auditorium, what do we see? We see various organisms with differing characteristics. Some have long drooping fur. Others have short fur. Some have green eyes. Others blue. There are in fact a wide variety of characteristics in all of us cats. We take these differences for granted because we are so used to it but they do exist. It is also hard not to notice that there exists an even greater variation in colors, structures, organs, and physical traits that differentiate a multitude of species from one another.” Immediately I noticed this elderly cat had a very scholarly way of speaking. Each word he spoke seemed to have been carefully selected for preciseness. He continued, “During the process of domestication the more intelligent animals have performed an artificial selection with these varieties, choosing the ones that they saw best fit for their purposes, and making sure that they multiplied.” He paused and looked around the auditorium to make sure everyone was following him. He went on, “For example we use gophers to dig our holes and ditches, being that their paws are
more suited for this purpose. We use badgers to build our dams and fortifications. We use pigeons as messengers and so on and so forth. As a result of this artificial selection process, the animals that are the most useful to us are the animals that thrive.” He smiled, almost to himself and reflected, “It is sometimes overwhelming to think of how far the domesticated animals have come in such a short period of time.” Reverting back to a countenance of earnestness he continued, “Now lets consider the world outside the borders of domestication. There are many species in nature, and many breeds of them as well. It is hard however to make a clear delimitation between what you could call a "species" and what you could call a "breed". Why do I say this?” he asked searchingly. “Well what is a breed? It is nothing more than an incipient species. In other words it is a subspecies that is in the process of becoming permanent, and thus changing to a true species.” He made an inquisitive gesture with his paw and asked, “What is a species?” Answering his own question, he replied, “It is nothing more than a well-settled breed. Hence, there is actually no clear delimitation between the two, but they only represent a process that is going on continually right before our very eyes. If species were once simple breeds, it means they descended from other classes, which in turn descended from others. This brings us to an important question.” He paused for emphasis. “Which breeds succeed in becoming well-established species, and which do not? Well we’ve already answered this question when it comes to artificial selection. The breeds that are more useful to society are the breeds that will survive. This is as a result of an outside influence i.e. the intelligent animal manipulating nature for his own means. If the intelligent animal were able to successfully select the best variations of his domestic animals, why would nature not be able to do the same? This brings us to a new concept. It is the concept of natural selection. What is natural selection you ask? I would like to direct your attention once again to the wild life in the areas outside of domestication. You no doubt will observe that generally the species that is the most dominant has the most numerous number of sub-species and breeds. It is likely that the most dominant class had a few features that distinguished it from other classes and gave it an advantage over them. Heredity is the mechanism that perpetuates variations, as traits are passed from parents to offspring. Hence, by reproducing the most, it is more likely to transmit these traits to its descendants, and thus preserve itself.” Darwin paused suspiciously darting his eyes to the left then to the right. “The question is why would it need to preserve itself? The answer,” he said, raising his voice. “In order to survive the struggle for life!” This ‘struggle’ was a new concept to me but after reflecting on my past I heard the ring of truth. He continued, “Organisms in nature reproduce themselves at extremely high rates. If nothing would stop this process, than in the end they would suffocate all earth's reserves. Hence, I conclude…” Darwin proudly placed his paw on his chest. “I conclude that there is always, at some time in the development of a species, a period of extermination, that checks its numbers. Also, since the resources upon which a being can feed are limited within one area, and the most related classes live generally in close proximity, there is a keen competition between parent species and their offspring. This competition creates what I call the ‘struggle for existence,’ in which species must fight to survive to avoid extinction. Any small advantage that an organism might have—the ability to run away quickly from predators, coloring that allows it to hide from predators, physical adaptations that allow it to gather food more easily—will give it an edge over other organisms, bettering its odds of winning the struggle over others and surviving. In short, nature is not the idealistic harmonious environment as portrayed by some. Rather it is a brutal battlefield where life survives by destroying life. Out of this incredible struggle all cannot survive. This means some will be eliminated and some will be preserved. Natural selection is the process by which the best organism, the most fitted for survival, is preserved, and all the weaker ones are eliminated. I have identified two ways in which species can win the struggle for existence. First, they can simply survive and live longer than other organisms. Second, they can leave more offspring than other species do, ensuring that their traits will be passed on to subsequent generations more frequently than will the traits of organisms that reproduce less. These methods of perpetuation are interrelated: An organism that survives over others is also more likely to produce more offspring in its longer span of life. The struggle for existence, then, is not just about individual survival; it is about the survival of groups of related organisms over other groups. Organisms are related through the variations they share, and it is the advantages these variations give to the group that allow them to survive over other organisms. Natural selection is the mechanism that leads to a process I like to call ‘descent with modification.’ Organisms will continually give birth to offspring that carry variations, some of which are advantageous and some of which are not. As advantageous variations are naturally selected and become perpetuated through successive generations, organisms carrying these advantageous variations will diverge from the original species, eventually becoming a species of their own. Continual modification and divergence, then, create a branching scheme of evolution, in which new species continually branch off from old ones. The ‘branches’ help us to link later species back to an original parent species, identifying the point at which different species are related to one another.” Darwin hesitated. “Now, classification systems showing the relationships between species is nothing new. However, what is unique about my theory of descent with modification is that it provides an explanation for why many species seem so similar. Either they evolved from one another, or they both evolved from a common parent species.” So far, all of Darwin’s theories sounded probable to me but I wondered how it was he could be so convinced that he was right. As if he were divining my thoughts he suddenly said, “You may be wondering how it is that we know this process is taking place? You want proof. Well I’m pleased to announce that we have absolute and concrete proof that natural selection is occurring!” I became even more alert. I definitely wanted to hear this. He continued, “I have studied thirteen species of finches in Cuyamonga. After a year of drought, finches that had slightly bigger beaks survived more readily than those with smaller beaks. Since observing the size and shape of the beaks is one of the primary ways of determining the thirteen species, this discovery is groundbreaking! Just think! If droughts occur about once every ten years, a new species of finch might arise in only about two hundred years!” Darwin’s eyes had a look of intense excitement as he pondered the possibilities. Suddenly this look turned to one of embarrassment and he appeared flustered. He stammered, “True, in the years following the drought, finches with smaller beaks again dominated the population but this strange occurrence hasn’t discouraged us. We are confident that eventually we will be able to make sense of it.” He paused meditatively and added, “It’s also true that as climatic conditions in Cuyamonga changed, finches with longer beaks were dominant one year, but later those with smaller beaks were again dominant.” Darwin appeared to be lost in thought. “Something else that has us puzzled is that some of the different species of finches are interbreeding. This is a cause for concern because according to our methods of defining a species, they should not be able to do this.” Suddenly Darwin appeared transformed from someone who had all the answers to a creature that was just as lost as the rest of us. This only lasted a moment, however. Lifting his head and puffing out his chest he soon reverted to being the super confident scientist. He continued, “You may be wondering ‘how is it that variations occur in species in the first place, driving natural selection and the creation of new species?’ I’m glad you asked. Let me explain. It has to do with geographical isolation. All of the existing species in the world have descended from one or a few primary forms that originated in one part of the world. As these original organisms multiplied in subsequent generations, their descendents migrated throughout the
world. The surface of the earth changed, due to the Ice Age and the subsequent period of re-warming, which raised water levels and cut off previously connected lands and populations from one another. Suddenly there were barriers such as oceans and mountain ranges that restricted the ability of organisms to migrate, and the few that managed to do so played a large role in shaping the evolution of species on islands and in geographically isolated areas. The geographical isolation of species from one another allowed different variations to be perpetuated in different species, depending on which variations proved advantageous in the environment in question. Moreover, the ease with which birds migrated to and from isolated lands also haphazardly spread species to isolated islands, as birds could carry from place to place seeds, plants, eggs, and food in their beaks, feet, and stomachs. The migration of various species to new, geographically isolated locales allowed for their proliferation in new places, but also their divergence from other species, as whatever traits were apparent in the few species that migrated would be perpetuated in the new population. Geographical isolation accounts for the overabundance of unique species on islands, as well as the wider distribution of species across continents.” Darwin paused then started excitedly, “This brings us to our second proof that natural selection is occurring. Conclusive proof is found in the fossil record! So many intermediate forms have been discovered between fish and amphibians, between amphibians and reptiles, between reptiles and mammals, and along the primate lines of descent that it is difficult to identify categorically when the transition occurs from one to another particular species. Our scientists have unearthed and cataloged thousands of large and small fossils. What have we found?” Darwin then paused and looked suddenly distressed. He stammered, “At present the evidence suggests that all the major groups of animals appeared suddenly and remained virtually unchanged, with many species disappearing as suddenly as they arrived.” Regaining his confidence he said, “This is a false view however.” He shrugged. “It has to be false since we already know that these changes did in fact take place. For this reason alone we keep searching and eventually we will find that missing link!”