Animal Farm & Lilly Allen
At some point in the early 1990’s, the school made us read George Orwell’s Animal Farm. It was probably a bit too early to comprehend such a book … and thinking of it now, it was a wild choice by today’s (wilder) school and schooling standards.
I won’t claim that I understood the book back then when I was a middle school student … probably barely out of primary school even. I also won’t claim that I will always understand it the same way as an adult.
However, what stood out back then and what still stands out is one sentence – the famous “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”. Not sure I have encountered any statement that never ever failed to remain true and applicable to all times as this one. We are all equal but some are more equal than others.
While reflecting on the so-called norm versus the so-called law and how those are supposedly applied in “civilised ethical democratic run-by-the-rule-of-law” (or low to be more accurate) societies, I wondered who the norm protects and who the law does not protect … I wondered how abiding to the law can empower the predator and tyrannise the prey.
Many (not to say all) norms were not made to apply to everyone, they were made to apply to some. (Reasons vary and are uncountable but they include yet are not limited to mutual benefits, politics, dynamics, interests, strength/weakness, greed, all the aforementioned, none of the listed, etc). Similarly, many laws were not made to be obeyed. They were made to oppress and punish some of those who might one day consider disobeying or even consider demanding their rights. And although law sometimes reflects high morality, at other times it reflects how low in morality law can be. Not that morality has a standard definition applicable to all cases, but there is a common bare minimum (understanding not practice). Yet, even in morality, “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than the others”. Some speaking animals thrive on being on the lower end of morality, and some thrive by staying away from the aforementioned.
On that note I conclude with the timeless words sung by Lilly Allen (I have no idea why this song in particular popped in my head while reflecting on the topics, but thinking about it, it does flow smoothly with the above. Thank you subconscious!)
Look inside
Look inside your tiny mind
Now look a bit harder
‘Cause we’re so uninspired
So sick and tired of all the hatred you harbour
Fuck you, fuck you very, very much
‘Cause your words don’t translate
And it’s getting quite late
So, please don’t stay in touch
Do you, do you really enjoy living a life that’s so hateful?
‘Cause there’s a hole where your soul should be
You’re losing control a bit, and it’s really distasteful
Fuck you, fuck you very, very much
‘Cause your words don’t translate
And it’s getting quite late
So, please don’t stay in touch
And to Lilly I say
Thank you, thank you very, very much
‘Cause your words do translate
And it’s never too late
To thank you very much