Sep 5 2010

Work Makes One Free and Cheetos Are Food

So my daughter and I are driving around.

“We may just stay close to home on Labor day weekend instead of going over the hill. Everyone goes to the beach that day and the traffic could be really bad getting back to Santa Cruz. Last holiday there was an accident and it took us two hours to get from Los Gatos to Soquel.”

“Why does everyone go to the beach that day?”

“Because most people do what they are told and they are told to go to the beach on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. So they do.”

“I want to go live with one of those families. I’ll say give me Cheetos and they will.”

“Well that’s not exactly what I meant by doing what they are told. I mean they follow the basic outline that is presented to them socially, politically and economically. There are pretty clear ideas that are presented to us about expected behavior. Everywhere you look, the vast number of possible options have been reduced to an either or situation. Overtime we stop even thinking about any other way of being. No one escapes it and we all follow the program to some extent. It takes a lot of effort to do otherwise. So most people follow them pretty closely.”

“Well I want to go live with them and get fat and eat Cheetos!”

“Well most families would give you Cheetos. But you live us so you don’t get Cheetos except on rare occasions like a friend’s birthday party. That’s the proper way to eat them. They are not food.”

“Awwww…”