Pigs, Dogs, or Sheep: Who's to Blame in Animal Farm?
On Psychopaths and Their Useful-Idiot NPC Enablers
I was recently rereading Animal Farm by George Orwell, which unfortunately seems to be a useful guide for understanding our times, and I was struck by the question: Whom do you blame for the corruption and tyranny among the farm’s ruling class: the pigs, the dogs, or the sheep?
Are the Pigs to Blame?
Obviously, the pigs are the ones running the farm, so it would be natural to place the blame squarely on their porky shoulders.
After the revolution gives the animals control of the farm, the pigs make many promises about what they intend to do to make the farm work better for everyone, and maybe some of the pigs actually believe those idealistic visions, at least in the early stages of the story.
Animal Farm begins with Old Major, an elderly hog, giving a rousing speech in which he shares his utopian dream of animal equality and freedom. He goes on to set forth simple, straightforward principles to guide their political movem…
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