False Compromise

Some things are not to be compromised. Some things are not negotiable. It’s perfectly reasonable to hold one’s ground and not give an inch when some things are at stake.

There’s an old joke told by diplomats during the cold war. It goes like this;

The Soviet negotiators propose that all the US diplomat’s wives should be available for their sexual pleasures. The US diplomats say that is outrageous. Fine, fine, say the Soviets. We’ll accept sexual pleasures with half of your wives.

See, the Soviets cut their demands in half. They were willing to compromise and negotiate. They were also totally full of crap.

Unfortunately, it seems too many people have learned the lessons of the old Soviet diplomats. That’s why we are supposed to accept a certain amount of poison in food and water. We are supposed to accept negotiated levels of environmental degradation, economic injustice, police state, privacy invasion -just about everything.

Ever notice that aristocrats never have their perks on the table? Everything that’s negotiated is on the other end of the scale. That’s why food stamps are a waste and must be done away with, yet oil companies get billions in government subsidies. Social security is under attack, yet CEOs can lose money yet leave with golden parachutes. Somehow our problems are due to a retired grandmother trying to live on 600/month.

So the next time somebody wants you to compromise on something that you shouldn’t, check out their trophy spouse and start negotiations on your own. No, never mind the spouse -put something on the table that they care about.

-Sixbears