Of Serving Man Boiling Frog

Serving Man Boiling Frog

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They say if you toss a frog into boiling water, it’ll leap out immediately and save itself before becoming frog stew.

But if you place it in lukewarm water and slowly crank up the heat, it’ll stay put, chilling… until it’s nicely done.

This is the premise of the boiling frog theory: an urban legend, a metaphor, and quite possibly the frog’s least favourite fable.

It’s often used to describe how people fail to react to situations that creep in gradually, on a literal level, this could be about climate change and global warming or it could be about how we adapt to deteriorating socio-economic and political conditions instead of being more proactive..

Now, full disclosure:
The science behind this frog fable? About as shaky as a politician’s campaign promises.
A frog thrown into boiling water would probably die instantly, not heroically leap to safety.
And if you heat the water slowly? That frog’s thermoregulation biology would kick in, it’d hop out well before its cooked.

So… why does this myth persist?

Because it’s not about frogs. It’s about us.

Humans clever enough to be dumb enough to acclimatise to catastrophic nonsense like: constant power outages “loadshedding” they call it, potholes the size of lunar craters, corruption, rigged elections and casting one’s vote being an exercise in futility which at best helps you decide the people who will line their pockets next.

A government that seems to have a Ministry dedicated to pain and suffering, via statutory instruments of torture and taxes to squeeze out every cent possible from our blood, sweat and tears. Each time we adapt, they turn up the heat.

They’ll tell us “this is for your own good” like cannibals inviting you for a spa day, and helping moisturise your skin so you become a tasty morsel.

It’s giving “To Serve Man” a scifi story about the aliens that apparently wanted to serve mankind. Spoiler alert: they wanted to eat people.

And just be clear: eating people is wrong

Side note: that book’s not about eating people.

Eating frogs, though? A delicacy in some places, and for the record, no chef recommends boiling them alive. Which makes you wonder:

Who came up with this boiling frog idea anyway? A weird cook or a very dramatic philosopher?

The boiling frog theory might be a myth. But the message is real. Because one day we all wake up in a country, economy, or situation we barely recognise, asking:

“Wait… when did it get this bad?”

Answer: Gradually.

Bone Apple Tea.

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