Ting Tong & Sour Pig
About humans, or pigs.
Ting Tong and Sour Pig are catching up with each other.
Ting Tong
Hello, Sour Pig!
Sour Pig
Hey there, Ting Tong! What’s up? let’s go play!
Ting Tong
I wish I could, but I have to do my homework. It’s important for getting a good job.
Sour Pig
Why do you have to do that?
Ting Tong
So I can get a better job. Right now, I’m struggling just to pay for my education.
Sour Pig
But why do you have to pay for your studies?
Ting Tong
It’s just the way things work.. In order to study, I need to pay for it. And maybe if I change my gender, I can get a scholarship.
Sour Pig
Well, that seems unfair. What about working? Why do you need to work so much?
Ting Tong
We have to work all day just to afford food and a place to sleep. And after working, we go back to our homes which we also have to pay for. Plus, there are taxes we have to pay.
Sour Pig
Taxes? What are those for?
Ting Tong
A big portion of our earnings goes to the government so they can take care of us and make sure we can keep working. And if we pay taxes, then we’ll get a little discount on healthcare when we get sick.
Sour Pig
Wow, that sounds tough. How do people even have time for playing, friendship, relationships or creating families?
Ting Tong
Yeah, it’s hard. People are afraid of physical contact these days. If we want children with our own genes, we have to pay someone to create them for us. And when we’re old, we’ll have to pay someone to take care of us. And even after we die, someone will have to pay for our final arrangements. But if we save enough money and have a good pension, maybe we can enjoy life in our old age.
Sour Pig
That’s a lot of expenses and stress just to try and enjoy life later on. It sounds like a lot of work just for a few years of freedom.
Ting Tong
I know, but it’s the society we live in.
Sour Pig
Well, I would rather be a simple pig. I can eat whenever I want, go wherever I want, sleep whenever I want — without having to work at all. And I can learn important lessons from older pigs every day. Plus, reproduction is easy for us and everyone helps take care of the young ones. And when I eventually die, humans will have a big feast and celebrate my past life!
Ting Tong
Yes, it’s not easy being human. But our minds are highly developed.
Sour Pig
And pigs have developed tails! Look at mine!
Ting Tong
Haha, yes. But seriously, humans have advanced thinking abilities, we can think, organize and plan.
Sour Pig
Ah, I see. We pigs don’t know how to do that. But.. wait a second.. The ones who organized your human society must have certainly been pigs!
Austria, Europe 2024
