Hanging Joe
Hanging Joe (AKA metaphor for the industry) - By Darles Chickens 1734: Tweet from @ No one
Houseboy: Massa Cole, I fear an uprising.
Cole: Hmm well kill the loudest, bravest one. The trouble making one that plays his own songs. Half his own don’t like him anyway.
Houseboy: Joe?
Cole: Yes Joe. Do you disagree?
Houseboy: No sir, Massa sir.
Cole: Then make it happen.
Houseboy: Yes Massa
Cole: Oh! And houseboy! Do it publicly. On the highest hill you can find so the others can see. It’ll keep them in all line.
Houseboy: Cos they be scared.
Cole: Of course
Houseboy: Yes Massa.
Later that day Houseboy and some others take Joe on on the tallest hill and Lynch him in front of all his peers.
In fact they make them watch as a lesson to all of them to stay in line and not have ambition out of their station. Houseboy then turns to all the other enslaved people.
Houseboy: Anyone else wanna plays their own songs?
There’s silence among the enslaved people.
Houseboy: You don’t hear me speaking? Anyone else wanna play their own songs?
They shake their heads. Then finally one of them speaks.
Enslaved Man: What’s a song massa?
Houseboy nods knowingly. Nobody wants to be like Joe.
Houseboy: That’s what I thought. Now get back out there and do what ya’ll are told.
And they do.
END
By Darles Chickens 1734 AKA NC
Cole watched Joe's lynching from the grand balcony on the top floor, of his five storey mansion, he took a sip of his wine and turned to his wife, Marta, who was knitting a sweater for their youngest child.
Marta: I thought you liked Joe?
Cole. I did. He always made me laugh.
Marta. He made you a lot of money.
Cole. Yes.
Marta. Why get rid of him?
Cole. There will be others. I can find a new a crop. He thought he was unstoppable, the bravest, the loudest, and could do or say he wanted.
Marta. It is always the same, sometimes the favoured are not the most humble. He didn't talk to anyone, he was never part of the community. So, the houseboy betrayed him.
Cole. Because he wants to be next in line. (laughing)
Marta. The houseboy?
Cole. (pointing at the houseboy) Look, he has Joe's musical instruments and he is sitting in front of the crowd singing his song. He is now the loudest.
Marta. Typical, so what are going to do?
Cole picks up his rifle. He aims it at the Houseboy, a shot rings out, the bullet, shatters the Houseboy's skull.
Marta. Kill the messenger.
The crowd turn around and look up at Cole. He waves them to walk away.
That line " nobody wants to hear me speaking" hit me like a ton of bricks, like u where shouting from the rooftops but nobody listened, the enormity of what was done is awful and scary. As u can guess, enjoyed this!