# democracy and lizards **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 7, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-and-lizards/643308 "2012-12-07T16:24:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-and-lizards/643308/1 "2012-12-07T16:24:34Z")
Does anyone know where this came from? I found it on Slashdot as a “funny” post. It had scored highly enough to still be visible. I think it is great, but I don’t know the source. “No,” said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, “nothing so simple. Nothing anything like to straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people.” “Odd,” said Arthur, “I thought you said it was a democracy.” “I did,” said Ford. “It is.” “So,” said Arthur, hoping he wasn’t sounding ridiculously obtuse, “why don’t the people get rid of the lizards?” “It honestly doesn’t occur to them,” said Ford. “They’ve all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they’ve voted in more or less approximates to the government they want.” “You mean they actually vote for the lizards?” “Oh yes,” said Ford with a shrug, “of course.” “But,” said Arthur, going for the big one again, “why?” “Because if they didn’t vote for a lizard,” said Ford, “the wrong lizard might get in.” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-and-lizards/643308/2 "2012-12-07T16:26:14Z")
It’s from the fourth Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book by Douglas Adams (So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-and-lizards/643308/3 "2012-12-07T16:27:26Z")
It;'s obviously one of the Hitchhiker’s Guide nove;ls. Most internet sources agree that it’s from _So Long, and thanks for all the Fish_, but I don’t have my copy at hand to check. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-and-lizards/643308/4 "2012-12-07T16:36:22Z")
That section does predate, and therefore may have inspired, David Icke’s "[reptoid hypothesis",](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Icke#Reptoid_hypothesis)in which the world is ruled by shape-shifting 12-foot-tall lizards from the lower level of the fourth dimension. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-and-lizards/643308/5 "2012-12-07T17:38:41Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > David Icke’s "[reptoid hypothesis",](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Icke#Reptoid_hypothesis)in which the world is ruled by shape-shifting 12-foot-tall lizards from the lower level of the fourth dimension. Which is _obviously_ completely wrongheaded and false. Shape-shifting 12-foot-tall lizards would clearly come from the UPPER level of the fourth dimension. _Duh._ ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-and-lizards/643308/6 "2012-12-08T14:05:26Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > It’s from the fourth Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book by Douglas Adams (So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish) thanks I figured it was from one of the Hitchhiker’s Guide, but didn’t recognize it. Next time I go vote, at least I will understand who I am voting for. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-and-lizards/643308/7 "2012-12-08T16:43:39Z")
It sounds to me like a variant of the Mouseland parable used by Tommy Douglas, the first socialist Premier of Saskatchewan. In his version, which he used during the Great Deprsssion, the mice in Mouseland always chose between voting for white cats or black cats, until finally they decided to vote for mice (Douglas and his socialist party). ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-and-lizards/643308/8 "2012-12-12T21:05:23Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > It sounds to me like a variant of the Mouseland parable used by Tommy Douglas, the first socialist Premier of Saskatchewan. In his version, which he used during the Great Deprsssion, the mice in Mouseland always chose between voting for white cats or black cats, until finally they decided to vote for mice (Douglas and his socialist party). [Mouseland.](http://www.dcf.ca/en/mouseland.htm)