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BOBO THE CHIMPANZI
This is a picture of Bobo in front of the experimental space program with his
instructor Ted and his brother Clarence. Bobo is the chimpanzi holding the banana.
Bobo was an experimental test pilot for NASA. He was suited up for missions considered
too dangerous for humans.
Bobo was strapped into the cockpit of rockets and sent into space. When he
returned, Ted would give him three banana's for his good behavior. Bobo loved
banana's and quickly learned that if he was good, he would be rewarded upon his
return. Bobo and NASA had it pretty good, Bobo was a perfect experimental flight
passenger, and NASA gave him bananas and let him play with his brother Clarence
on the old tire hanging in their playpen.88888 When Bobo returned from outer space,
Ted would do all sorts of tests on Bobo. They communicated with sign language
and Ted told him it was to make sure Bobo was healthy. Bobo didn't mind, just
as long as he got his three bananas. 3 One day Bobo got suited up for a very long
flight in outer space. Bobo figured it must be a long flight because before he
left he got two bananas and got to play with Clarence for an hour. The banana's
were perfectly ripe and Bobo was very happy. Everyone waved good-bye and Bobo
climbed into his small cockpit and waved back. Soon the rocket engines roared
and Bobo was blasted into outer space. 4 Bobo traveled further than he ever had
before. Looking out his little window he watched as colorful planets and space
debris floated by. When a comet dashed across his window he screamed and clapped
with delight. Bobo would fall asleep and dream of climbing trees like in his childhood.
He would dream of playing catch with coconuts. But Bobo would wake up and still
be in the space ship, crossing a strange and distant galaxy.
One day Bobo awoke to a loud sound and jarring movement. Was Bobo home? He
peered out the window with anxious delight. Was it banana time? Slowly the door
to his cockpit was opened and revealed a sight Bobo had never seen before. Standing
around him were five of the funniest looking creatures he had ever seen. They
were yellow! Yellow like bananas! Bobo clapped his hands and screamed in delight.
The aliens jumped back in fear, but soon assessed that Bobo meant no harm. Bobo
climbed out of his cockpit and observed the inside of their space craft. Where
are the banana's? While the aliens were the color of bananas, their four eyes
and eight arms clearly showed that they were not for eating. Bobo hugged the aliens
instead and the aliens hugged back.
The aliens were delighted with Bobo and excited about finding other intelligent
life in their lonesome galaxy. Although the barrier of language obstructed their
ability to communicate, the aliens were certain that Bobo the space traveler came
from a very advanced civilization, far, far away. Bobo's claps and screams and
hand signals must be a complex system the aliens had yet to understand. Although
Bobo was just asking for his three bananas, he remained on his best behavior with
his new alien friends. As the yellow aliens headed home to show their race the
wonderful new discovery of Bobo the space traveler, Bobo explored the strange
ship and relaxed as they petted his soft hair. As the ship neared the alien city,
Bobo could see thousands of aliens waiting for the ship. It was then that Bobo
named the aliens the Banana People.
Upon arrival, the aliens gave Bobo a warm welcome to their planet, excited
by the new creature and eager to learn the wisdom of Bobo's race. Bobo's welcome
began with a tour of their city, showing him the proud inventions and technological
feats of their race. But Bobo didn't care too much for the toys of the Banana
People, and spent most of his time looking out at the wonderfully strange trees
that surrounded the city. The Banana People showed Bobo their mathematical formulas,
their medicine and sciences, the technological advances and history of their society.
Bobo was very nice, but was restless and bored by their displays. Doesn't anyone
want to play? And where are the bananas? Bobo soon realized that the Banana People
were about as boring as the humans back on Earth. He was still very polite, hoping
that the Banana People might have real bananas on this strange planet, but viewed
their projects and ideas with dull and un-excited eyes. His real interest lied
in the inviting jungles that tangled like giant weeds around the city.
"Could this creature be so advanced that our technology is elementary and
boring to him?" The aliens had not been able to brake the communication barrier
between them, but sensed that their technology was uneventful in the mind of their
new guest. "Why is our new friend so interested in the forest?" The Banana People
came to the realization that Bobo was indeed intrigued by their forests, and finally
decide to take Bobo outside into the forest that intrigued him so. The aliens
lead Bobo into a nearby jungle and patiently waited to see Bobo's response. Almost
immediately, Bobo climbed the trunk of a strange blue tree, and swung from branch
to branch, tree to tree, showing off his acrobatic tricks, and screaming in wild
delight. At first this strange behavior amused the aliens, and a crowd of Banana
People gathered in the forest to witness the graceful acrobats of their guest.
Bobo discovered purple cubes and green balls hanging from the branch tips,
and though they didn't look like bananas, he was curious and hungry enough to
investigate their smell. After a little study, Bobo peeled back the thick skin
of a purple fruit and uncovered a very delectable food, reminding him of the pineapple
back on Earth. Delighted, Bobo found a nice resting spot high in the trees and
lazily ate the purple cubes. As his alien friends watch from below, Bobo slipped
into a nap and slumbered on a comfortable perch.
"Is it that this space traveler is an enlightened being? Has he transcended
the pursuit of science and technology for a deeper, more enjoyable life?" The
Banana People stood below, their minds racing with questions. "Is he a teacher,
showing us how trivial our hard work is?" For hours the aliens talked amongst
themselves, searching for an answer. They compared their own lives to the playful
chimpanzi's. They questioned the long hours they worked, the stress, their own
lack of freetime. "Surely he has evolved past the drudgery of work, surely he
is a traveler showing us an alternative, a passage to a more meaningful life."
There was no question that their guest was enjoying himself. There was no question
of his carefree spirit and contentment in the forest. The aliens began to look
towards Bobo as a messenger from an advanced civilization, communicating in the
universal language of leisure.
One by one, the Banana People began to climb the trunks of their forest, began
to swing from the branches and eat the purple cubes on the limbs of the trees.
Soon the trees were filled with aliens playfully swinging from the branches. Bobo
taught them games and played with them until dark. Bobo built a nest high in the
trees and the aliens carefully watched. Bobo was a very happy chimpanzi, and enjoyed
the company of his new friends and the bountiful selection of strange fruit that
graced the trees. From that day forward the aliens thanked Bobo for teaching them
about freedom and the manners of an advanced society. Bobo just clapped his hands
and screamed.
THE END
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Bobo the Chimpanzi Bobo the chimpanzi is a story not about misconception, but
of our constant search for the truth and the importance of an open mind to find
it. Although Bobo did not posses the ability to communicate through language with
the Banana People, his value system and way of life was presented in perfect clarity
through his actions. The story of Bobo attempts to demonstrate not only that intelligent
life is in search of a more meaningful existence, but that the answers may be
right before our eyes. With the Banana People, it took the discovery of an extra-terrestrial
chimpanzi to reveal a simple alternative to the drudgery, stress and emptiness
created by many modern work structures. With human beings, we are fortunate to
be surrounded by wonderful animals, and just maybe through close observation,
our primitive friends may serve as role models to a way of life superior to our
own.
A F W F A ARTISTS FOR A WORK FREE AMERICA is an organization established to
challenge the institution of work and encourage a new future where technology
may liberate- instead of enslave- the human spirit. We believe that man is ill-suited
for work as defined by the twentieth century, and that we will find our salvation
through the aggressive application of computer and robotic technologies. AFWFA
believes that all people are artists. Through social conditioning we have been
stripped of our natural desires to create and perform, and programmed to believe
that working is the road to a happy, meaningful life. Although we may have yet
to reach the point where we can frolic full-time in the trees like Bobo and the
Banana People, we do believe that man will be displaced in the work force by machines,
and that a future of creative leisure could well be within our reach. Furthermore,
AFWFA believes that this is a natural evolution, and should be met with understanding
and open arms.
By understanding the role that technology COULD play in our lives, we can direct
technological evolution in a positive, pro-human way. AFWFA does not support technology
unconditionally, nor does it encourage human to machine interface. We exist as
a catalyst to help fuel a social revolution in our society, one where people question
the roles of technology and work in their lives, and regain a clarity that helps
them choose a life based on freedom, health and happiness. Technological displacement
will help us understand what it means to be human, and of the human qualities
we posses that a machine could never threaten. We must ask ourselves what we can
do that technology cannot, for this is the key to our humanness and the future
of mankind. What can you do that technology could not? Start by visiting your
local zoo.
If you would like to help sponsor our fight against work, please send your
contributions and/or ideas to: AFWFA P.O. Box 23385 Seattle, WA 98102 All donations
over $15.00 will receive an Artists For A Work Free America teeshirt.
© 1998 A F W F A All Rights Reserved
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