There was once a village that worked very hard for a tower it could not enter.

Every day, the villagers gave the tower tithes, taxes, tribute, tips, and time.

In return, the tower gave them:

A small coin.

Brownie points.

A sign that said, “You Are Free™”.

The villagers were thrilled with that sign.

Even though they had no savings, no healthcare, no paid days off, no paid sick leave, and every decision was made for them by people who lived a thousand feet above their heads eating cloud truffles.

“But we get to choose who delivers the sign!” they said.

Some villagers began to ask strange questions:

“If we can’t afford to stop working, are we free?”

“If we do the labor and they keep the gold, is that fair?”

“If I can’t leave, and I can’t rest, and I can’t say no, what am I?”

“An entrepreneur,” the tower replied.

And the villagers applauded.

Later, the tower sent down motivational slogans:

“You are not enslaved, you are empowered!”

“You don’t have chains, you have choice!”

“You’re not exploited, you’re essential!”

The villagers clapped until their hands bled.

Then went back to work.

One day, a small child (they’re always the dangerous ones) said:

“If they need our work to live, but we can’t live without their coin, who’s in charge?”

The tower responded by increasing the price of bread.

Moral:
Chains don’t need to rattle when you believe the cage is a ladder.