The most equal between the equals, of course

I would usually (can't say "normally" in the circumstances) bow to Norm's opinion on most things in the universe. But in the situation Norm describes in this post, I have one small advantage*, being a graduate (survivor/escapee/you name it) of too many years of the communist paradise. And believe you me - no surprise at all here. Just a slightly queasy sense of déjà vu.

What it reminds me too - this short exchange between Jesus and Pontius Pilate from Bulgakov's Master and Margarita:

—И настанет царство истины?
—Настанет, игемон, — убежденно ответил Иешуа.
—Оно никогда не настанет! — вдруг закричал Пилат таким страшным голосом, что Иешуа отшатнулся.

Or, in my slavish translation to English:

—And the kingdom of truth shall come to be?
—It shall, Prefect, — confidently answered Jesus.
—It shall never come! - suddenly screamed Pilate in a voice so frightening that Jesus recoiled.

Guess who... oh well, it's just too bad.

(*) Of course, as millions of other people, so it's a small advantage indeed.

P.S. I've just read the second post by Norm on the subject. Not much has changed, but I sure would like to see the original paper on that experiment. Because otherwise, as Norm mentions, it remains an anecdote. Which fact is rather less important than the real subject of my post.

P.P.S. Got to the document here. It is not an anecdote, not anymore, an in some details even more interesting than described. Lewis was quite wrong in his description. Oh boy... it's a mess now. I will get it in the neck for sure, but the truth will out anyway, so:

Oh, in short:

• Powerless and empowered men ate more or less the same quantity of cookies. The powerless ones even consumed a bit more.
• Empowered women ate almost twice as much cookies as powerless ones.

Well, it opens a new can of worms, but what can I do?

But there is more interesting info in that article.