Why Did The San-Ti Call Humans "Bugs"?

Mike Evans was a leader who saw the San-Ti as gods that could free humans from their own suffering. He often talked with the San-Ti, teaching them about human behavior in hopes of finding a way to live together. He seemed to use fictional stories to explain human nature. One time, while telling the Little Red Riding Hood story, the San-Ti didn't understand why the Wolf lied to Little Red Riding Hood when he planned to eat her.

Evans tried to explain that the Wolf had to lie and pretend to be the grandmother, or Little Red Riding Hood would have run away. He used this story to show the dangers of lies and deceit. He even compared Wade and his agency, who were investigating the San-Ti worshippers, to pests that were secretly trying to find them.

The San-Ti were different. They couldn't lie and didn't see any species as better than others. To them, a bug was as valuable as a human. So, when Evans used the word "pests" in a negative way, they were confused. Their beliefs were similar to Buddhism.

But this conversation changed how the San-Ti saw things. They began to look down on humans because they could lie. They realized humans were fragile and started to compare them to bugs. They were so open about their dislike for humans that they sent out a message saying "You are bugs" in all languages across all electronic devices. They knew this would hurt humans, who thought of themselves as the most powerful beings in the universe.

Understanding The Bug Revolution

The term Volksschadling was frequently used during the Nazi era, meaning “human pests.” This term was given to those who committed crimes such as looting, arson, or deserting the battlefield during wartime. A distressing fact is that the Nazis used a pesticide known as Zyklon in their gas chambers to kill around 1.1 million people. The sites where these individuals were held were termed extermination camps, drawing a parallel with pest extermination.

Hence, it's easy to see why calling humans "bugs" is wrong and hints at fascistic tendencies. Mike Evans was incorrect to liken Wade and his army to pests, and the San-Ti were wrong to compare humans to bugs. However, this sparked the Bug Revolution, where humans reclaimed their dignity and removed the negativity associated with insect-related insults.

Across different regions of the world, humans asserted that they weren't bugs. In a moving conversation between Da Shi, Saul, and Jin, the resilience of insects was highlighted. Despite being looked down upon, insects continue to thrive in diverse environments, symbolizing resistance and coexistence.

Just because the San-Ti viewed humans as bugs, it doesn't mean humans should accept this derogatory status. Humans should protest against this degradation and teach the San-Ti that they don't have the right to humiliate them, while also learning to respect the insects around them.

If you hear someone comparing humans to insects, it's perfectly valid to challenge this view, given its historical origins in oppressive regimes.