žižek archive
⌘K
archive / stories / Slovene farmer / fairy, kill neighbor's cows

Slovene farmer / fairy, kill neighbor's cows

joke · Slovenian/Yugoslav · retold in 3 talks
on the map →

A fairy offers a Slovene farmer a free cow but warns the neighbor gets two; the farmer says: 'No, kill one of my cows but kill two of the neighbor's.' Illustrates amour-propre, the other's loss matters more than one's own gain.

2011: 1 talk 2012: 2 talks
≤2000talks it is told in, per year2026

As told 3

“No, rather kill one of my cows but kill two of the neighbor.”
1:30:27 Freedom in the Clouds2011-10-21 · 1:35:48
“no rather take a cow of mine, kill her, eat but take also then two from the neighbor”
39:28 God in Pain2012-04-24 · 1:16:53
“Rather kill one of my cows but kill two cows of the neighbor.”
59:45 Lacanian Theology and Buddhism2012 · 1:27:34

What it carries

one story, many jobs: the ideas this anecdote is deployed to argue, one tally mark per use (an idea page shows the same relation from the other end, as its shelf of stories)

contents · one story, 3 jobsuses
amour propre ×2 envy as fundamental ×2 desire is the desire of the Other ×1

Its cast and sources

populated by
Walter Benn Michaels1Origen (Origenes)1Stanley Fish1Gioachino Rossini1François Jullien1Jack Miles1Pranav Mistry1Matsuo Bashō1
alongside works
Pellican Brief / All the President's Men1Do the Right Thing1Secret Beyond the Door1La Cenerentola1Il barbiere di Siviglia (Largo al factotum)1The Detour and Access1A Country Doctor1Against His-story, Against Leviathan1

Every retelling 3

1:30:27 Freedom in the Clouds2011-10-21 · 1:35:48
A fairy offers a Slovene farmer a free cow but warns the neighbor gets two; the farmer says: 'No, kill one of my cows but kill two of the neighbor's.' Illustrates amour-propre, the other's loss matters more than one's own gain., illustrating amour-propre,capitalism and envy,critique of capitalism
39:28 God in Pain2012-04-24 · 1:16:53
A fairy offers a Slovenian farmer a cow but warns his neighbor will get two. The farmer replies: don't give me one, kill mine, and also kill the neighbor's two. Illustrates the logic of resentment where the rival's loss matters more than one's own gain., illustrating resentment,envy,Slovenian national character
59:45 Lacanian Theology and Buddhism2012 · 1:27:34
A fairy offers a Slovenian farmer a cow but warns his neighbor will get two. The farmer says: 'Rather kill one of my cows and kill two of the neighbor's.' An even darker version: 'I will give you anything you want but twice as much to your neighbor.' Farmer: 'Take one of my eyes.' Illustrates amour-propre / envious desire over authentic egotism., illustrating amour-propre,envy,desire is the desire of the Other