Number 2

Gotta be one of the worst jobs ever.

Of course, I'm talking about the constantly changing position in the Village in the TV series The Prisoner (Pat McGoohan's original).

Seemingly answerable to the mysterious Number 1 and later revealed a collectivist committee, Number 2 is the usual head adversary to Number 6.

This guy/gal is caught in the middle of the collectivist conundrum. No matter how much pressure is brought to bear on 6, their is inexorable stress on 2 to deliver. There is no real caring. There is only the outcome of the machine to make others conform and to reveal secrets which are none of 2's nor anyone else's business.

Some of the 2's seem to disappear. Others tend to be demoted or sent back out into the world to quietly promote the Village as the blueprint for society. It is obvious they are doing the bidding of their 'masters'.

Failure is poorly tolerated. Some 2's, however, appear to have more pull than others.

It is souless, manipulative and devoid of all that is good about humanity. Or that which is human is exploited for the endgame, which is obviously to eventually make the world a socialist moshpit.

Some people 'thrive', more exist as a second banana. There are those who artfully dodge responsibility. 2's occasionally try this and a few succeed. Most of the time they pay for their errors.

The other reason for such heavy overturn is to keep a level of instability involving 6 and others who are fellow prisoners. It's part of a Nacht und Nebel, or Night and Fog that instills hopelessness in the populace.

There is even an election once in a while which is only surface much like the puppet pollings in Soviet, Chinese etal regimes. Oh yes, much like elections have become in the US.

2's take the heat. We must look behind and beyond them for those who truly control.

The Hydra can be vanquished.

Don't fall for the rhetoric.