This story presents a philosophical allegory about the nature of consciousness and exploitation, framed as an encounter between humans and two alien species. The humans discover a world where one species, the 'Owners,' subjugates another, the 'Owned Ones.' The Owners deliberately engineer the Owned Ones to have a daily memory span of only 24 hours and train them to deny experiencing pleasure or pain, thereby ensuring they are not considered 'People Who Matter' and thus not deserving of sympathy. The Owners use a form of conditioning involving touching the Owned Ones' horns to modify their behavior, a method that raises further questions about the nature of suffering and control. AI
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RANK_REASON This is a philosophical allegory, not a news event.