pay the Man 

An individual doing anything they would not do nor wish to do under 'normal' or natural circumstances because of the existence of Man/Machine/Establishment/Religion and their policies.

(Literal)"It's tax season.. I'm going to have to pay the Man soon"

(Metaphorical)"Abbie has a court date on Monday; the time for her to pay the Man is drawing nigh"

(Religious, Literal) The Church tells the impoverished faithful to tithe twice as much, for 'the Lord will help them recover from their hardship faster'.

(Religious, Metaphorical) "You missed Church on Sunday and died on Tuesday without the Last Rites. Dude, you're going to HELL!"

pay the Man by The Urban Philosophers' Syndicate March 24, 2006

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain 

Derived from "The Wizard of Oz," while in the movie, the phrase is intended to mean "don't pay any attention to the wizard not being real," it has evolved into a more literal and deeper phrase in modern times.

The fundamental moral lesson of the "Wizard of Oz" is that you MUST follow, follow, follow the "yellow bricked road" to success with your friends who have no brains, no hearts and no courage. Follow the "yellow bricked road to success (the Emerald City) no matter the cost." The Emerald City representing "utopia" or an oasis like (based in illusion) paradise. Follow the road no matter what to the "Emerald City" and when you ultimately realize your entire journey has been for naught, for a lie, for a fake made up imaginary oasis, you are to remember most importantly of all to ""pay no attention to that man behind the curtain"" or "remember to forget that it's all been for a lie."

In the new movie 'Wicked' the entire plot relies on you following your programming and always remembering to forget that the Emerald City has always been fake, the wizard has never been real. Thus, the entirety of the plot is based on a lie and falls apart RAPIDLY if you don't remember to forget.

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain by SerenityJosh March 7, 2025