Fear and Greed

Fear and Greed, Fear and Greed! Brian: John thanks for coming in. John: My pleasure Brian, always a pleasure. Brian: John, you would be aware of an article written recently by a guy in Victoria, covered the topic of society and its conscience. John: Yeah, bizarre piece. The guy is a moron Brian, an absolute bloody moron. Brian: Why do you say that? John: Well I mean Brian, for a start the guy hasn’t got a sense of humor has he, it’s all bloody doom and gloom. He should get himself off to a doctor, get some of them anti-depressants, we’ve got ‘em on the PBS, top 5 in prescription drugs, going out the door by the truck load, happy people everywhere! Brian: But isn’t his article suggesting that we need to start facing up to some realities? John: Facing up to realities? Is he bloody mad, Jesus Brian, that’s the last thing you want! There’s a whole host of things this guy could do to try and improve his disposition, he could try obesity, that’s pretty big right now or he could max out his credit card, shop himself into hilarity, or, how about recreational pursuits? Brian: You mean sports? John: No Brian, get with the program, mind altering mate, mind altering! The cops reckon that there are 7 times more stoned drivers than there are pissed ones, now what does that tell you? Brian: Well…… John: I’ll tell you what it tells you mate; large numbers of our society are taking personal responsibility for their own happiness, that’s what it tells you. And who the hell does this guy think he is, running around saying what he thinks? Brian: Well it is a democracy isn’t it? John: Yeah, but he gets his say every 3 years, I mean what the hell more does he want? And let me tell you another thing, this guy has absolutely NO idea how our society operates, its complexity and the sheer brilliance it requires to keep the whole thing in balance. Brian: How do you mean? John: Fear and greed Brian, fear and greed! It’s the fabric of our society. Brian: Can you elaborate? John: Oh for god’s sake Brian, don’t you know anything? In the beginning mate, there was just fear. You know, “the gods”, getting struck by lightening if you slept with your next door neighbor’s wife, having your crop ruined by some mystical character hiding behind the clouds because he wasn’t happy with the way you lived your life, all that sort of stuff. Bloody brilliant strategy! I wasn’t around then mate but Christ I wish I was. Brian: Then what happened? John: Well it worked really well for a while, kept the great unwashed pretty much in line and helped the top ten percent to get on with the real job of getting filthy rich. Brian: And then? John: Some well meaning idiot came along and suggested that if the masses were educated, then everybody would be better off, a real moron, a bit like this guy we’re talking about! Brian: And? John: Well once they were educated, they woke up to the whole scam, that it was all lies, so they started rebelling, having sex with each other wherever and whenever they felt like it, listening to loud music, protesting in the streets, they went bloody crazy! Brian: So what did you do? John: We had no choice Brian; we had to introduce the whole lot of them to greed. Brian: So where are we now? John: Well now Brian, we have those who live in absolute fear, a bit like the old days, those who are somewhere between fear and greed and those who are just plain greedy. Brian: Sounds like a nightmare. John: Takes a lot of skill Brian, a lot of skill. First and foremost for those who live in absolute fear, we had to create a mystical boat. Brian: A mystical (refugee) boat lurking in the seas? John: Exactly Brian exactly, a bit like the guy hiding behind the clouds really. And secondly, for the tricky ones in the middle, there’s the mortgage, consumption and sport, strokes of bloody genius! Brian: Fear and greed John? John: You’re catching on fast Brian, catching on fast! Brian: But what about the just plain greedy? John: The pillar of society Brian, absolute pillar. Oh look I admit, every now and then we have to cut one of em down, you know a “Rivkin” or an “Elliott”, reassures the rest of em that everybody is playing by the same rules. Brian: And what about the ones who aren’t motivated by fear or greed? John: You mean like the guy who wrote this drivel Brian? Brian: Yeah. John: Mate, they eventually come back to the fold, I mean let’s face it, who the hell is going to employ anybody who isn’t motivated by fear or greed? Brian: So what happens if the whole thing starts falling apart? John: Let me assure you Brian as sure as night follows day it will fall apart! Brian: And? John: Well it should be patently clear Brian, patently bloody clear, we just reintroduce “the gods”. Brian: You mean like George W is? John: Yeah, like George W is. Brian: So we start the whole thing over again? Isn’t that the point that ……….. John: It’s been an absolute pleasure Brian, gotta go mate, gotta go!