Poverty
Sunday, April 03, 2016
The office worker does not claim to understand Economics. It is best left to the pundits who pontificate on television, speaking of inflation and the devaluation of currency. They talk of the Greek crisis. And the Asian markets. It makes no sense to the office worker. He only needs an answer to a very simple question. Where does all his money disappear off to at the end of every month?
The office worker, and fellow office workers in a similar state of penury, head to the closest bar to discuss their situation. Frugal living might be the solution to their problems but the office workers don't believe in Occam's Razor. The answer is not that simple, they say. Down the ages, peasants have always struggled to understand why they have remained peasants all their lives. A philosopher-peasant in the 14th century, who is said to have spent a lifetime pondering over this question, sadly succumbed to the pestilence before his findings could be denounced as heresy by the Church. No one has come closer to the answer since and it continues to elude even the brightest of peasants of the Modern Age.
"If I were a country, I'd be Zimbabwe," says one of the office workers, despondently.
The others nod. Theirs is a very Zimbabwean situation.
"That analogy makes no sense," says one of the office workers, who has a background in Economics.
The others blow raspberries in reply. If he understands Economics so well, why is he poor like the rest of us, they ask, laughing.
The Economist tries to explain that his is not a field of study on wealth acquisition. It is the study of resources. There are a multitude of factors that cause poverty: Class differences, privilege, a banking system that favours the rich, the midd-
He is cut short by a cry of revolution.
"Revolution!"
One of the office workers is standing on the table, glass in hand. The others rise from their chairs in a show of support.
"Revolution is the answer!"
The others applaud.
"Vive la révolution!"
The applause grows louder.
"Off with their heads!"
The room goes silent.
The leader is pulled down. He is clearly too drunk to lead a revolution.
"Revolution!" cries the office worker who takes his place.
The others applaud again.
"We will erase all debt. Our lives will begin afresh!"
There is a resounding huzzah in response.
"A capital idea," says one supporter to another, "I wonder where he got it from?"
"I, Robot."
"I, Robot? Isn't that a film about a robot revolution?"
"I think he means Mr. Robot," says a third supporter.
"Ah, I haven't seen that one."
"You should."
A critical analysis of Mr. Robot commences as more supporters join the conversation. The leader and his revolution are forgotten.
At dawn, the office workers awake from their drunken slumber and head back to their homes. In a few hours they will begin their 9 to 5. They are one day closer to payday.
posted by foogarky @ 7:54 PM,
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The Author
foogarky
foogarky is the pseudonym of the fictional construct who battles for supremacy with other constructed personas in the mind of a crazed individual. He describes himself as a man living in a non descript house in Rio De Janiero, Brazil with two dogs and a parakeet.
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The Loony Lampoonist serves to parody, spoof and satirize everything that needs to be parodied, spoofed and satirized. Due to the fictional nature of this electronic journal, any anecdotes appearing here ever so often that seem to be personal in nature, would suffer from the effects of conflicting personalities, the creation of fictional events and the inclusion of non existent characters who did not make it to the big league in the author's literary works. Thus, the Loony Lampoonist is also a purgatory for characters and ideas that have missed the limelight.
