8.q.
Mike took a
deep breath, exhaled, shook his head and shrugged and said, “I think I’ll just
take my old job back.”
“What?”
Corporate Man shouted. “How can you opt
for a corporation that has proven it will treat you like shit?”
“It’s like
this, Corporate Man.
“I can make any
business successful. I’m Corporate
Man.
“And that’s the
other thing. If I work for you, will all
kinds of weirdos with capes and underwear come gunning for you? A guard post would put me in the line of fire
for all that,” Mike said.
“Don’t you want
to make a difference? Don’t you want to
change things for the better?” asked Corporate Man.
“You already
know the answer to that,” said John Q Public.
“Look into his finances and tell me what he values most.”
Corporate Man’s
brow furrowed.
“Go on.”
He held out his
hand, trying to get a sense of how Mike spent his money; the direction of the
flow.
“Sports
package. Sunday ticket and college
ball. Big screen TV. Team jerseys and autographed balls,”
Corporate Man said in a low monotone.
His hand dropped to his side and he shook his head. “Really, Mike?” he asked. “You’d sell your future down the river to
watch millionaires play games?”
“It’s what gets
me through the week,” Mike admitted.
“But Mike, if
we changed things you wouldn’t need to ‘get through your week,’ you’d be free
to enjoy it fully. All it takes is some
effort up front.”
“Look Corporate
Man,” Mike said, “that sounds nice, but how many games, how many seasons, do I
need to miss to realize your dream?”
“That’s
irrelevant to the big picture, Mike. I’m
not asking you to miss anything, but if you’re not willing to sacrifice some
trivial pleasures to better yourself and your fellow countrymen then how can
you feel entitled to anything more than the scraps the corporations let fall
from their plates?”
“You can’t
really blame him,” said John Q Public.
“It’s the conditioning.”
“No! I refuse to buy that! It’s all excuses for lazy, apathetic
behavior. And why is this asshole still
in the room? I want him gone!” Corporate
Man shouted, thrusting a finger toward General Apathy.
“I’m sure
you’re causing more of a scene than I am,” said General Apathy. “Deep down these people care and would like
to see something done. They just want
others to do it. If you think about it,
people really are of two minds. The individual
and the group. Usually, what one mind is
willing to do, the other is not.”
Corporate Man
strode toward General Apathy and threw a wild punch. General Apathy side stepped and used
Corporate Man’s momentum to fling the economic superhero to the floor.
“Stop
this! I won’t have it!” John Q Public
yelled. “Childish violence has no place
in this office. Don’t make me call in my
minions.”
“He
punched. I merely dodged,” said General
Apathy.
“Accept this,
Corporate Man, the people you champion want their vices and nothing more. They want the fast foods that poison their
bodies so they can have more time to watch their police dramas and desensitize
themselves to the suffering of others while simultaneously reinforcing their
fears that violent criminals are everywhere so we better hide inside and order
that fast food and… I think you can see the cycle. And that’s just one of them. There’s a complimentary loop with the medical
industry that–”
“No. I refuse to believe–”
“What? That we’ve grown complacent and lazy? That we feel entitled to our pleasures while
expecting others to bring about any change that might be needed? That we’re afraid to even try for fear of
ridicule?”
“It can’t be
true. Not for all them!” Corporate Man
yelled, gesturing toward the amphitheatre.
“Then search
them,” said John Q Public. “Look inside
each and everyone one of them. Tell me
what you see.”
