- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
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Does capitalism promote morality-based storytelling?
Should President Trump endorse such storytelling?
====
REALM 1
Americans and vicious minions around the world are engaged in all kinds of urban firefights for control over narcotics dominions that threatened the very integrity of global capitalism. This ongoing struggle represented a real frailty of modern commerce --- CORRUPTION.
REALM 2
Astronauts from the distant future made contact with a vicious species of aliens called Xenomorphs which sought to replace any traces of empathy in the universe with Machiavellian piracy and cruelty designed for only profiteerism and never for teamwork. These astronauts (human) built a time-machine to travel back into Earth's past and warn them of the moral dangers of indulging base-instincts in capitalist systems (so as to ward off the future 'demons' released by these vicious Xenomorphs in humanity's distant future!). This terrible fatalism represented another real frailty of capitalism --- GREED.
REALM 3
A magical elfin warrior named Alas did battle against a forest-army of evil gargoyle-like trolls called Dooms who wanted to destroy the ecosystems on Alas's home-planet (Xanadu). As Alas tried to rally the good elves of Xanadu with capitalism-based commerce systems to defy the tyranny and mechanical wrath of the evil Dooms, he discovered that capitalism itself was not so easy to manage, and he worried that the Dooms would exploit this fact. This dramatic crusade revealed yet another real frailty of capitalism --- VANITY.
REALM 4
As the good sentient beings of Venus tackled an evil race of cyborgs known as the Borg, God watched over these faithful targeted people of Venus and waited for a heroic warrior to rescue them. The Borg sought to enslave the people of Venus and use them for cannibalistic rituals and cruel sacrifice-themed practices (e.g., hammering male soldiers' heads in, skinning female doctors, burning the elderly, etc.). The Borg were 10 times worse than the Nazis and only sought complete domination over Venus. When a heroic shape-shifting galactic-traveller named Skywalker landed on Venus and pledged to help the vulnerable people, God was pleased. Skywalker's heroic mission revealed another real frailty of capitalism --- FURY.
REALM 5
American soldiers positioned in Russia prepared to fight the forces of Communist China and nuclear North Korea (now allied to the Russian government which had defected in frustration after the devastating economic and political collapse of the Soviet Union). This battle had begun just ahead of the planned World Cup soccer tournament in Moscow, and American forces wanted to ensure the world that capitalism and democracy would prevail over the forces of fascism and annihilation. This 'World War III' revealed another frailty of capitalism --- PRIDE.
REALM 6
American intelligence-officers working for the CIA waged a terrible covert war against rogue members of the terrorist group ISIS around the globe. These CIA agents were inspired by James Bond espionage stories/fables and wanted to rid the world of anti-capitalism oriented terrorism. As ISIS responded with terrible tactics, the patriotic CIA spies/agents trained themselves with sophisticated new weapons (e.g., laser-guided guns, cloaking devices, liquid-nitrogen grenades). This 'intriguing' intelligence-war revealed yet another frailty of capitalism --- BETRAYAL.
GOD: Capitalism can be a plague...
SATAN: That's why we have folk-stories!
GOD: Let's hope that movies like The Wolf of Wall Street create optimism.
SATAN: The success of capitalism requires serious teamwork-negotiation.
GOD: The desire to succeed as individuals is a real 'face' of capitalism-theory.
SATAN: That's why modern capitalism creates a great deal of 'competition-paranoia.'
GOD: Perhaps relevant movies like Money Monster can be 'therapeutic.'
SATAN: The fear is that global competition will open up 'sores' of vanity.
GOD: Greed is the greatest vice of capitalism, and realms of evil create panic.
SATAN: We should treat capitalism as a 'game' rather than as a 'prescription.'
GOD: There must be a way to re-channel greed into 'fortune-based' education...
SATAN: Isn't that what Monopoly (Parker Brothers) is all about?
GOD: Perhaps...
====
Should President Trump endorse such storytelling?
====
REALM 1
Americans and vicious minions around the world are engaged in all kinds of urban firefights for control over narcotics dominions that threatened the very integrity of global capitalism. This ongoing struggle represented a real frailty of modern commerce --- CORRUPTION.
REALM 2
Astronauts from the distant future made contact with a vicious species of aliens called Xenomorphs which sought to replace any traces of empathy in the universe with Machiavellian piracy and cruelty designed for only profiteerism and never for teamwork. These astronauts (human) built a time-machine to travel back into Earth's past and warn them of the moral dangers of indulging base-instincts in capitalist systems (so as to ward off the future 'demons' released by these vicious Xenomorphs in humanity's distant future!). This terrible fatalism represented another real frailty of capitalism --- GREED.
REALM 3
A magical elfin warrior named Alas did battle against a forest-army of evil gargoyle-like trolls called Dooms who wanted to destroy the ecosystems on Alas's home-planet (Xanadu). As Alas tried to rally the good elves of Xanadu with capitalism-based commerce systems to defy the tyranny and mechanical wrath of the evil Dooms, he discovered that capitalism itself was not so easy to manage, and he worried that the Dooms would exploit this fact. This dramatic crusade revealed yet another real frailty of capitalism --- VANITY.
REALM 4
As the good sentient beings of Venus tackled an evil race of cyborgs known as the Borg, God watched over these faithful targeted people of Venus and waited for a heroic warrior to rescue them. The Borg sought to enslave the people of Venus and use them for cannibalistic rituals and cruel sacrifice-themed practices (e.g., hammering male soldiers' heads in, skinning female doctors, burning the elderly, etc.). The Borg were 10 times worse than the Nazis and only sought complete domination over Venus. When a heroic shape-shifting galactic-traveller named Skywalker landed on Venus and pledged to help the vulnerable people, God was pleased. Skywalker's heroic mission revealed another real frailty of capitalism --- FURY.
REALM 5
American soldiers positioned in Russia prepared to fight the forces of Communist China and nuclear North Korea (now allied to the Russian government which had defected in frustration after the devastating economic and political collapse of the Soviet Union). This battle had begun just ahead of the planned World Cup soccer tournament in Moscow, and American forces wanted to ensure the world that capitalism and democracy would prevail over the forces of fascism and annihilation. This 'World War III' revealed another frailty of capitalism --- PRIDE.
REALM 6
American intelligence-officers working for the CIA waged a terrible covert war against rogue members of the terrorist group ISIS around the globe. These CIA agents were inspired by James Bond espionage stories/fables and wanted to rid the world of anti-capitalism oriented terrorism. As ISIS responded with terrible tactics, the patriotic CIA spies/agents trained themselves with sophisticated new weapons (e.g., laser-guided guns, cloaking devices, liquid-nitrogen grenades). This 'intriguing' intelligence-war revealed yet another frailty of capitalism --- BETRAYAL.
GOD: Capitalism can be a plague...
SATAN: That's why we have folk-stories!
GOD: Let's hope that movies like The Wolf of Wall Street create optimism.
SATAN: The success of capitalism requires serious teamwork-negotiation.
GOD: The desire to succeed as individuals is a real 'face' of capitalism-theory.
SATAN: That's why modern capitalism creates a great deal of 'competition-paranoia.'
GOD: Perhaps relevant movies like Money Monster can be 'therapeutic.'
SATAN: The fear is that global competition will open up 'sores' of vanity.
GOD: Greed is the greatest vice of capitalism, and realms of evil create panic.
SATAN: We should treat capitalism as a 'game' rather than as a 'prescription.'
GOD: There must be a way to re-channel greed into 'fortune-based' education...
SATAN: Isn't that what Monopoly (Parker Brothers) is all about?
GOD: Perhaps...
====
