I'm the regional manager of a small business paper company in rural Scranton, Pennsylvania. I'm not the smartest person in the world, and though I may be a little simple-minded and ignorant at times, I ultimately am a kind person who so desires to be loved that I trust anyone that shows me affection.
Enter my boss. We'll call her Corporate America. Corporate America has treated me terribly over the years. She has threatened to cut my health care, fire me from my job, and embarrass and mock me at many turns. Despite Corporate America's faults, I still love her, because she is a beautiful country that, though selfish and ego-centric, has some fundamental good qualities that I can trust. So I believe, for now.
And so, despite being tormented by Corporate America, when Corporate America loses her job in the big city I let her move in with me in Scranton. I think, "we'll work on this problem together -- we'll reach out and help each other." After all, I am still struggling. Other big businesses are running me into the ground because they don't need working people anymore; all they need are computers and the ability to outsource jobs overseas.
And Corporate America is struggling, albeit for her own faults. She is conceited, and doesn't work very hard, and focuses on excessive shopping and gratuitous bouts of vacation. As she moves in with me, she continues a long-practiced pattern for her of racking up my debt.
My debt just explodes, while she stays fat and lazy. I get a second job to try and help us both get by -- me and Corporate America -- to make sure enough money is coming so she stays lazy while I work harder. But one day, finally, I can't do it. I just can't do both jobs.
So, out of all other options, I declare bankruptcy:
As it turns out, it doesn't matter. Corporate America has led me down their path of racking up debts. I never knew what was happening, and that was partly my fault. But I can't help feel that Corporate America -- if she cared about me, the small town business man -- would have helped me out.
So I run away to a train, to run away from my problems, just as I assume people did in the Great Depression. That's all I have left to do, because now I am scared.
Interestingly, this is where the analogy between the fictional episode of The Office episode "Money" and real world temporarily ends. Because in the end of this episode of The Office, Corporate America -- played by Jan Levinson -- comes to the small town businessman. She reaches out to him, admits that she made mistakes, and she commits to seeing it through together.
In real life, Corporate America never reaches out to the small business company. Instead of reaching out to restore consumer confidence herself, she runs to elected officials, who bail her out and leave the small business man holding the bag.
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