Anti-Job, Pro-Freedom Quote Of The Week 22

Delusion, like magic, requires confirmation. Alone, the witness to magic will question his senses; but magic or a miracle performed before a crowd succeeds, because the people in the crowd reinforce each other’s belief in the truth of the act they witnessed. If one among the crowd has certain credentials to attest to his ability as an observer, his agreement in the truth of the miracle or the magic greatly increases the belief of the others. Thus, scientists and psychologists are called upon to verify demonstrations of extra-sensory perceptions or other dubious phenomena. Finally a scientific paper, adorned with learned borrowings from ancient languages and designed to be incomprehensible to the crowd proves conclusively to the miracle worker and the crowd, the reality of the delusion.

In the modern world, a delusion about work and happiness enables people not only to endure oppression, but so seek it. And to believe that they are happier because of the very work that oppresses them!

Earl Shorris,
Scenes From Corporate Life