Come Come Paradise

Sometimes I really wonder if this stupid island is a good idea at all. Not that home is a perfect place; not that there's a Utopia anywhere at all.

But in a world where the system is so powerful, so systematic, so objective, success from sheer creativity or innovation is generally achievable only by the rich, or the really fortunate who happen to be at the right place at the right time. The education system is broken. But because the elite want to keep their children in power, the broken education system is allowed to persist. Money can buy a total dumbass this magical piece of paper called a degree which will typically lead to a bright future, and there lack of can cause an intelligent, gifted individual to lead a dreadful, miserable life.

It's a very careful island. A very smart island, that recognises this system, and exploits it remarkably well. So well that seemingly, there is no form of corruption, no flaw, no problem. And even if there is any, it's done legally and slowly and invisibly, like many other parts of the world. It's legalised. And because it is legal, nobody questions it. Incentives instead of bribes, taxes instead of robbery, salary raises that do not cope with inflation instead of slavery, branding and marketing instead of telling people "I'm ripping you off and you know it and you buy it anyway" and publishing really scary news about things that happen in the rest of the world to make people believe that they're in a safe and happy place; so much so that the scariest local news that I've seen published here is that of a cat torturer and what he did to the poor cats, which actually made the front page! All these to allow the system to continue; all these to keep the invisible social caste thingie going on for many generations to come.

Back home, it's all that and more! Sodomy accusations for political gain, throwing people out the window and calling it a suicide to cover a dark secret, and blowing people up to keep their husbands' penises in their pants. Our dear leaders are generally stupider and less subtle. The opposition is sadly incompetent. Yet I prefer home. /facepalm