I have no way of knowing the answer to this.
But the thought occurred to me when I notices the neighborhood Blockbuster was offering video rentals for $0.99.
Maybe there is no way this can work and they are in the process of closing that store.
Or maybe it would have worked a few years ago but no one wanted it to be true. They wanted to imagine they could keep charging multiple dollars. Was the 99-cent rate truly unworkable? Or did they just not want to admit the gravy train was over? And if it was workable, is it workable anymore?
How often do companies fail because they won’t change soon enough even though there is (or rather was) a viable new way to operate?
And if companies are that irrational, what about nation-states?
Of course, companies and nation-states are relatively fictional. We’re really talking about people who refuse to believe they are in a new situation, or even that they have been following deceptions rather than reality.
It appears to me that much of my political frustration of late is the result of people who are living in a fictional past. The Cold War myth. The Iran is evil myth. The Soviet Union, no matter how evil, was never a threat to the United States. We pumped up fantasies like “the missile gap” for the sake of winning elections and increasing corporate welfare. And Khomeini only gained power because our government overthrew Iran’s democracy and imposed the torture monster, the Shah.
But I keep hearing discussions of foreign affairs that presuppose a mythical past. And decisions are made that are obviously going to hurt us, our children, and–if it matters to anyone–the rest of the world.
The greatness of the US will always seem invincible until it suddenly looks like Blockbuster does now.
