i don't think it was a matter of not caving as much as it

Posted on: April 14, 2025 at 10:11:08 CT

was a "hey remember when we told you we'd pay you eleventy billion dollars if you come here? and then once you got here we only paid you a tiny fraction of that? and then you said we owe you a big chunk of that eleventy billion dollars now, but we don't have it? yeah well if you stick around another year we promise we'll give you eleventy billion more dollars. for real this time. no really we will. we promise. we just don't have the cash right now but we'll go to the bank next week. maybe. i don't know probably it just depends on what the weather is like. but yeah we'll definitely pay you eleventy billion dollars. probably. eventually. just sign up for another year and we'll talk details later."

that's how this whole thing works. turns out stupid kids have stupid parents and don't know how to negotiate a legally binding deal, and then they're all surprised when they realize the smart people took advantage of their stupidity. this happens EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME. whether it's some fool getting duped into paying $60 for a crappy t-shirt with a designer's logo on it, or $6,000 for a shiny watch, or $60,000 for a hyundai disguised as a mercedes, or $600,000 for a crappy vacation condo. the entire world's economy relies on stupid people getting duped by smart people.

Edited by phrejd at 10:23:51 on 04/14/25