One of the most savage takedowns of the corporate mindset in American history is a Broadway musical "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying."
The hero's first step to the top is to find a company that is so big that no one person has any idea of what is actually going on.
I can think of a dozen recent cases where someone simply lied their way into a billion dollars; the cyptocurrency bank guy and the blood test lady spring to mind.
[off topic?]
Similar story from back in the 1980s. Reagan's deregulation of banks lead to a Wild West atmosphere where bankers felt encouraged to take big risks. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Bush] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savings_and_loan_crisis]
One day, a smooth looking customer walks into a Texas bank. He had on the right suit, with the proper Texas power broker Stetson hat and ostrich skin cowboy boots. He had a thick business plan in a beautiful portfolio. He told the bank VP that his company was planning a huge expansion and wanted a bank that could expedite their plans. He asked if the bank could OK a $1 million loan in one business day. The VP assured him they could, and the next morning they presented him with a check. He walked out and was never heard from again.
What the 'rebels' wanted was to be able to build infrastructure and trade among the different colonies. If someone wanted to travel from New York to Charleston, it was faster for them to catch a ship to Bermuda and then wait for another ship heading to Charleston. No direct roads between the two cities, because the last thing the Crown wanted was competition from American factories.
Bridges, roads, and canals were the things they wanted; which makes the party of 'small government' look even more hypocritical.
I read that book when I was a kid.
[off topic]
Just read a great library based crime thriller and I've been sharing it with everyone.
"How Can I Help You" by Laura Sims. A serial killer and a wannabe writer go head-to-head in a small town library.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-can-i-help-you-laura-sims/19108763?ean=9780593543702
Manhattan Special Espresso soda.
Made in Brooklyn. Two shots of espresso in carbonated form.
I see way more Nirvana shirts today than I saw back when they were actually playing.
First time I heard this theory was in a James Bond story. Bond meets a woman who drives a bashed up car. Same reasoning; if it looks like she's dangerous people will steer clear of her.
I used to work in public health. One of the things they teach is that only the addict can decide if they are addicted. No one improves until they admit that they are powerless to stop on their own.
Smartphones and apps are scientifically designed to be addictive. The same techniques that make people spend hours at slot machines goes into modern games.
I look at all these kids glued to their phones and I ask 'Where's the Frankenstein Complex now that we really need it?"