The sponsor will get you far but...

In one of the scenes in the series, Mr Robot 2, one of my best quips is when a woman tries to put across a point to another woman — who cannot be compromised.

She tells her: “A guy walks up to a woman in a bar, he approaches her and makes small talk. The woman insists she is not going home with him. The guy tells her, what if I offer you a million dollars to sleep with me? She has never seen a million dollars in her life, she stops and seriously considers the offer. The guy changes his mind and says: “What if I offer a dollar instead?” The woman says, “Gosh! what kind of a woman do you think I am?” The guy says, “We have already figured that out, now we are just negotiating!” 

That scene actually describes 80 per cent of middle-class people. Why the middle-class? Because most of them try to make it  by any means — even by faking it. They try very hard to give  the impression of doing well, just to make society hold them in high esteem.

This, I am afraid, is what is creating all the rot in society. See, we can easily be manipulated by small incentives to change our minds — believe me, the people who hold the carrot know that very well and take vantage of it to the fullest.

The middle-class has refused to work hard — and instead have chosen to work smart, basically taking shortcuts in life. This is why many people are busy talking about ‘deals.’

We seem to have forgotten that not all of us can be business people. The get-rich-quick-schemes have even made the most trusted employees to trim the edges of honesty. Everyone is now looking for tenders, not the genuine ones — but where they will dish out bribes then exaggerate profit margins. The procurement people hold the carrot and suggest the figures to get a job and the supplier don’t give their conscience a chance but take the bait.

Look at our women. Most think that the only way of making it big time is by bagging themselves a ‘sponsor.’ The women in such relationships are easily abused and many don’t have the strength to move out. The carrot holders know that very well.

The sponsors know the price to pay is dishing out some occasional cash, with promises of a rich future. These women don’t know the man will never leave the wife and is only wasting their time before shortly moving on to a younger trophy girlfriend.

Why can’t they have a conscience and plunge into serious relationships they can nurture?

Women should use their conscience and not be easily swayed by offers of gifts and money. We need to return to the Protestant work ethic instead of depending on shortcuts. Believe easy money, quick wealth has no firm foundation and is usually lost with time.

This is the reason old money don’t show off and stay in the same status for generations.

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@AineaOjiambo