Democracy VS corruption: Drawing the American parallel

Democracy: That looks familiar, doesn't it? How it happened and the way it happened.

Corruption: I have to agree with you this time.

Democracy (sighs): Freedom and greed, sometimes they are a recipe for a big disaster.

Corruption: It's in man's nature to take freedom and stretch it beyond its true essence. That's why I'm the most powerful creature on earth. The freer people think they are, the more channels I have to roam and sow my seeds.

Democracy: Are you suggesting that dictatorship is best for mankind?

Corruption: All I'm saying is, freedom carries a price. If you give it, greed will come. Liberty is great, as long as it is not abused, which sadly is hardly the case. When the legitimacy of freedom is distorted, you end up creating a monster that everyone is responsible for.

Democracy: Collective self-destruction, eh? I hate to say it, but you are talking sense. The American meltdown, complex as it is, stemmed from the free market's simple urge to make bad debts look good. When reality was bent, it was the end of the story.

Corruption: Yes. In good times, financial mutants, like the notorious derivatives, provide a sense of security. They even bring prosperity to many. But once you veer off the proper road, you always head towards the cliff, no matter how striking the new scenery is.

Democracy: It's funny you are saying that, after asking me to sign a pact with you all along.

Corruption: I'm just telling you the truth, Fantasy Boy. Moreover, I can thrive in both good and bad times. It's not like I really care who booms or who busts.

Democracy: This has convinced me more than ever that all the Thai mutants have to be got rid of.

Corruption: Good luck, you optimistic fool. Like America's financial market, Thai politics has created one derivative on top of another. It's mutants all the way down, and the fact that many people are pinning their hopes on the very first mutant's brother-in-law to bring balance back to the universe shows the depth of their desperation.

Democracy: His tentative Cabinet line-up is nothing short of horrifying.

Corruption: The last set of mutants. What do you expect?

Democracy: I know. And it will get even better once they dissolve the ruling party again.

Corruption: The best part is, nobody will learn. Bad precedents are more appealing than good ones.

Democracy: At least they are tightening the financial rule of law in America. They will let a deceptively sound market crumble and build a new one.

Corruption: Oh, if you believe everything they say, Time magazine is even preaching 'sufficiency economy' now. But trust me, once the line has been crossed, it's only a matter of time before it is crossed again. And once you have crossed the line, you don't just cross your line; you force others to cross theirs, too. Before you know it, the mess becomes massive and there's no one in particular to blame.

Democracy: And what good can my pact with you possibly do? Will it make the whole mess disappear, just like that?

Corruption: No, it will just enable you to make peace with yourself. It will get you a little closer to accepting the ultimate truth. I am you. A more direct version, perhaps, but I am definitely you.

Democracy: You are the worst mutant of them all. You use every political system as a host, try to nurture a power inside and then try to break free as a new animal seeking recognition.

Corruption: You know what? You were almost right this time. Only you got the truth in reverse. I'm not your mutant, dear friend. It's YOU who mutated from me. You try to free yourself from me only to get stuck in between something raw and real and something that you can only dream about. Live with that before the Thai monster we both created gets even stronger and gobbles you up.

And the World, Heaven and Hell continue to hold their breath....