Fred, Sam and Ralph

1
Fred, Sam and Ralph

• The simultaneous cultural beginning and ending of
  civilization

2
The Dawn of Time
3
Cultural Characteristics

• Fred has a work ethic and also has a conscience
• Sam is a capitalist that dreams of a better life
• Ralph has been and always will be clueless ?
  Never Asks a Question

4
Relationships and Economy

• Fred and Sam are friends
• Fred and Sam do not know about the existence of
  Ralph and vice-versa
• Their entire economy is based on the harvesting
  of trees.
• Trees provide food, clothing and shelter
• Trees are harvested with a stone axe

5
Primitive Tools create equilibrium
6
Sams Goals

• Improve Freds productivity
• Give Fred Leisure Time
• Invent the Internet to make use of Freds leisure
  time
• Make Money
• But how to do this?

7
Sam Gets a Clue!!!
8
Seizing the Opportunity
9
RD

• Sam drags the meteorite to his RD cave and after
  two weeks triumphantly emerges with

10
Now its time for Marketing

• This extraordinary invention that will save all
  of Fredkind
• So Fred test markets the Iron Axe and cuts down a
  shitload of trees (since Fred doesnt know what
  else to do)
• But Fred is cursed with a conscience and is
  compelled to think about the long term
  consequences

11
A Dilemma

• Progress versus Sustainability

12
The Fred/Sam Dialgoue

• Sams says the iron axe is great, will create a
  whole new Fred
• Fred says the iron axe has a fatal flaw and is
  not a gift at all but instead is an instrument of
  doom
• Fred Wins convinces Sam that the iron axe is a
  bad idea

13
Poor Idea Management

• Sam walks to the metaphorical end of the world
  and discards the iron axe

14
Whoops!!!

• The Iron axe lands in the land of Clueless Ralph
• In an instant, Ralph discards his stone axe for
  this randomly discovered iron axe
• Ralph can not think ahead

15
Double Whoops!!!!

• The resource is gone leaving Ralph to merely
  wonder what happened to all the trees

16
Moral?

• Are we the culture of Ralph's destined to someday
  look at the world and wonder what happened?
• Can we acquire the wisdom of Fred?
• Did we once have that wisdom and have now lost
  it?
• Who is the real hero here, Sam or Fred?