'Ol Mike doesn't make any terrific leaps of philosophy. Nothing outside of the usual left-ish ideology. But he really does do a good job of concentrating the 'facts' that history has neglected to mention into a concrete argument; even if he does have a tendency to occasionally digress into a somewhat 'in-your-face' rant (even this is a mean feat for a book). So, overall, a pretty good book; but it's left me in something of a dilemma.

For the past couple of months now, I've been having this nagging feeling. It's been like my subconscious mind has been pondering something, and I haven't been able to figure out what so I could help it along. I sort-of got the feeling I was beginning to understand something innate about people.

I've been 'observing' the manner of the people I work with, especially the 'sales team'; who's only job (let's face it) is to lie to people in order to extort money out of them. And as my brain cycled over the problem I felt I was coming across a realisation (of which I'm still not sure what the answer is). Something to do with good and evil I thought.

Reading Mike's book; what seemed to be serial lying and commited deviousness on behalf of america's current government and it's bedfellows, the rich and powerful of america's capitalist economy, correlated quite well with what I (and everyone) see(s) in the workplace everyday. You just don't get the same effect until all the shitty little dealings are concentrated down for you.

I'd like to think I have something along the lines of 'faith in humanity'. Not in a 'pat-your-own-back aren't we all great' fashion, or a 'god has faith in us' way; just that through the ability to empathise we have the ability to distinguish when we are hurting someone (emotionally, or physically); or when we are royally fucking them in a business deal, we're not doing 'the right thing'.

Which brings up the whole concept of right and wrong; good and evil. This is where I thought I was going, but it still doesn't feel right. I still don't have the answer. I will maintain for the moment in conclusion, that there seems to be two types of people; those who empathise and those who don't (or at least don't care about it); and here comes the really confusing part.

Supposedly (check the social science journals), empathic sense develops in the first few years of life; when it is important for a child to recognise the emotions of it's parents/family. It is neither absurd then, nor a leap of intelligence to say that bad parenting (esp.in the first few years of life) might be the cause of these 'nasty people'. I'm still not so sure, I might just be going off on a random tangent again.