I once read a story about a guy who started with a single paperclip and over time was able to trade up to a car or an aircraft carrier or something. Everyone was really impressed, but the joke’s on him! Sure, he was swapping for more and more valuable items, but do you know what else he was getting? Responsibility!
Owning a car/aircraft carrier comes with a lot of maintenance and worry, so ultimately he was trading away freedom with every step. I bet that if he’d offered someone to trade his paperclip for their newborn baby they’d jump on the offer. Does a paperclip ever cry all night then ruin its pants just because? No paperclips I know!
As they say, the man with only a paperclip has nothing to lose (Not counting the paperclip).
-wes
Now the old man won’t get horribly murdered by giants, AND he gets a sweet cow out of the deal. Clever man.
He looks old enough to be one step away from a myocardial infarction climbing giant bean stalks anyway…
This is an allegory for every stock trade ever.
“Stalk trade”. Ha! I’m clever.
It was a house in Canada he traded for.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip
What’s funny now is he could have had 5 houses in the USA for the price of a paperclip
I’ve always though the cow purchaser was supposed to be a helpful fairy or something rather than someone entirely lacking in business sense.
Either that, or someone cripplingly afraid of heights.
I like that middle panel. It’s very thought-provoking.
Then again this could be the “other” Jack story. Beans plus LSD…
“Oh that’s right! That’s actually a wife-plant from the magic wife-bean I planted yesterday.
And boy, is she bitter.”
(Said while holding a gnawed-on arm with green flesh.)