[Chapter 931: The Cowboy's Old Problem Flared Up Again]
Nastassja didn't mind watching any kind of show, and she was even willing to join in. But she never expected things to unfold like this.
After all these years of evolution, some things existed but happened in a much more civilized way. A thank-you dinner or a short trip were perfectly good alternatives.
One must admit, the United States was a bit slow to evolve; such blatant transactions were things the big players had long stopped engaging in.
What separates humans from animals is the ability to control themselves. Jumping on someone of the opposite sex at the sight of them is purely animalistic behavior. It's natural to have such urges -- after all, noble intentions seek a partner -- but just jumping straight onto the red velvet couch? That's instinct.
In contrast, the European countries didn't do things that way even in ancient times. If they wanted a romantic encounter, they at least composed a couple of impromptu love poems. Transactions done directly like that were the work of common folk.
Actually, the old European red-light districts bore many similarities to Hollywood. Talented writers and directors, even if they didn't have much money, had ladies accompany them. Those with wealth and status? They were the aristocrats and dignitaries.
Suddenly, reflecting on the cultural differences between America and Europe isn't just William White's literary ideals acting up. In fact, he'd been under significant pressure for the past month.
A bunch of idiots in Washington were once again stirring up trouble, unnecessarily picking fights with Europe.
On the surface, there were many reasons cited, but it boiled down to one thing: "Open your financial markets. Capital must flow freely."
Europe responded, "No way. We're barely catching our breath, Mexico is still down and out. Do I look like a fool to you?"
The U.S. was particularly aggressive about this. If talks failed, they quickly resorted to threats. William White thought it was a waste of energy -- people aren't afraid of war, and sanctions were just empty threats. The real risk was their own economy collapsing first.
Gold prices kept sliding quietly, oil hovered without direction, and the stock market stayed mostly flat. Putting all this together, no one was willing to play along with their games.
"Mr. White, are you planning to pull your factories back to the U.S.?"
William was heading toward his car and almost stumbled at this ridiculous question. Pull back? Pull back where? Where else could you find that many industrial workers?
"Cough, cough, you reporter better have a real press pass. Pull back? Are we at war? You can't just come up with a headline and call it news. I'll continue to invest. Their workers are outstanding, the market demand is strong. Most importantly, I'm a legal business protected under local laws."
That reporter was quite sly, knowing that William White skipped over meaningless questions. But now, William had given a clear answer: not only would he not withdraw, he'd increase investment.
Everyone knew Europe was busy developing its economy and had no time to bother with American antics. The U.S. was also upgrading its industries; going to war was out of the question.
"Damn, it's just an election year, is all this necessary? If Europe really got pissed, how would you handle it?"
"Cough, boss, Donkey Country has been a bit passive lately; if they lose the weapons manufacturers' support..."
"I already know that, Filson. They've been pushing hard, otherwise I wouldn't be saying this."
"Cough, boss, while that's true, it still leaves a bad impression. If one thing goes wrong, people question your stance."
"Ha ha ha, I'm one of the biggest capitalists in the world. Question my stance? Believe it or not, even if I openly declared support for Marxism, no one would believe it. On the contrary, they'd cover for me."
Filson was speechless, although he admitted his boss's words could very well come true.
"Filson, sending two junk ships is dumb. If you have the guts, send ten. Besides, they have their own speedy delivery -- those clunkers are just for food delivery, useless really."
"Cough, boss, this is just a typical politician's trick. They've also been at odds with the U.S. automakers, which seem to be struggling."
William White was baffled by the U.S. government's ridiculous moves. Asking the U.S. to open up its auto industry?
Sigh, Americans inherently loved sticking together. Even if powerful companies get dismantled into pieces, they remain powerful conglomerates.
Class structures in the U.S. were deeply ingrained. Even if they were bombed back to the Stone Age, it's always the big corporations that called the shots.
In reality, it's the same for everyone. After all these years, it was still Rockefeller and Morgan Stanley running the show.
"Donkey Country can mostly feed itself with rice; they just sell some flour, which mostly comes from Canada. I imagine aside from some beef exports, there's not much else."
Filson chuckled wryly. Many saw the success of Legendary World and Viking Comics and thought bringing their brands to Donkey Country wouldn't be a big deal.
Unfortunately, reality was harsh. Coca-Cola was only so-so there, McDonald's was average, and KFC wasn't even welcomed.
Regarding clothing, the Donkey Country folks simply didn't care. The most expensive clothes were always those handcrafted suits. Whether a suit was worth a mansion or not is debatable, but it definitely dwarfed any luxury sports car.
Even Western suits, oddly enough, were disliked by Donkey Country people -- something they claimed to have invented, but didn't appreciate the drastic redesigns.
Their high-end suits were either half-lined or European handmade. As for American brands? They'd only sell in supermarkets, shunned even by middle-class workers.
As for electronics and car parts, America was devastated -- business owners came running back crying to the U.S., which was tragic to hear.
The proud cowboys felt their dignity was challenged. They stubbornly claimed that Donkey Country was sabotaging their exports on purpose.
Then there was Europe -- why tighten financial controls? And why bar American banks and securities firms from entering?
Facing unreasonable America, Europe was game to fight back. "You wanna try? Come ashore and meet me."
Donkey Country had no choice but to concede. They weren't a full-fledged nation. Legally, if America said no flights for your planes, only American airlines could operate.
Or if all ships were barred from ports, they truly couldn't dock.
Though such powers had rarely been used before, it was always a threat -- if push came to shove and America got angry, there'd be no quarter asked.
William White couldn't understand the madness in Washington. The whole world was struggling except the U.S. economy, which stood alone strong. Did they really need to destroy the harmony?
Donkey Country's situation was quite bad; the bankers were desperate. They only held land and properties, and everyone hoped Donkey Country could return to its glory days.
At least, most of them thought so now.
*****
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