RAWMAD and the Cake

[Host is seated at a table with a cake, a knife and a spare plate.  

Guest enters with package marked R.A.W.M.A.D.]

GUEST	Hello, I was just passing and I thought I’d drop in.

HOST	Who are you?

GUEST	I’m developed.

HOST	And why have you come?

GUEST	I’ve brought something you cannot do without?

HOST	What’s that?

GUEST	It’s a package called RAWMAD, it stands for Rules, Advice,
	Weapons, Management and Debt.

HOST	Why would we need one of those?

GUEST	You need
	rules to trade with us,
	advice to deal with other nations,
	weapons to fight them when you’ve taken our advice,
	management so that we can blame it when things get difficult
	and debt so that you can pay for the weapons which you cannot
	afford.

HOST	Could we just have trade instead?

GUEST	I’m afraid I cannot convince our people that trade offered on
	its own is profitable enough.

HOST	I’m sorry, I don’t need the package, it’s trade or nothing.

GUEST	We’ll start with trade then and see how things go.  There’ll
	be special offers coming along later.  We do insist on one
	thing though.

HOST	What’s that?

GUEST	We only supply trade already wrapped in our own brand of
	rules.  It’s more profitable that way.

HOST	O.K.  Give us the trade, if the rules are free.

GUEST	Free, but not fair, as they say.

HOST	What was that?

GUEST	Nothing.  Just a saying I heard at your neighbour’s.

HOST	Will you have a piece of cake?

GUEST	Just one.

[Host cuts one segment of cake and puts it on the side plate.  Guest
takes the rest of the cake and leaves]

GUEST	Thank you.  ’Bye.