RED FLAGS WAVING …
It was the Scottish Philsopher Thomas Carlyle who popularized the “Great Man (or Woman)” theory of history, that it is remarkable and heroic individuals who are responsible for pushing humanity forward.
In Mammoth, it is my hypothesis that we subscribe to the “Great Guy” theory of history. Rich guys waltz into town, and by dint of their wealth, they are immediately tabbed as “great guys.” In Mammoth, wealth is seemingly oft-associated with character.
But just because someone’s a good businessman, this tendency to paint wealthy individuals as community saviors tends to get Mammoth in trouble. As the saying goes, “Hope is not a strategy.”
We all have our optimistic moments, particularly during the onset of love affairs, where we see what we want to see in people. And then, given some time to reflect, we generally see the red flags waving at us in the rearview mirror.
