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fandomhigh2012-09-17 11:39 am
halfman-lion.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2012-09-17 11:39 am
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A Tale of Two Lions, Monday, Period 2
Tyrion tossed bags of gold-wrapped chocolate coins to the students as he made his way to the front of the class today. They were both a useful prop and delicious.
"Some people will tell you love makes the world go round," he said, once he'd reached his desk and taken his usual perch. "They're wrong. Money does. If you're rich, you always have a far better chance at attaining power than you do if you're poor, no matter how intelligent or strong you are."
"But money alone won't do much good," he continued. "Our ancestral lands are beautiful and rich, but my own grandfather almost ran our house into the ground by being foolish about how he used this wealth. He loaned out money and never bothered being repaid; he wasted resources and got little in return. And he let a woman into his life who robbed him. My father spent almost half his life building back what was lost." He glanced to Ghanima, knowing she had a similar story to share.
"In the time of my grandfather, House Atreides, while well-off, was powerful because we were beloved. Duke Leto was a great man; strong, attractive, intelligent, fair to everyone and always just. That did not save him when the Emperor turned against him at the behest of a richer family."
"He made the mistake of 'promoting' Duke Leto away from our ancestral homeworld of Caladan - a water world - to Dune, where there is no water, only sand. And Spice, the most valuable substance in the Known Universe. Duke Leto fell, but now my brother and I rule, because he who controls the Spice, controls the universe. My father spent almost his entire life fighting to right that wrong, and he had to threaten to destroy the Spice completely -- and mean it -- to do it. It is a currency in its own right, and if we cut off the supply, the other Great Houses will fall almost immediately."
"Money - or control of the money - will give you almost anything. So, how do you use that money? Who do you pay, how do you give loans and at what interest rate? What do you do if someone refuses to pay that loan? What is more important: fine food on your table at home, or fine clothes for court as you play the game?
Tyrion picked up the thread of this. "And for that matter, do you have an obligation to help those who are not as fortunate as you? Should you lower tariffs on the smallfolk, or keep their coins and build your army?"
He stepped back. "None of these are easy questions."
"You need to remember to think outside the box, too," Ghanima pointed out. "If you lower tariffs on the smallfolk, then they have more resources, and you potentially have a thriving economy that can make goods to sell or have large harvests that you can trade. Assuming they spend their money wisely, of course. If you keep taxes in place, do you build that army, or make bribes?
"Unless you can see into the future, there is no right answer."
"But there may be some principles you feel hold true no matter what," Tyrion added, by way of a segue into the discussion portion of class. "You may think a well-equipped army is worth every cent in a time of war, for example. Or you may believe a strong alliance with the other nobles in your region is more valuable than a larger tribute from them would be. In your particular situation, what do you think are the three most important things to spend money on?"
"Some people will tell you love makes the world go round," he said, once he'd reached his desk and taken his usual perch. "They're wrong. Money does. If you're rich, you always have a far better chance at attaining power than you do if you're poor, no matter how intelligent or strong you are."
"But money alone won't do much good," he continued. "Our ancestral lands are beautiful and rich, but my own grandfather almost ran our house into the ground by being foolish about how he used this wealth. He loaned out money and never bothered being repaid; he wasted resources and got little in return. And he let a woman into his life who robbed him. My father spent almost half his life building back what was lost." He glanced to Ghanima, knowing she had a similar story to share.
"In the time of my grandfather, House Atreides, while well-off, was powerful because we were beloved. Duke Leto was a great man; strong, attractive, intelligent, fair to everyone and always just. That did not save him when the Emperor turned against him at the behest of a richer family."
"He made the mistake of 'promoting' Duke Leto away from our ancestral homeworld of Caladan - a water world - to Dune, where there is no water, only sand. And Spice, the most valuable substance in the Known Universe. Duke Leto fell, but now my brother and I rule, because he who controls the Spice, controls the universe. My father spent almost his entire life fighting to right that wrong, and he had to threaten to destroy the Spice completely -- and mean it -- to do it. It is a currency in its own right, and if we cut off the supply, the other Great Houses will fall almost immediately."
"Money - or control of the money - will give you almost anything. So, how do you use that money? Who do you pay, how do you give loans and at what interest rate? What do you do if someone refuses to pay that loan? What is more important: fine food on your table at home, or fine clothes for court as you play the game?
Tyrion picked up the thread of this. "And for that matter, do you have an obligation to help those who are not as fortunate as you? Should you lower tariffs on the smallfolk, or keep their coins and build your army?"
He stepped back. "None of these are easy questions."
"You need to remember to think outside the box, too," Ghanima pointed out. "If you lower tariffs on the smallfolk, then they have more resources, and you potentially have a thriving economy that can make goods to sell or have large harvests that you can trade. Assuming they spend their money wisely, of course. If you keep taxes in place, do you build that army, or make bribes?
"Unless you can see into the future, there is no right answer."
"But there may be some principles you feel hold true no matter what," Tyrion added, by way of a segue into the discussion portion of class. "You may think a well-equipped army is worth every cent in a time of war, for example. Or you may believe a strong alliance with the other nobles in your region is more valuable than a larger tribute from them would be. In your particular situation, what do you think are the three most important things to spend money on?"
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Listen to the Lecture [9/17]
Re: Listen to the Lecture [9/17]
While absently chewing on a chocolate coin, yeah. They were there, what else was she supposed to do?
Re: Listen to the Lecture [9/17]
As far as she was concerned, right answers were not particularly evident even with seeing the future.
Discussion [9/17]
Messy pinging is always beautiful.
Re: Discussion [9/17]
Talk to the teachers + TA [9/17]
Re: Talk to the teachers + TA [9/17]
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Re: Talk to the teachers + TA [9/17]
OOC [9/17]