In real life, I’m not a huge fan of price negotiation, especially at the freelance level. “I’m going to give you a number of dollars that this labor is worth to me, but that number could be a lie. Guess if it is, and if so, guess by how much.” Just quote me an honestly fair rate and I’ll decide if it’s worth my time, and let’s build a relationship from there. As an employer of artists, I generally do the same. Old-fashioned, I know, but it’s how my employers tend to deal, too.

I intended this as one of those actual “both sides” situations, with neither the adventurer nor his employer acting entirely honestly, but both their sins being fairly minor ones. Phil didn’t fight me on it, but I doubt he would’ve come up with it.

Showing dishonesty and/or greed from the have-nots, even if you also show it from the haves, can sometimes come across as endorsing the world as it is. At least we’re all equally grasping, right? The problem most of GA addresses, though, is that the greed of the rich has bigger consequences, and those consequences increase as the distribution of resources decreases.