It would be tempting to simply dismiss these corporals of industry as being so greedy and stupid that they painted themselves into these financial corners out of sheer idiocy. This is especially attractive when one examines their constant mantra of self-proclaimed expertise and prudence, how they are the ones with the knowledge and experience to handle our life's savings and the financial life of their investors, the nation, indeed, the world. They not only claim the right to run our finances, but they seek to extend their ethos and philosophy into our government and our culture. What extreme hubris, what endless arrogance, what flaming assholes!

But of course, it's not that simple. These men are not that stupid and they are not even all that irresponsible. These actions and policies they pursue are made necessary, no, inevitable, by the very nature of the system in which they operate. The organizations they represent and work for have their own requirements and dynamics, quite removed from human concerns and needs. When you work there, even in upper management and executive positions, you are forced to work and think in certain ways by the very structure and momentum of the system, even if you personally realize your actions are suicidal. The very organizational structures devised to allow these great institutions to operate internally and to interface with other sectors of society force them to behave in certain ways, ways which ultimately conflict with human aims and welfare.

There is no shortage of individual human stupidity and greed, but humans also exhibit a collective behavior which may be completely at odds with their individual needs. The creature we call society is a Frankenstein's monster, a golem created to serve our needs, but it has needs of its own, and it's great power and influence is not tempered with a superior humanity, or wisdom, or morality.

Anyone who has worked for a large corporation, or government agency, served in the military or in any other great collective has at some time recognized this, that the institutions we have created to do our bidding are often acting out in ways that those who work in them know are foolish and destructive, but are powerless to do anything about.