Agreed. That’s the trouble with being poor; that it enforces short-term thinking. Cooper risks not being able to pay his rent if his hours get drastically cut for February, even with his second job. His options for what to do with his knowledge of Home Office potentially firing Stuart if inventory goes poorly are really down to two:
1. He pressures Stuart to get more hours *now*
2. He waits an indeterminate amount of time to see if *maybe* Home Office actually replaces Stuart with Marla *at some nebulous point in the future*
From that perspective, it’s a no-brainer. One is guaranteeing his rent gets paid in February, the other is a waiting game with no actual guarantee that Stuarts gets fired. He’s better off thinking short-term because it solves his short-term problem, even though waiting would likely be better in the long run. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and all that.
Cooper’s problem is that he is always thinking short term.
He decided to blackmail Stuart to get more hours, instead of just allow (or force) things to happen and get rid of this man forever.
Agreed. That’s the trouble with being poor; that it enforces short-term thinking. Cooper risks not being able to pay his rent if his hours get drastically cut for February, even with his second job. His options for what to do with his knowledge of Home Office potentially firing Stuart if inventory goes poorly are really down to two:
1. He pressures Stuart to get more hours *now*
2. He waits an indeterminate amount of time to see if *maybe* Home Office actually replaces Stuart with Marla *at some nebulous point in the future*
From that perspective, it’s a no-brainer. One is guaranteeing his rent gets paid in February, the other is a waiting game with no actual guarantee that Stuarts gets fired. He’s better off thinking short-term because it solves his short-term problem, even though waiting would likely be better in the long run. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and all that.