[Verse 1] It doesn't start with evil plans or shadowy schemes Just ordinary people chasing rational dreams When rules don't work but favors do You adapt to survive, wouldn't you? Connected folks just glide on through While honest people wait in queues [Chorus] Nobody wants to be the last honest person In a rigged game where the cheaters are winning Critical mass of rational adapters Shrinking class of rule-following actors When disgust stops working, that's the warning Soviet future without dawn breaking [Verse 2] The cascade starts so quietly, you barely see it grow Connected people skip the line, the honest people know They notice how the system bends for those with the right friends They start to think that fairness is just a game that never ends So they seek their own small version of blat [Chorus] Nobody wants to be the last honest person In a rigged game where the cheaters are winning Critical mass of rational adapters Shrinking class of rule-following actors When disgust stops working, that's the warning Soviet future without dawn breaking [Bridge] Zoshchenko's parable shows the way When lights turn on and you see decay If you feel disgusted, that's still good Your moral reflex understood The diagnostic isn't whether forbidden zones exist It's whether disgust persists [Verse 3] You don't need masterminds pulling every string Just enough people playing the favor game The system tips when good folks quit Stop believing rules have any benefit The environment shapes what we become But we still choose what we'll become [Chorus] Nobody wants to be the last honest person In a rigged game where the cheaters are winning Critical mass of rational adapters Shrinking class of rule-following actors When disgust stops working, that's the warning Soviet future without dawn breaking [Outro] So how do we avoid the sucker's fate Without joining networks built on taking? Keep your moral reflex strong That's how we prove them wrong
← Module 4: Institutional Collapse — When Rules Become Theater | Suggested Reading & Extensions →