Obedient Servants

We are all obedient servants, in South Africa. Everything needs to be referred up the levels of authority, step by laborious step, until it gets to the very top -- and then it may need to journey all the way back down again. One should not try to buck this system. In a moment of foolish bravado, I tried this week to buy a magazine at the Central News Agency (CNA) that didn't have a price on it -- but I really wanted it. I patiently saw this through six members of staff, one after the other, all the way up to the senior manager -- but not one had the courage to put a price on the magazine. I said: "Just slap a price on it! Any price!" But the senior manager said the magazine should be physically returned to the distributor for a decision. Then I should come to collect it. (I gave up).