[originaltext] The inhabitants of Tango, a small island in the South Pacific

The inhabitants of Tango, a small island in the South Pacific, discovered a plant that contained a powerful drug. This drug made it more difficult for them to think rationally—it stopped them worrying about the future, and enabled them to forget all their problems. At the same time, it made it much easier for them to relax and enjoy themselves: so much so, indeed, that the whole population of the island stopped working and spent all their time singing and dancing and looking at the sea. Unfortunately this had a very bad effect on the country’s economy, and people began to run short of food. This, however, didn’t discourage the people from taking the drug. The Prime Minister made speeches on the TV warning them about the drug, but nobody took any notice, and before long the economy was in ruins. This forced the Government to make the drug illegal. But that only made the situation worse. The law couldn’t prevent the people from taking the drug, which grew wild all over the island. Eventually, the Government found a better solution: they exported the drug to other countries. This saved the islanders from having to work more than one day a week, and allowed them to spend the rest of their time sitting in the sun without a care in the world.