The intermediary today and tomorrow

Abstract

Modern fables do not begin ‘Once upon a time’. ‘Imagine in the future' is more appropriate. If you are familiar with Douglas Adams’ Hitch‐hiker's Guide to the Galaxy you may know this fable already. Imagine in the future a planet in another solar system. The planet is called Golgafrincham, although that hardly matters. The people of Golgafrincham are unhappy; something must be done. The rulers confer and produce a solution to their plight. Rumours are spread amongst the population that their planet is doomed—it is going to crash into the sun, it will be invaded by a swarm of giant piranha bees, it is going to be eaten by a mutant star goat! In order to save themselves, the whole population must be removed to another planet using giant space arks. Into the first ‘A’ ark will go all the brilliant leaders, the scientists, the great artists—all the achievers. Into the third or ‘C’ ark will go all the people who do the necessary work and make things. And into the ‘B’ ark will go everyone else—the middlemen: hairdressers, TV producers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, public relations executives, management consultants, telephone sanitizers and information intermediaries. The catch, as you will probably have guessed, is that the ‘B’ ark is despatched first, just to make sure that the ‘A’ and ‘C’ people, when they arrive in their new home, can be sure of a good haircut and clean telephones. Only they never do arrive. They never leave. But they have got rid of all their middlemen and happiness is restored.

Citation

Duckitt, P. (1984), "The intermediary today and tomorrow", Aslib Proceedings, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 79-86. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb050913