FRIEND$HIP: A Satire about Calculated Social Transactions I want to $ay how mu¢h ¥our friend$hip mean$ to me and how our re£ation$hip ha$ ¥eilded annuitie$. I’ve inve$ted much time in a¢quiring this re£ation$hip and now payment is due: ¥e$, my intere$t i$ $incere ¥et market rate$ are ¢limbing and unle$$ I get more dividends from thi$ re£ation I $hall have to $eek other$ from which more profit a¢¢rue$. Gus: If friendship is regarded as a calculated exchange or as a commercial commodity, can it actually be called 'friendship'? Liao: (sipping some tea slowly) My guess is that each person answers that question differently . . . ===================================================================================== from _Cyberpoems: Exploring the Human-Machine Interface_ by T Newfields SUMMARY: A graphic poem and conversation about the commodification of friendship. KEYWORDS: quasi-comity, pseudo-friendship, fraternity of convenience, commercial companionship Author: T Newfields [Nitta Hirou / Huáng Yuèwǔ] (b. 1955 - ?) Begun: 2001 in Nagoya, Japan / Finished: 2018 in Yokohama, Japan Creative Commons License: Attribution. {{CC-BY-4.0}} Granted < LAST https://www.tnewfields.inf/CyberPoems/pros.htm TOC https://www.tnewfields.inf/CyberPoems/index.html NEXT > https://www.tnewfields.inf/CyberPoems/blue.htm