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Filled with dirty dishes that symbolize the way independent actors acting in rational self-interest can wreak havoc on shared common resources, the kitchen sink of 126 Meeting Street epitomizes the classic theory of the tragedy of the commons.
Sources are reporting that each crusty fork is, while on its own not a major factor in the kitchen sink’s awful state of disrepair, part of a larger trend that makes the sink’s natural equilibrium a totally unacceptable, disgusting mess.
“It’s just a plate, I’ll definitely get around to it eventually,” said house resident Adam Jackson ’15, making a strong rational choice that nonetheless has negative externalities affecting the state of the larger system.
Witnesses reported that Jackson walked away from the sink without washing his dish or any others, responding to the fact that no incentives were associated with choosing to clean and thus making the correct choice for himself while harming the community at large.
All signs indicate the dishes piled in the kitchen sink will continue to grow out of hand until the human race can shed its obsessive need for narcissistic progress and form stronger collective bonds.
In related news, a haphazardly followed chore wheel hanging in the house’s front entryway is an excellent example of why economic systems can only work if the rules associated with them are consistently enforced.
