Hope
From Encyclopedia Of Stupid
Hope is stupid.
Hope is a way of dealing with your problems, only not.
When people feel hope they believe that things will work out all dandy without them having to do anything. It is the main reason for people not bothering about big stuff and politics.
Hope and Evil Corporations
Evil Corporations love Hope. By selling hope they can get away with charging ridiculous prices for things which simply don't work. Such as Penis Pills.
Penis Pills will not help you grow a penis. Regardless of how much of a man you are trapped in that woman's body of yours.
Other hopeful purchases include titles of nobility, stock, Viagra-like-looking candy and fat-removing duct tape. Which is painful.
Hope in Religion
Many popular religions rely heavily on hope. This is because hope makes people believe what they are told on the off chance that something good might come of it after they die. Suckers.
The religion that has most effectively adapted itself to exploit the masses' tendencies towards hope is Christianity. Christianity offers Hope of Salvation in exchange for worldly goods, such as all your money. Christianity also provides the reason for people requiring Salvation in the first place, but more on this elsewhere.
Other Manifestations of Hope include:
Why everybody checks their pockets more than twice when they can't find their keys. They were not there the last four times you checked, but they might be this time.
The way people feel before they lose the lottery. Again.
Why children foolishly like surprises.
Why the notion of love is never quite stifled by the experiences of your parents.
Hope is also very useful in plotting revenge, as illustrated in The Count of Monte Cristo. Many a victim has been made to feel all the more miserable for expecting things to finally start looking up for them.
