Excuse my language but I’m just quoting old friends of ours. 25 years ago, my husband and I knew a married couple, who occasionally would tell us — with glee — about how they had screwed someone out of their money. It was usually within the context of how the screw-ee deserved it somehow because of their business practices (kind of like how you would talk about an insurance company). This is how we learned about factors. The couple was in the business of buying and selling closeouts in the fashion industry. Say you sell 50,000 t-shirts at $.20 a piece to a store, but you are cash poor and would like to get paid that $10K now instead of waiting 30–90 days; you sell your invoice to a factor, who fronts you the money for a very hefty percentage, one that’s a dead ringer for usury. One of the stories they told us was about how they had fucked their factor. I don’t remember the details of how they did it, I just remember that we laughed, if uncomfortably, along with them.

Then came the day when they asked us if we would be interested in fronting them $10,000 so they wouldn’t have to go to a high-cost factor. I’m making up these numbers, but the deal went something like this: They would buy X thousand t-shirts at $.10 apiece, resell them at $.20, and split the profit with us 50/50. It seemed an easy enough way to make some cash; the only problem was we didn’t have $10K sitting around. But we did have credit cards. So we took out a cash advance with the condition that they require payment upon receipt to avoid potential non-payment of their invoices. They agreed and the first two deals went down without a hitch. It was so cool! But the third deal went awry. Why? Because they chose to extend terms to their buyer, who didn’t pay them and then disappeared. When I reminded them that that was not our arrangement, that we couldn’t afford to lose $10,000 that didn’t belong to us, they said we just needed to get over it. End of friendship. They had fucked their factor once again.

Years later, I ran into the wife at a film screening, where she acted as if nothing had ever happened and asked for my phone number so we could get together. I was struck dumb; I gave her my phone number. By the time she followed up, I had recovered my voice and asked her why she thought I would have anything to do with her when she had screwed us for $10,000? “Are you still griping about that?” she said and hung up.

Watching Putin in action these past few days keeps reminding me of that story. Why did we think they wouldn’t screw us when we’d heard them laugh about doing it to others? Just because we were friends? People tell you who they are if you chose to listen. Putin lies about everything while telling you not to believe your lying eyes. That Jewish guy in Ukraine is a Nazi! This is just a military exercise with 190,000 troops! He stabbed his own troops in the back by lying to them about the real nature of the military operation; he sent them out there with MRE’s (meal, ready-to-eat) that expired in 2015! Why did everyone in the world think America was being alarmist? (That’s a whole other topic for another day.)

In the last 30 years, Russia has invaded at least four other countries besides Ukraine. The attacks always prove sweeping, carpet bombing of civilians is de rigueur. Would he hesitate to use his nuclear weapons? Putin-watchers say No! China’s Xi Jinping seems caught off guard by his new best buddy’s actions. Regardless of what Putin whispered to him in their romantic tête-à-tête, he didn’t expect the Russian to go this far — nice watching ole Xi dance right now — he seems more like a contortionist in some far-off Winter Olympics. (Can you even imagine Xi Jinping dancing? I’m crying!) Did the Chinese leader really think he had a friend in Putin? I doubt it, and if he did, he’s stupid, which he isn’t. Does Putin believe Xi Jinping is his ally? If he does, he’s crazier than he seems. Since Russian oil sales to the West look to be drying up faster than an imaginary oasis in the desert, just watch how hard Xi Jinping squeezes the Russian for the cheapest price he was never prepared to give. For a minute there, I was worried that Russia and China might hook up and partner in a united front against the West. But that was just fear on my part, not logic. It’s every dictator for himself, as it’s ever been. Right now, Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, thinks he and Putin are bros, yo. He better watch his back. In politics as in life, fucking your factor seems to be just part of the game.

Image courtesy of fashioninsiders.co