The parable of the Mexican fisherman
In 13 November 2023, British YouTuber Chris Williamson shared the “parable of the Mexican fisherman” with his interviewee, the journalist and author Douglas Murray:
—The Mexican fisherman story — are you familiar with that, the parable of the Mexican fisherman?
—No, I don’t think I am.
— This is cool; you’ll like this. So, an American businessman goes on holiday to Mexico, and while he’s there…
— Is it a true story?
— It’s a parable story.
— Ok, got it.
— He goes on holiday, he gets taken out fishing by a local Mexican. He asks the Mexican how he spends his time.
The Mexican says, “I fish a little in the morning, I catch enough for my family, we go back, we cook, we laugh around the fire, and I spend time with my children.”
And the American businessman goes, “That’s stupid! Here’s a better idea. What you should do is actually spend most of your day fishing, and then, with the surplus fish, you could sell them at the market.”
And the Mexican fisherman says, “Why would I do that?”
The businessman says, “Well, once you’ve got the additional money, you could start to employ some of your friends, and they could come out fishing with you too, and you could catch more fish, which you could sell at the market for more money.”
He said, “Why would I do that?”
He says, “Well, once you’ve done that, you would be able to incorporate in America, and you might be able to start a canning factory so that you could own the entire production process, and you could then sell the company for a lot of money.”
He said, “Why would I do that?”
He said, “Because once you’d done that, you’d be able to fish a little in the morning and then go back and spend time with your children around the fire.”
The parable of the Mexican fisherman is often attributed to an anonymous author, but it has also been linked to various writers, including Mark Albion and Heinrich Böll.
Mark Albion, a former Harvard Business School professor, is said to have popularized the story in his talks and writings, while Heinrich Böll’s short story “Anekdote zur Senkung der Arbeitsmoral” (Anecdote Concerning the Lowering of Productivity) from 1963 is believed to have influenced or inspired the parable’s central themes. The exact origins remain unclear, and the story has circulated widely, often in slightly different versions.
