You know what makes us human? he asked. Guilt. The more guilty we feel, the more human we are, he told him. If we didn’t feel guilt, we’d all be monsters. Just evil specimens on a lonely planet.

Right.

There’d really be no use for us. We’re bad enough as it is.

Yeah.

The old man began flipping through television channels.  Stopping at cable news programs. Stories about politics and brush fires, shootings on the Southside, a woman was robbed at an ATM. See all this? he asked his son. Terrible, just terribile, dad kept flipping through stations. Wars, hunger. Some madman in control. All about money, he said. All about money. You listening?

Sure.

Right, he walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed two beers, and handed one to his son. Got your attention now?

Nope.

Guilt.

The kid opened his beer. He could feel the can sweat around his fingertips. It was ice cold.

Miller High Life. The king of beers, the father told him.

What?

Used to be commercials for this stuff. Claimed to be the king of beers.

That’s Budweiser.

Same thing. It’s all American made.

Some Brazilian Belgian conglomerate bought Budweiser.

Fucking krautes.

No, dad. Kraute would be a derogatory term towards Germans.

Same thing. Belgians and Brazilians. All the krautes went to Brazil after the war, you know. All those Nazis went down there. Girls in bikinis and plenty of sun. That was their punishment. Never trust a German.

Things change, dad. People change.

Guilt doesn’t.

We don’t feel guilt anymore. Keep watching the news, dad. Keep watching the news.