Saying so doesn't make it so and good bye George C.
Well it’s Monday again.
Again the Mets take two out of three from a beat up Colorado Rockies and there is yet more talk of them ‘turning it around’ good god this team could use little less positive incantation and more clutch hitting and middle relief – really just saying over and over again ‘the Mets have turned the season around’ isn’t going to freaking make it so.
This reminds me of the many many many stories you read in the financial press during bad times about how the economy is really going well (or is just about to turn around) and how while it does look like the stock market is in a bad way (what with all the prices going down and the hazard to pedestrians caused by stock brokers plummeting to their death from high building) really really it’s all going to fantastic very very soon.
These stories and speeches have a two fold purpose – one there is a real conviction among financial people that if they come right out and say ‘things just utterly suck” this will actually increase the suckiness of the current situation. It has as an underlying postulate that stock holders are oblivious nitwits who are unable to come to a conclusion about economic conditions and what to do unless they are told by someone things suck.
The other more cynical motive is the need to keep the rubes at the table while the smarter bettors cash out to cut their losses.
Still to be fair – for the last few decades these stories have been right – eventually. Eventually the economy turned around and eventually the stock market picked up again – the only variable being just how long it took to do that.
This time, alas, it looks like its’ going to be a longer time than we are used to. Certain million pound chickens are returning to the nest – long term trends like over use of credit (partially to make up for the lack if wage gains) oil use and a spectacular fall in the housing market with it’s nasty impact on Banks and credit make it look like this is a) going to be rough and b) going to take a while to work itself out even if everybody does the right thing.
Well that’s cheerful.
In other cheerful news George Carlin has died – he was 71 - which doesn’t sound that old to me these days. I wasn’t a huge fan but the man when he was on was absolutely fearless and whip smart and funny as hell.
The line I always remember with fondness (aside from the 7 words routine) was an early bit where he’s a disc jockey.
“Well the radar shows a line of thunderstorms coming in which could make you pm commute a bit rough. The radar also shows a line of Russian ICBM’s so I wouldn’t sweat the thunderstorms that much.”
Also:
“Richard Prior and I were in a self-destructive comedian contest – he had a heart attack, I had a heart attack. He set himself on fire – I said fuck that and had another heart attack.”
Funny man – will be missed.
Peace Love Seven Words
Again the Mets take two out of three from a beat up Colorado Rockies and there is yet more talk of them ‘turning it around’ good god this team could use little less positive incantation and more clutch hitting and middle relief – really just saying over and over again ‘the Mets have turned the season around’ isn’t going to freaking make it so.
This reminds me of the many many many stories you read in the financial press during bad times about how the economy is really going well (or is just about to turn around) and how while it does look like the stock market is in a bad way (what with all the prices going down and the hazard to pedestrians caused by stock brokers plummeting to their death from high building) really really it’s all going to fantastic very very soon.
These stories and speeches have a two fold purpose – one there is a real conviction among financial people that if they come right out and say ‘things just utterly suck” this will actually increase the suckiness of the current situation. It has as an underlying postulate that stock holders are oblivious nitwits who are unable to come to a conclusion about economic conditions and what to do unless they are told by someone things suck.
The other more cynical motive is the need to keep the rubes at the table while the smarter bettors cash out to cut their losses.
Still to be fair – for the last few decades these stories have been right – eventually. Eventually the economy turned around and eventually the stock market picked up again – the only variable being just how long it took to do that.
This time, alas, it looks like its’ going to be a longer time than we are used to. Certain million pound chickens are returning to the nest – long term trends like over use of credit (partially to make up for the lack if wage gains) oil use and a spectacular fall in the housing market with it’s nasty impact on Banks and credit make it look like this is a) going to be rough and b) going to take a while to work itself out even if everybody does the right thing.
Well that’s cheerful.
In other cheerful news George Carlin has died – he was 71 - which doesn’t sound that old to me these days. I wasn’t a huge fan but the man when he was on was absolutely fearless and whip smart and funny as hell.
The line I always remember with fondness (aside from the 7 words routine) was an early bit where he’s a disc jockey.
“Well the radar shows a line of thunderstorms coming in which could make you pm commute a bit rough. The radar also shows a line of Russian ICBM’s so I wouldn’t sweat the thunderstorms that much.”
Also:
“Richard Prior and I were in a self-destructive comedian contest – he had a heart attack, I had a heart attack. He set himself on fire – I said fuck that and had another heart attack.”
Funny man – will be missed.
Peace Love Seven Words
posted by Unknown at 10:55 AM
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