I don’t think I’ll try for the trifecta of internet taboos this time. I’ll save the religious stuff for Easter. Politics and economics are intertwined, though, and unfortunately, considerably more important than some of the other articles I have simmering on the burner.
Karl Denninger has some new articles up that I’d like to highlight.
First, his obligatory “Year in Review” sort of post. Lots of data with a side order of vitriol. This will be an interesting year, what with the 2010 elections firing people up (or not, as the case may be). Apologies to those of you who don’t care about U.S. politics. I’m actually not a fan of politics, as it happens (politicians bother me), but events on that stage have a nasty tendency to affect the stuff I am a fan of, so it’s good to at least be aware of what is afoot.
Where We Are, Where We’re Headed (2010)
Then there’s this gem that not only roasts the mainstream media, but also serves as a nice reminder of the math behind housing and why we’re still not in a Happy Place economically. Calling Geithner and Obama to task is icing on the cake. (Don’t worry, he has blasted Bush as well. Economic concerns are nonpartisan; both parties are part of the problem.)
The Mainstream Media Wakes Up (HAMP)
And if you’re a fan of the Time Man of the Year, dear old Ben Bernanke, Denninger has this to say of some of his recent comments:
Fed Bubble Blowing: A Study of Denial
Denninger is a wee bit more… fiesty… than I might be, but he’s keyed into the financial markets, and considering the smoldering problems in that sector of the economy (that affect all of us), it’s been instructive for me to see what he’s concerned about.
The Christmas Eve shenanigans were interesting, too:
Fraudie/Phoney-What Does Treasury Know
When the legislation makes efforts to pass something while citizens are busy, it throws up a few red flags in my mind. Similarly, when they say “this must pass NOW, or the world will end”, it bothers me, whether it’s about Climate Change, TARP or Health Care Reform. I can’t help but think of hucksters telling me to “Buy Now, this deal will never be this good again!”, when almost inevitably, a little bit of homework and a bit of patience shows it to be the fraudulent sales pitch it really is. Why is it that we offer politicians any more respect than cable TV sales channel pitchmen? In my mind, both are modern day snake oil salesmen, only differentiated by the actual effect they can have on the population at large.
Speaking of snake oil, though:
The True Intent of Health “Reform”
“Global Warming” SCAM -Hack/Leak FLASH
Interesting stuff.
I know, I know, I usually talk about game design and happy shiny fluffy stuff. Thing is, if societal acrimony increases while the economy burns as our leaders fiddle about with things best left alone, and we really do step into a Greater Depression, complete with political and societal upheaval, the New Happy Shiny might be more Big Brother Soylent Green than endless navel gazing in the MMO genre. Jack Thompson isn’t the only “political” figure that stands in opposition to gaming utopia.
So… yeah. That’s my New Year’s “Coming up Next” post.
Please pay attention to things that really are more important than games. Don’t take my word for what is going on, don’t take Denninger’s word, don’t drink the Hannity or Huffington Kool-Aid. Don’t trust government propaganda. As Thomas Jefferson recommended: Question With Boldness (OK, OK, there’s a hint of religion in the full quote, so I did get in the whole trifecta…)
Question everything, and don’t stop until you have the truth.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled Questioning of Game Design. (See, the philosophy works there, too!)
Thanks for this post. I find it a brave thing to ‘subject’ those who read/listen/trust you to important but uncomfortable topics. I say ‘subject’ because as it is most people, myself included, avoid knowing these things for fear we may have to get out of our comfort zones and become active citizens. Playing WoW offers a place to hide from it all for many of us but in the long run burying our heads in the sand is not going to save our butts.
good motto and good articles. ‘question everything and don’t stop until you have the truth’ I once told a friend something similar but incorrectly put it as ‘doubt everything’ which is not what we should do of course. (That was back in high school when I was much more ‘intelligent and wise’ than I am now of course lol)
Good point Rich. Escapism is all well and good but you don’t actually do more than mentally escape reality. Its important to have your finances and your family in order and prepare for aberrations. And the only way our government can remain free is if we are free and self-informed.
The best thing a person can do is question the status quo when it needs to be questioned. But questioning for questioning’s sake is dangerous to everyone and can lead to upheaval and discontent for no good reason.
There is good reason to question here.
Thank you for bringing all this up. I love seeing off-topic posts that are worth reading in my favorite places. I don’t care what people say, niches are fine for what they do, but this is *your* space, and this is what you had to say. A writer doesn’t write for no reason.
Nice article
Although I’m British, I find US politics far more interesting as it’s more exciting and black and white. It’s always been kinda obvious how different the main parties are yet in the UK it’s all very grey and depressing.
I liked your statement:
“Question everything, and don’t stop until you have the truth.”
I think it sums up a lot of the world we live in and, rather, how people don’t want to question outside of their own worlds or priorities.
The US, for instance, is a lot more of a reglious country than the UK and the key to religion is not questioning anything and “having faith” instead. I think a lot of folks are just used to following the pack and not digging deeper into the facts beneath and it’s why conservatives tend to be a lot more reglious than liberals.
Anyway, I could talk about this stuff for hours and probably offend everyone so I’ll stop there
Thanks, guys. A couple of things:
Our style of government, for good or ill, only really works well if the citizens stay on top of things and stay educated. That means paying attention and calling our leaders to task when necessary. A slothful populace gets the leadership it deserves.
Beej, indeed, questioning everything just to be a contrarian jerk isn’t helpful. That’s sort of implicit in my conditional statement; “until you find the truth”, but you’re right to clarify, so thanks!
I guess one of the strengths of not being a WoW or Puzzle Pirates exclusive blog is that I get to bring these things up. I certainly don’t mind if someone wants to skip it, either. I just want to get something out there that I consider important… without starting a flame war. To date, those of you who deign to comment have been delightfully civil, which I am grateful for.
Gordon, your observations are interesting. I’ve actually noted that the U.S. political parties have far more in common than their “public face” would suggest. Sure, there are the caricatures of polarizing topics, but both parties have pillaged the taxpayers, and systematically eroded the structures built on the Constitution. You have to pay attention to what they *do*, not what they *say*, especially in vitriolic dog-and-pony “debates”.
Also, I’m a very religious person. As Jefferson notes, I believe that God *wants* us to question things and learn for ourselves. To me, religion is all about seeking truth. Blind faith and following the herd is opposed to what I understand of the gospel. Faith isn’t mindless zombie devotion, it’s a principle of choice and action.
Being a religious zergling doesn’t foster education and comprehension nearly as well as seeking understanding. The end result may be the same, obeying a commandment, for example, but a zergling just “follows orders” without thinking, and a religious seeker of truth understands the reason for the orders, *and then* follows them. (Note that there is a time for reflexively following orders, like a military tactical situation. That’s not the same thing.)
Interestingly, I’ve seen many people who treat religion as just a set of behaviors that they can settle into without needing to think about why they do what they do. It’s not unlike just logging into WoW and doing dailies without really wondering if you’re having fun doing so. You just do it because it’s easy to be told what to do, it’s what everyone else is doing, and it’s what you’re familiar with. These religious folk use religion to dodge what I consider a moral imperative to think and educate yourself in all things. They defer their judgment to their pastor or their flock.
That’s not religion to me, that’s laziness that clothes itself in religious trappings.
One more gem from Denninger:
A Cautionary Tale
I really enjoyed your response, Tesh! I’m totally non-religious and I have to be careful not to offend people sometimes as I like getting stuck into deep conversations (bordering on arugments
) about reglion. Often people here hate being challenged about, well, anything but then maybe that says more about them than it does about me! I’d love to do a podcast one day with you and really hammer into a good conversation about that sort of thing 
Reglion in the UK is a funny old thing. A lot of people would tick a box on a form that marks them as being “Christian” but they often never go to Church nor follow the ethos or morals behind it all. I hate that sort of hyprocracy. Also, we have a history of reglious violence and it even lives today between football clubs like Celtic and Rangers because originally they were Catholic vs Protestant. Of course now no one cares about the religion but the violence still continues regardless which is just bizarre.
Back on the topic of politics, I do find it interesting how religion is a lot more obvious in US politics – it would never even be raised here in the UK. It often seems to be used as a tool or a weapon in the US to try and presuade people to vote for or against a party. Europe seems to be heading in the other direction. You know that in France its illegal to wear any sort of reglious regalia in schools? This includes crosses and hijabs. Pupils will be sent home and suspended if seen wearing anything like that.
Anyway, this commment was all over the place
Sorry!
*chuckle*
As if *I* keep things organized?
I’m sure we could have a fun conversation. There really are a lot of bizarre things out there to riff off of.
With the global warming link – it’s words. I could write that on my blog.
The article seems to rely on the idea that words are enough. So it didn’t seem a profitable venture to read it through (indeed to do so allows it’s ‘trust me, words are enough’ hack to go against my mind). Does it link to any physical measures latter on?
“Physical measures” in what way, Callan? I’m not sure what you’re asking.