Thursday, January 3, 2008

Don Quixote

I am listening to the great novel, "Don Quixote", by Cervantes. This book is so funny at points that it was dangerous for me to drive while listening. So far, I'm about 1/3 way through. The book was written 400 years ago and again proves that we "modern" people really aren't so modern at all. The humor in Don Quixote reminds one of sit-coms and modern skits and jokes.

Don Quixote - the character - is a madman, driven mad by his total immersion in chivalric books of the period - the adventures of knight errants. He had read so many that he thinks they are true. In Cervantes time, those books did exist and were widely read. That's why his novel was such a success as a parody.

Now that brought to my mind the modern youth and young people's fascination with computer games. As time has gone on, even young adults now play those games like zombies. Those games have quests and fighting and all sorts of aspects of the adventure stories parodied by the book, "Don Quixote".

Perhaps some young people are also being driven mad by these computer games ? Certainly examples of such exist. Young people becoming so immersed in delusions of quests cannot be good. And the demeaning aspects of life in those games with the endless killings, shootings, and more. That's really horrible. Some modern movies do portray people living in delusions derived from computer games.

So all this was seen by Cervantes about 400 years ago. Are we really modern or just the same people with new technology.

I think much of what people think as "new" is a recycling of ideas known 100 to 400 years ago. I'll give more examples of this in future blogs.

PS: Ms. Market needs a rest. These endless "worries" are getting silly. What kind of data do people expect is a "slowdown" ? Nothing has changed. The Fed needs to do what I say - cut rates to a truly neutral or low neutral level around 3.5%. They still have tight money in place. really stupid.

7 comments:

mern said...

if the fed has been using "tight money" y has the $ gone from 1.24 to .76, since dubya took over? was looking at M3, last nite, since 1960 and it sure dont look "tight" to me. i guess the main question there is the money being destroyed in housing and depreciation faster than the printing press is making it?

the housing bailout is another headwind, and possibly the biggest mistake bush has made.

i guess most of the pain is priced in, we all talking about it, finally. now it looks like we just plan to start selling ourselves, overseas (to many of our philosophical enemies). 5% of MER, 5% of MWD there, etc, etc. with the $ going to 60 or lower, the europeans will bail out this credit crunch, moping up homes.

b man, ive read people literally kill themselves after becoming addicted to some video games. its and upcoming trend, for sure. of course SP has covered the issue, last yr.

Bunkerman said...

lol it was that South Park episode that gave me the idea - a great one with all them becoming Jabba the Hut lookalikes with zits.

Bunkerman said...

M3 is not "moneny - it includes all sorts of investments and debt. One needs to look at MZM or the monetary base.

I just look at Fed funds vs. core inflation. I wrote a blog calculating the neutral range a few weeks ago in a Fed rant.

Bunkerman said...

lol an ad I keep seeing for a credit counseling form says a major reason for being in debt is ... "excessive use of credit" D'uh!

mern said...

ya that was a gud one. "MA, POOP BOX, NOW!" "yes. hun"

see that venzuela inflation at 32% and thats with 25cent gas.

imo, the sarah silverman program (usually on after sp) has passed sp. well maybe not, but it is really quite funny. if you have no taste, a very thick skin, and think everything is capable of being made fun of.

simpsons movie stunk. seems like it has been some time since a good comedy came out. little miss sunshine last one i can think of that made me LOL.

Bunkerman said...

looks like oil traders are probing for preplaced orders around $100 or just over

Frosty said...

Ms Market needs rest...it get's any more rest and it will be ready to take mern's dirt nap :)