Sri Lanka marks beginning of global economic crisis

Anyway sorry for splitting more hairs I'm just confused by this argument sometimes about the time we have left when that doesn't actually matter much, it doesn't have any impact on the actual inevitable issue
Oh no don’t be sorry- it’s very interesting and refreshing discussing this sort of topic without it going very black and white.

I think it’s full of uncertainties - we could go either way. My view is a bit more like saying to your teenage child ‘work hard at school and get good results and it will set you up for life. If you don’t life will be miserable and you’ll regret it.’ Some do work hard and some don’t. We seem to be messing about in school rather too much at the moment.

I’d say I’m 60/40 on a good long term outcome rather than 100/0. What I suspect is that there is a real possibility we could reach a sustainable and civilised society based entirely on renewable resources and recycling. My optimism is based on seeing nature do this with life in general. How long it would take I haven’t a clue - it could be we are at the end of an era like the end of the Roman Empire, with hundreds of years of dark ages ahead, but I hope not. Like I say - we need to work hard like a teenager at school if we have a chance of avoiding this in a few generations time. Will we though?
 
Will we though?

No, we won’t. The collapse will be the negative selection pressure that will change the behavior, but nothing until then.

Cheers,
Ian
 
Price of Oil in the market is collapsing at least. It was more then 120 dollars per barrel few months ago, now is 95. Demand destruction is working, we're entering into a recession.

In 2008 crisis Oil collapsed from above 100 per barrel to 30. I think now, due to supply side issues, we'll bottom around 60-70, not lower.

I think the situation is not so bad. Like yeah, we won't have as cheap energy as last 20 years and emerging markets will suffer the most, but I think we'll manage here in the developed world. Especially if Russia - Ukraine conflict finds a resolution.
 
 
Breaks my heart to see Sri Lanka in such a state. I very much enjoyed my time there, the people were magic. However, she's going through something of a detox at the moment. The pandemic played havoc on it's tourism income which it relies on heavily . An utter scumbag of a president who proves that it only takes one idiot to ruin a multitude of lives. Not to mention the war between Ukraine and Russia pushing the prices beyond Sri Lanka's ability to get a firm hold of her debts.

She'll pull through.
 

The arrogance and ignorance of men attacking modern societal values, and claiming ''society is collapsing'', when people and especially women have suffered so much more in the past than they do now, never ceases to amaze me. Society has been collapsing since the dawn of man, people have been mentally ill since the dawn of man [and had no way of communicating it or getting help at best, were actively abused at worst], and all systems designed my humans are suited for humans. Just not all of them, only the ones who designed them.
 
The arrogance and ignorance of men attacking modern societal values, and claiming ''society is collapsing'', when people and especially women have suffered so much more in the past than they do now, never ceases to amaze me. Society has been collapsing since the dawn of man, people have been mentally ill since the dawn of man [and had no way of communicating it or getting help at best, were actively abused at worst], and all systems designed my humans are suited for humans. Just not all of them, only the ones who designed them.

I appreciate your perspective, and think it entirely valid, but I think off the mark given the wider context of his quotes. That said, I only posted this one.

Do you think his statement speaks to a truth, even when considered from a less-intersectional context?

I can read it as a jaded dystopian, marxist feminist, zeitgeist-enmeshed mental health advocate, or a would-be monk in need of a nugget for contemplation, and for me it works in all those ways.

Wondering,
Ian
 
The arrogance and ignorance of men attacking modern societal values, and claiming ''society is collapsing'', when people and especially women have suffered so much more in the past than they do now, never ceases to amaze me. Society has been collapsing since the dawn of man, people have been mentally ill since the dawn of man [and had no way of communicating it or getting help at best, were actively abused at worst], and all systems designed my humans are suited for humans. Just not all of them, only the ones who designed them.

Didn't know that this was an women's only issue, some mindset you have there.
 
Firstly: whatever statements I'm about to make are not facts and I acknowledge that. I believe them because that's the best interpretation that I have. I know we will have different life experiences and I hold space for diversity in opinions.

That being said, I'm frustrated by the way people I know are reacting to current world events. I see that people's pain and suffering is being misdirected. People want an enemy to blame. Watching this is very distressing for me, and I realize that people react this way in general, but I do think during times of economic stress people become more polarized. We become more prone to populism, politicians get elected based on people's emotions instead of what makes logical sense . We want an easy way out, we want to avoid pain.

What is currently happening reminds me a lot of the time period of the late medieval ages where a number of things happened back to back that created a ton of instability, death and suffering:

The bubonic plague, famine caused by a combination of climate changes and disease, these pressures resulting in changes in political and religious movements as a result.

It also reminds me a bit of the last industrial revolution and how that too was followed by the great depression and other consequences because of major societal changes.

Our society is facing fundamental changes required to sustain itself: resolve the unsustainable energy system, adapt to harsher climate conditions, absorb a major decline in population due to baby boomers dying and not being replaced adequately. Tech is a huge part of this.

I'm hearing so often talks about income inequality getting out of hand, of price gouging, the housing system being rigged, the pandemic being a global conspiracy for extermination... These all sound AWESOME because it wraps the issue up into a cohesive, ultimately corrupt situation that could be solved if only people do the right thing.

How scary would it be to instead accept that there are multiple stresses on a system that have in turn weakened it, and despite living in "modern" society, despite all of our technology, we could suffer enough natural disasters and system based issues that even when we WANT to resolve the issues, there might not be an actual plan or answer to resolve everything.

This whole "globalist" thing seems to be based on REAL events where global leaders who it is their job to manage the upper infrastructures that they operate are realizing huge issues are finally catching up and it's an urgent situation. Whether you agree with what solutions they decide on is another matter but to paint it all as an evil conspiracy to watch the world burn ... That's less scary then thinking, what if most people are actually trying to solve the problems and it is just messy and hard?

I get slack ANY TIME that I question people's strangely narrow beliefs. If I try to ask people: ok, you're in charge now, you have the power to pass whatever policies you want, what would you do and how quickly will that solve these problems? All I get is talking points and the more you question the reality of what other issues might crop up as a result of these policies and how can we solve these, what if even if you want to pass xyz policy we don't actually have enough oil we don't actually have what we need, people shut down.

I'm not trying to be a dick. I don't think I know everything. But how can everyone else be so self assured all the time? I have my theory, so does everyone else, but why would it be such an unacceptable position to take to decide there's lots of complicated issues and there's no "evil people" or "evil system" to blame?

Life is fragile and hard as fuck to maintain.

I'm genuinely curious to see how we resolve this. I acknowledge the pain and suffering. It's not fun but this type of thing happens, it's a natural ebb and flow of life, humans are not immune to disaster and tragedy. The urgency has created a lot of pressure for innovation and we are ushering in a new structure, a new way of living. Humans are resourceful, we want to survive.

Our worst enemy is our need for a simple answer and desire to blame, to want more and more, to think we are too good to suffer, that we shouldn't have to experience pain and hurt. That's life. Thank you for attending my gratuitous rant.
 
Here we go guys


I'm very proud of the Fed. Out of most of the world USA actually gave the least economic support during COVID-19. With as much debt as we were already in, there would probably be 0 chance of recovery had we gone the European route. As it is they're drowning in their debt. The Ukraine war didn't help at all. As we keep going we will see the recession deepen and a long needed crash. Hope those quiet quitters wise up and work extra hard or they'll be the first to be cut!
 
If anyone wants to read gruesome and depressing piece on IMF and the World Bank: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/imf-world-bank-repress-poor-countries

It's really long (will be made into a book) but it details what the structural adjustment of the IMF/World Bank. Basically, IMF and World Bank are engaging in colonialism 2.0. You come into a country, loan it money with high interest, employ your own local company to build an infrastructure to loot the country of it's resources and export it to the West. And the loans obviously come with terms, which are the ways you need to restructure the economy to benefit the World Economy (aka the West).

In the past, poor countries were at least food independent. They had a large agricultural population that could provide for it's people. Now, thanks to the IMF and World Bank, the 3rd world is not food independent, but is super focuses on producing (and exporting) just one particular thing (like cotton and shrimps in Bangladesh).
 
If anyone wants to read gruesome and depressing piece on IMF and the World Bank: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/imf-world-bank-repress-poor-countries

It's really long (will be made into a book) but it details what the structural adjustment of the IMF/World Bank. Basically, IMF and World Bank are engaging in colonialism 2.0. You come into a country, loan it money with high interest, employ your own local company to build an infrastructure to loot the country of it's resources and export it to the West. And the loans obviously come with terms, which are the ways you need to restructure the economy to benefit the World Economy (aka the West).

In the past, poor countries were at least food independent. They had a large agricultural population that could provide for it's people. Now, thanks to the IMF and World Bank, the 3rd world is not food independent, but is super focuses on producing (and exporting) just one particular thing (like cotton and shrimps in Bangladesh).

Nice summary. I know about them. Colonialism 2.0 is a polite, funny, and fucking grim way to put it. Also accurate. And truthful.

And years ago, the IMF loved partnering with patented monoculture seed makers so farmers could be yoked and punished, especially as native birds would do the work of ensnaring farmers who would later be sued, until they rendered “consent” and starting sucking, just as they were told.

Christine “En Garde, Putain” Lagarde is both succubus and lich, who loves nothing more than crushing the skulls of dirty primitives with a bar of gold bullion.

a pox on her,
Ian
 
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