PUNKCAST1827 Matt Taibbi discusses his new book 'Griftopia' with Danny Schecter in the First Tuesdays Series at McNally Jackson NYC on Nov 3 2010. www.randomhouse... markcrispinmill...
great stuff. finally, somebody is out there explaining the real problem: we don't have, and haven't for a long time, a "free" market. what we have is a system where bankrobbers took over the bank and camped out so long, we started to think they were running the place. and now, they are. they took our money - not in the form of tax breaks or deregulation (though they did that too), but liquid freaking money - and then whined we even asked about it. it's not a meritocracy, and it's not capitalism.
We often read MT aloud in the car. His thoughts/sentences are so well cafted folding in humor and insight effortlessly that we have to stop and read the sentence again just to savor the energy of the thought. The boy can write!
Great discussion. Danny Shecter and Matt Taibbi together is like watching Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle play ball. Should be required viewing in schools. Thanks very much for providing this. Keep independent book stores alive!!!
@theotocopolis Capitalism is how the bankrobbers get in position to do this shit. It's disingenuous when capitalism lovers pretend capitalism isn't happening and thus is not to blame for any of our problems.
glad that MT is reporting - as a true journalist - on all these off-looked and misprepresented topixs tat seems so convoluded and hidden-in -a-maise -- pheniomenons
@cabby696 Maybe it's possible to make money being short on commodities, but the point is that the exchanges were regulated for decades so that people/companies who were actually consuming or producing the commodities made up the vast majority of the money involved. The regulations existed to prevent outside sources of money from buying up entire supplies in order to control prices. Banks started petitioning the gov't to give out exceptions, and this encouraged massive long betting on increases
I remember when many thought Matt was doing some kind of antisemitic dog whistles with the vampire squid metaphor.. I doubt it, sometimes you cannot control how people interpret writing.
@atlien991 if that were true, we'd have the only form of capitalism, and all others would have the same problems or be on their way there. whereas in reality, foreign banks have had problems only because they bought our unregulated mortgage derivatives. for years, americans of every political flavor have insisted on seeing all markets on a line between endpoints of bolshevik communism and the holographically concealed mountain fortress in atlas shrugged. your comment betrays the same error.
Griftopia is pretty much a waste of time. Taibbi provides opinion on lots of people and topics in his book unfortunately very little of it has anything to do with the financial crisis. Long winded and short on facts and evidence, he gives a pointless book report of Atlas Shrugged but no real research. Is the author that lazy of a researcher or that self-important to think his opinions matter.
Matt Taibbi is one hell of a reporter and writer!
Thanks so much for posting this. It's rare to find a long program with Taibbi. I wish he'd do some lectures.
Matt Taibbi is the main reason I still have a subscription to RS.
Let's get millions of people together and sue the Wall Street Bankers.
You mean America has no one like these guy's that can speak to to power?
Excellent conversation. Matt is our generation's Thomas Paine
great stuff. finally, somebody is out there explaining the real problem: we don't have, and haven't for a long time, a "free" market. what we have is a system where bankrobbers took over the bank and camped out so long, we started to think they were running the place. and now, they are. they took our money - not in the form of tax breaks or deregulation (though they did that too), but liquid freaking money - and then whined we even asked about it. it's not a meritocracy, and it's not capitalism.
I like Sara, too..( she's my ideal of public radio........wooof )
Taibbi rocks and this should have more than 1,394 views
We often read MT aloud in the car. His thoughts/sentences are so well cafted folding in humor and insight effortlessly that we have to stop and read the sentence again just to savor the energy of the thought. The boy can write!
Great discussion. Danny Shecter and Matt Taibbi together is like watching Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle play ball. Should be required viewing in schools. Thanks very much for providing this. Keep independent book stores alive!!!
The Times had an article today on Grifting and grifters. It was interesting.
Best book I've read this year. Fantastic.
isn't the squid thing an oblique reference to the facehugger from "alien"? something for the factcheckers to consider vis-a-vis blood funnels...
Rest in Peace Danny Schechter!
Money isn't real. Just like god it's nothing more than a human abstraction.
Watch, "Alan Watts - Money" and wake up from your slumber.
Lord knows, I don't read RS for the music anymore.
thank you for sharig this xoxoxo
@theotocopolis Capitalism is how the bankrobbers get in position to do this shit. It's disingenuous when capitalism lovers pretend capitalism isn't happening and thus is not to blame for any of our problems.
"Obsession with 'facts' often covers over the meaning of things." Thank you, Danny.
glad that MT is reporting - as a true journalist - on all these off-looked and misprepresented topixs tat seems so convoluded and hidden-in -a-maise -- pheniomenons
@cabby696 Maybe it's possible to make money being short on commodities, but the point is that the exchanges were regulated for decades so that people/companies who were actually consuming or producing the commodities made up the vast majority of the money involved. The regulations existed to prevent outside sources of money from buying up entire supplies in order to control prices. Banks started petitioning the gov't to give out exceptions, and this encouraged massive long betting on increases
@MrSammo1 Are abstractions real?
I remember when many thought Matt was doing some kind of antisemitic dog whistles with the vampire squid metaphor.. I doubt it, sometimes you cannot control how people interpret writing.
@theotocopolis very well said on endpoints.
Ironic coming from Taibbi, who has resorted to grifting his butt off.
@atlien991 if that were true, we'd have the only form of capitalism, and all others would have the same problems or be on their way there. whereas in reality, foreign banks have had problems only because they bought our unregulated mortgage derivatives.
for years, americans of every political flavor have insisted on seeing all markets on a line between endpoints of bolshevik communism and the holographically concealed mountain fortress in atlas shrugged. your comment betrays the same error.
@cri8tor exactly
Um, yeahh...But we could never "poke that chick" like WE have been 'poked' by the Wall Street fraudsters!~
@Imperativism Watch the video and you tell me.
Griftopia is pretty much a waste of time. Taibbi provides opinion on lots of people and topics in his book unfortunately very little of it has anything to do with the financial crisis. Long winded and short on facts and evidence, he gives a pointless book report of Atlas Shrugged but no real research. Is the author that lazy of a researcher or that self-important to think his opinions matter.