Reply to: Financial markets and human tragedy

[AtW]

Morality only conflicts with short term financial interests, in a long term it is the best strategy.

HTH

[doodab]

No, hate the player as well.

WHS. There does seem to be a tendency to dismiss morality out of hand where it conflicts with financial interests. This isn't going to make the world a better place. However much you buy into the "free markets are more efficient and benefit everybody" school of thought, you must be able to see that a world full of ***** will still be a world full of ***** however much richer everybody is.

[Old Greg]

Don't hate the player. Hate the game.

No, hate the player as well. The game is sh1t because it is set up in such a way as there is always an opportunity for some vile little worm to make money out of someone else's misfortune.

One thing to consider is that it's a continuum that includes:

- Vulture funds buying up 3rd world debt from Eastern European countries at 10% of face value and then enforcing the debt through courts in other countries.
- Selling torture equipment to repressive regimes (if we don't, someone else will)
- Investing in tobacco companies.
- Investing in Tesco (who I imagine are the largest sellers of tobacco in the UK).

Want to avoid all these nasties that make money out of the misery of others? Then you can put your money into National Savings bonds and fund UK war crimes abroad, or whatever else we fancy. So we're all on the continuum somewhere.

[2BIT]

Not sure that's the same though.

Protecting your own livelyhood in the face of a disaster is several miles away from getting a piece of the action IMHO.

true but it was the speed at which the enquiries came in, no one knew what the hell was going on and it was surprising how quickly people reverted to self-preservation - I'm not sure if even the most prescient business advisor could predict how an unprecedented terrorist attack on the worlds major superpower could affect a local SME based half the world away within an hour of the event unfolding.

[Pondlife]

Human nature, on 9/11 I was working at a business advice centre and within about an hour of the attacks people from local businesses were calling to find out how it might affect them

Not sure that's the same though.

Protecting your own livelyhood in the face of a disaster is several miles away from getting a piece of the action IMHO.

[2BIT]

Human nature, on 9/11 I was working at a business advice centre and within about an hour of the attacks people from local businesses were calling to find out how it might affect them

[suityou01]

Indeed. Laughing with them, and at Bryan Adams.

And yes, the Japanese tend to have a completely wacky sense of humour.

There's another aspect of humour; it expreses the feeling of 'thank heavens this isn't happening to me', while knowing that some disaster could indeed befall you.

Hopefully humour helps people get through. Reminds me of the story of the chap who entered a pub in London during the bombings; covered in blood, shirt torn up, the first thing he asked for was the cricket score. Then a pint.

Mitch, I like you and enjoy your posts but I think you just about trudged the fine line between going out on a limb and being a hypocrite. Unless of course you have Japanese friends and or family to share the joke with, otherwise you're just an ignorant westerner who thinks that humour here is acceptable.

I can only imagine that if I was homeless after a tsunami, and Sizewell B was about to go supernova and irradiate my family I wouldn't be in the mood for a joke no matter how thigh slappingly funny.

[MarillionFan]

You seriously think it used to be better?

Of course.

That Hitler was both a gentleman and a scholar.

[xoggoth]

Typical of the general moral decline of humanity

You seriously think it used to be better?

[Mich the Tester]

Depends on whether you are laughing at them or with them.

Indeed. Laughing with them, and at Bryan Adams.

And yes, the Japanese tend to have a completely wacky sense of humour.

There's another aspect of humour; it expreses the feeling of 'thank heavens this isn't happening to me', while knowing that some disaster could indeed befall you.

Hopefully humour helps people get through. Reminds me of the story of the chap who entered a pub in London during the bombings; covered in blood, shirt torn up, the first thing he asked for was the cricket score. Then a pint.

[EternalOptimist]

Yes, but the guy shouldn't be openly bragging about it.

That's the offensive bit here.

fck em. your worst is better than their best.


so fck em

[MarillionFan]

Yes, but the guy shouldn't be openly bragging about it.

That's the offensive bit here.

What! Bragging and arrogance isn't allowed now either!

[SueEllen]

Laughing at someone's misfortune is OK, but profiting from it is not?

Ok. :

Depends on whether you are laughing at them or with them.

I've had close friends who have had serious accidents and illnesses and one of things that made them feel "normal" was people taking the piss out of them as they had that sense of humour.

The Japanese adults I know have a strange sense of humour as well, however I wouldn't dare mention the thread to any Japanese children I've met.

Oh and there is nothing anybody here can do about the nuclear power plant.

[Sysman]

They are behaving totally logically within our capitalist free market system. If they didn't make the money, then someone else would. The alternative is an alternative system, not for individuals to behave differently. Oh, and punch them - it's the system making you do it and if you didn't, someone else would.

Yes, but the guy shouldn't be openly bragging about it.

That's the offensive bit here.

[Mich the Tester]

Laughing at someone's misfortune is OK, but profiting from it is not?

Ok. :

yes