Did it feel like there were kernels of truth in it? Or just complete fiction?
-t.
Confessions of an Economic Hitman
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tristanreid
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- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2004 12:00 am
Confessions of an Economic Hitman
If you can make computers as smart as humans you will have invented a machine that can sing the words to the Flintstones tune but will forget to pay the phone bill.
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RFMontraz
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- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2004 12:00 am
Confessions of an Economic Hitman
I think a few things needs to be said about the author first, then the book (provided that what he says about his own life is at least 50% truth).
He's a very unconventional character who has lived his life travelling and working around the world, clearly fascinated by the indigenous culture he has come in contact with. Not only he makes no attempt to justify or dismiss his previous quirky books in order to give more to credibility to his economist persona, he actually promotes them throughout the book. Clearly he sees no contradiction juxtaposing grand economic and geopolitical theories with what I’d probably define as improbable new age shit. Having said that, the guy doesn’t come across as a complete conspiracy theorist crackpot, he seems very coherent, knowledgeable, smart and well read.
I think of myself as a sceptic but I have to admit that (random rants aside) the book contains stuff that rings true and that makes a lot of sense. It might be biased, it might not dwell too much on the fact that - US hegemonic ambitions aside - there was a Cold War going on for most of the century. Even then though, the things that he writes about Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Panama (a country I knew next to nothing about) or Venezuela make a very interesting read. He might not have the same pedigree, academic credibility or celebrity status of a Chomsky but he certainly knows how to write a good book.
He's a very unconventional character who has lived his life travelling and working around the world, clearly fascinated by the indigenous culture he has come in contact with. Not only he makes no attempt to justify or dismiss his previous quirky books in order to give more to credibility to his economist persona, he actually promotes them throughout the book. Clearly he sees no contradiction juxtaposing grand economic and geopolitical theories with what I’d probably define as improbable new age shit. Having said that, the guy doesn’t come across as a complete conspiracy theorist crackpot, he seems very coherent, knowledgeable, smart and well read.
I think of myself as a sceptic but I have to admit that (random rants aside) the book contains stuff that rings true and that makes a lot of sense. It might be biased, it might not dwell too much on the fact that - US hegemonic ambitions aside - there was a Cold War going on for most of the century. Even then though, the things that he writes about Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Panama (a country I knew next to nothing about) or Venezuela make a very interesting read. He might not have the same pedigree, academic credibility or celebrity status of a Chomsky but he certainly knows how to write a good book.
Was it worth it?
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Johnny
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- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2004 12:00 am
Confessions of an Economic Hitman
My opinion exactly.
Stab Art Radiation Capital Structure Demolition LLC
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tripitaka
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Confessions of an Economic Hitman
meh, i think he's a crackpot. Rather than write a straight memoir of his experience, which would be quite insightful and probably pretty damming about the damage that the 20thC economic aid ultimately ends up doing, he chose to write some weird parallel universe conspiracy theory mumbojumbo, destroying any credibility he might have had and rendering the message communicable only to the already converted.
* (i 'read' this several years ago)
* (i 'read' this several years ago)
You've done your best at the the gym you've got your lip gloss on.