September 23, 2009

"The engine of unbridled capitalism, with its unfair system of thought, has reached the end of the road and is unable to move."

"Selfishiness and insatiable greed have taken the place of such human concepts as love, sacrifice, dignity and justice. The belief in the one god has been replaced with self-belief."

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the U.N. — as reported in the NYT.

Hey, I hope he really did say "selfishiness"? It's a cool coinage. Like there's something really suspicious about the selfishness of capitalism. And it stinks after 3 days.

AND: Elsewhere in today's U.N. speeches, Gaddafy said: "Perhaps tomorrow we will have a fish flu." Think about it.

27 comments:

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

My first thought reading that quote was about Michael Moore's new movie.

Meade said...

I think what he meant was "shellfishiness..."

Meade said...

He might have been doped up on heroin.

Ann Althouse said...

@Lem I almost took that tack, but I wasn't sure of the role of God in the work of MM.

Anonymous said...

"The engine of unbridled capitalism has reached the end of the road and is unable to move."

...he said, having flown into New York on a jet, speaking into a mic, looking into a camera, being broadcast over a global network, and viewed by millions on flat pannel TVs, that were all invented by capitalists.

Capitalism is finished.

Tibore said...

He can say all that and actually be right about "unbridled" capitalism. But what is practiced nowadays is hardly such. Professional ethics, societal morals, and governmental laws all combine to keep things from becoming "unbridled". And western society (as well as much of eastern) knows well that there's a difference between responsible freedom and unrestricted anarchy.

What the US practices is far from being "unbridled". Even with scandals like the Madoff and Enron ones. The very fact that those were discovered and punished is proof of this; the fact that those discoveries didn't occur soon enough shouldn't be taken as a evidence of being "unbridled", but rather as a demonstration of the imperfect state of society's moral and ethical education and law enforcement. Good societies work towards improving that performance.

Ahmadinejad may score easy points with some by retailing this clichéd rhetoric, but I for one would rather he deal with the real world. Not some straw man built for him to knock down. What he says may be right, but it doesn't truly nor accurately describe the societies he aims it at.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Yea, I dont know what MM thinks of God either.

daubiere said...

im just mad because they apparently closed the metropolitan museum of art in new york today just for this cadre of robbers, murderers, jew-haters and assorted scumbags.

all bow down to the elite!

Anonymous said...

I'm reporting his remark to the White House just in case it really is selfishy.

OldManRick said...

Of course a quick google search brings up this Jun 17, 2009 commentary about the efficiency of the "unbridled engine" of theocratic rule in Iran.

Barkley Rosser at Econospeak raises several economic points to consider in the current political turmoil in Iran, stagflation (inflation over 17.1%) and significant unemployment (16.3%) among the whole population and perhaps double among the young (2006 data suggests the median age at 24/25 years).

The problem with speeches at the UN is everybody makes up shit and nobody shouts "You lie".

Revenant said...

Virtually every man, woman, child, and -- for that matter -- animal on Earth is inherently greedy and selfish.

That's the genius of captalism. It puts human nature to work for humanity. Systems that rely on humans having a different nature inevitably fail.

David said...

NYT Headline: "A More Conciliatory Ahmajdinejad"

Yikes. Read the article. That was conciliatory? I guess it's conciliatory if he does not expressly call for the extermination of Israel.

wv=humpe "Getting laid behind the Shoppe."

Lem the artificially intelligent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
I'm Full of Soup said...

Rev has been watching Milton Friedman again.

These UN shows have become spoofs of the villains in the James Bond movie. They eat cavier, swill pricey champagne, fly in private jets and lament the plight of Joe Schmoe.

Weclome back Professor- glad you are feeling well!


wv = ramityng

traditionalguy said...

To Tyrant Khadafi: Un-bridled engines beat mind controlled assholes and their imprisoned women everytime. Go ahead and marry 4 women and keep the Sheik's oil wealth as a control tool, and we will send real men who volunter to fight for their freedom and their family against the mind controlled suicide missions you are sending your enslaved sons on to kill themselves so that you can keep all the women for yourself. Your favorite son Hussein Obama wont help you a buckhead second once the Saracuda takes his job.

Unknown said...

"The engine of unbridled capitalism, with its unfair system of thought..."

Yeah, free men and women not kowtowing to a bunch of corrupt clerics and a tinpot dictator, backed up by his enforcers is a really lousy curve for Allah to throw you.

Jason (the commenter) said...

"Selfishiness and insatiable greed have taken the place of such human concepts as love, sacrifice, dignity and justice. The belief in the one god has been replaced with self-belief."

I think the other commenters here are misinterpreting this. Clearly he is talking about himself, that he has renounced God and only cares about money. This isn't an attack on capitalism so much as an explanation of why he had all those protesters shot.

We simply aren't used to seeing politicians speak so honestly about themselves.

miller said...

This guy is confusing "saying" with "being."

Saying that capitalism is dead has no effect upon the health of capitalism.

And what's his idea for a replacement? Wishful thinking? Top-down management?

I wish people who think capitalism is icky would point to a working alternative. Note: Gulags and ovens disqualify candidate systems.

Phil 314 said...

So what's the Farsi word for "selfishiness"?

Brad V said...

I thought you were quoting the newly Keynesian Judge Posner.

AlphaLiberal said...

For all those who like to fan the extremism, we have a likely victim:

Census Worker Hanged: Bill Sparkman Found With "Fed" On Body.

What the Panda said:

"I’m sure nobody involved with this takes anything about the “blood of tyrants” too literally. "

Alex said...

Yes capitalism is dying as people can't get enough of the latest iPhone 3G. Dying I tell you!

chuck b. said...

A Silkwood scrubdown for all of New York City after these freaks leave.

Revenant said...

Alpha's post kind of reminds me of Limbaugh's "Obama's election caused black kids to beat up white kids" routine, except unlike Limbaugh I think Alpha really means it. :)

Beth said...

Fish flu?

We joke about my mother-in-law, who has too-keen hearing and bitches about noise after oh, 9 p.m. She can hear a fish fart in the river, we say.

Next time I'll evoke fish sneezing.

Joe said...

To paraphrase Churchill, Capitalism is the worse economic system, second only to all the rest.

Largo said...

Behold, the Anti-Galt!