financial crisis – ZERO ANTHROPOLOGY

From 9/11 to 2008 and COVID-19: Signs and Wonders of a Collapsing Global (Dis)order

Part 1 of 5 of the COVID-19 Series lasting from April 26 through April 30. Corona—meaning: a crown. Travelling around the world, as if at full gallop. Firing off arrows into the air: vectors (the arrowheads: the infected) travelling via airplanes (the arrows). But is it the first stage of the apocalypse for which we […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Ghost Exchange: Complexity, Velocity, and Risk

Increased complexity leads to increased risk. Stock markets run by algorithms, creating virtual markets that even the experts have difficulty explaining. The “flash crash,” “dark pools,” and “high-frequency trading”—what do they all mean? Throughout 2018, and now into 2019, we have witnessed some extreme volatility on stock markets, sometimes with swings so huge that many […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Robert Reich’s “Inequality for All”: A Documentary Review

Why is there growing inequality in wealth distribution in the US? Is inequality inevitable? If inequality is inevitable, can it be useful? Can inequality become a problem? If so, when does inequality become a problem? How can a society reduce problematic inequality? Which model of growth should the US be emulating? What are the keys […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Documentary Review: “Inside Job” is Still Relevant

“Even as the crisis unfolded, we didn’t know how wide it was going to spread, or how severe it was going to be. And we were still hoping that there would be some way for us to have a shelter, and be…less battered by the storm. But it is not possible. It’s a very globalized […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Capitalism Sickens Canadians

Making the news today in Canada is a new report that shows the degree to which the economic “downturn” (put politely) is literally sickening Canadians. On the other hand, “upturns” are sometimes accompanied by increased consumption of meat (and the added hormones), increased obesity and diabetes. The sickness described is the sickness of stress and […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

The Twin Terrors: Financial Blowback Sweeps the Neighbourhood

Still, as you walk past those patches of darkness, a thought almost can’t help but form. For the last seven years, we’ve been waiting for 9/11, The Sequel, to arrive from Afghanistan or some similar place. The media has regularly featured fantasy scenarios in which Islamic terrorists sneak atomic bombs or “dirty bombs” into cities […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

The Two Terrors of 2008: End of Year Post

This year seems to have ended on a very different set of notes than how it began, and the theme might be that “two terrors are better than one.” The first terror, the one we have known since this new imperial rampage poorly/ironically named the “global war of terror” began in 2001, accompanied by neoliberal […]