Neo-Liberalism and the Alpha Male
One profound and one consoling point from Martin Wolf's column in the FT this morning.
Profound: '...the financial system is a subsidiary of the state.'
Neo-liberalism foundered long ago because of its failure to accept this obvious truth.
Consoling: 'A more fundamental lesson still concerns the way the financial system works. Outsiders were already aware it was a black box. But they were prepared to assume that those inside it at least knew what was going on. This can hardly be true now.'
The 'smartest guys in the room' always turn out to be the thickest. Treat the Alpha Male as you would an incontinent child.
# posted by Bryan Appleyard : 10:09 AM
12 Comments:
At February 27, 2008 11:35 AM,
mutleythedog said…
I have taken this tip to heart - I wonder how I can apply it in real life?
At February 27, 2008 12:03 PM,
philip walling said…
Quite right!
This applies a fortiori to barristers (and solicitors) as I know from long experience. The more alpha maleish they appear the more childish they are inside. But it doesn't only apply to men - there are lots of alpha women in the system who are just as silly but it takes more out of them to keep up the pretence.
But it didn't take Mr Wolf to tell us that (or you Mr Appleyard) unless the cultural elite has to be brought back to reality from time to time.
At February 27, 2008 1:14 PM,
james1071 said…
Martin Wolf recants.
At February 27, 2008 1:19 PM,
Johnny said…
What's going on with your fonts, Bryan? Doing crazy things in IE7.
At February 27, 2008 1:35 PM,
Bryan Appleyard said…
It should be fixed now, Johnny, it was something to do with cutting and pasting from the FT site.
At February 27, 2008 4:29 PM,
Frank Wilson said…
What the hell is neo-liberalism?
At February 27, 2008 4:38 PM,
Bryan Appleyard said…
Economic fundamentalism basically - Wikipedia is about right. Tended to be very anti-state so overlooked the need for a very strong state to sustain markets.
At February 27, 2008 5:55 PM,
Susan Balée said…
Best portrait of a (power-mad) alpha female ever is Tilda Swinton's lawyer character in "Michael Clayton." She really deserved that academy award!
At February 27, 2008 5:56 PM,
Bryan Appleyard said…
True, Susan, and a very good film - not as appreciated as it should have been.
At February 27, 2008 9:55 PM,
Neil Forsyth said…
They may talk shite, these alpha male types, but when their shite hits the fan, they're not the ones left out of pocket.
At February 28, 2008 5:36 PM,
Frank Wilson said…
Thanks for the explanation, Bryan. Doesn't affect a 19th-century liberal like me, I guess.
At February 28, 2008 5:38 PM,
Bryan Appleyard said…
Nope, Frank, you're quite safe
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