I’ve always liked the disclosure that begins with the words “it is not within the scope…”
Disclaimer, disclosure. It’s all the same, isn’t it?
Disclosure is a nice way of of saying that idiots need not apply and should have their hands held elsewhere if they need help pulling up their big boy pants.
Disclaimer is what you do when you know that despite your disclosure, people will still follow their blind prejudices, knowing that they can always blame someone else for their mistakes.
So let me disclose that it is not within the scope of this blog to create awareness of higher levels of being or finance. It is only meant to entertain me and keep me away from the neighbors.
I do very little on Facebook (or life, in general), having joined at the same time as I started this blog and started Tweeting. All were done with a singular purpose and objective in mind, which was to sell books.
I do belong to one membership site, which is comprised of past students at the small elementary school that I had attended. It happened to be a Yeshivah, which if you’re unaware, is the Jewish version of a parochial school.
Jews, as you may be aware, through personal experience, or through your redneck stereotypes, can be an argumentative group.
It’s alright for me to say “My Hebrew” in mixed company and “My Heeber” when outsiders aren’t around, but it’s not permitted for you to do the same.
Anyway, recently, there has been someone trying to prosletyze on the site, as he has become a member of a Messianic group.
God bless him, but Jews don’t prosletyze and they aren’t enamoured with post-death baptisms, either. Essentially, Jews believe that it is not within the scope of their religion to force others to believe as they do. In fact, Jews further believe that you cannot be a good Jew unless you accept and respect the rights of others to believe as they desire.
You don’t like Groupon? Fine, no problem. Go on with your life and prosper, despite the fact that you continue to buy the offers. No inherent conflict.
One member of the group, who has actually raised her own children as Catholics, but by no means is pushing anyone to change sides, recently said that from her perspective the only difference between Catholic and Jewish versions of God was their positions on relationship of Jesus to God.
If that were the case, Judaism should just simply be classified as a non-trinitarian sect of Christianity and possibly adhere to the concept of necro-baptism.
Having graduated from a Jesuit college, and for some bizarre reason with a Theology/Philosophy double major in addition to the job giving Biology, I thought that her view was fairly simplistic. All of those hours studying the New Dutch Catechism didn’t go wasted on me.
But she was certainly not hurting anyone with her opinion nor the way she was leading her life.
Some, though, took great umbrage, both on religious and cultural grounds, as well as believing that the site’s purpose, which was to recount memories, was an inappropriate place to discuss faith.
I actually spent a good part of yesterday evening reading about the pre-Protestant Reformation. Fascinating what people will do to one another in the name of God’s grace.
But here we are, in the midst of two major Holidays, Easter and Passover, respectively celebrating the Risen Christ and the Unrisen Crust, neither of which can be proven through scientific methodology.
Thank God we have the science of Economic Theory.
But I think John Maynard Keynes had it all wrong, just as it may be that the major faiths of the world have it all wrong. To the best of my knowledge, however, Keynes killed no one, except for perhaps human dignity, which conveniently enough would be further quashed by government intervention.
What’s needed is something that speaks to pragmatic existence and self-reliance, just like the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa.
Those principles are sound enough that there’s no need for an Easter/Passover equivalent holiday.
Whereas Keynes believed that the private sector was inefficient and often required government intervention, I think that a Kwanzaaian approach to macroeconomics would be a useful place to begin re-thinking our relationship to things larger than any of us.
Especially the economy and the stock market.
Now, it certainly isn’t within the scope of this blog to recount those seven principles, but I doubt that anyone would click on a link, if I had provided one, although this particular link is a video of Rakesh Agrawal in the nude at a local nursery school, reciting those principles.
Disclaimer: It is not within the scope of this blog to accurately depict anything. Only an idiot would believe the preceding paragraph, but you don’t have to be an idiot to wonder how someone becomes an expert on anything.
A Kwanzaaian approach to investing would begin with reliance upon one’s own instincts and not seek to blame others.
I always find it fascinating when people believe that their investments are ruined by a journalist’s comments or delivery of news regarding questionable accounting practices. It’s very easy to blame Herb Greenberg, for example, but he’s not the one who used unorthodox accounting practices.
It’s also very easy to blame Agrawal for Groupon’s descent, but if you believe such, then your have company in your delusion of his importance, and it’s not very good company.
The difference though, is that Herb Greenberg is objective anbd methodical in his analyses.
Drawing upon that so successful Twitter transcript from “Full Disclosure,” consider this:
Agrawal: I’m going to take a break from $GRPN coverage to write about that. (Facebook purchase of Instagram)
TheAcsMan: Coverage? Are you a journalist? An analyst? RT I’m going to take a break from $GRPN coverage to write about that.
Agrawal: analyst
Agrawal: but realistically a mix of both. i analyze more than journalists and i journalize more than analysts.
TheAcsMan: Intersection of Loss & Words MT realistically a mix of both. i analyze more than journalists & journalize more than analysts
Agrawal: traditional objectivity ends up serving no one.
TheAcsMan: YIKES!!! RT traditional objectivity ends up serving no one.
TheAcsMan: Objectivity is tool to serve all through equal application of standards RT traditional objectivity ends up serving no one.
Agrawal: unforutnately, too often these days, objectivity = ignorance
TheAcsMan: Please allow me to repeat earlier comment. YIKES !!! RT unforutnately, too often these days, objectivity = ignorance
Agrawal: having someone who is ignorant quote two people on opposite sides with vested interests is stupid.
TheAcsMan: Unless objectivity = ignorance supposition is wrong MT someone ignorant quoting opposite sides w/vested interests is stupid
Agrawal: There’s also fake balance — e.g. birthers.
Huh?
Now, hours later:
Agrawal: People say they want positive stuff like this: but Groupon stuff like this: gets 3x the traffic
TheAcsMan: “Does it Pay to be Mean?” Yes. Yes it does MT but Groupon stuff like this…..gets 3x the traffic
Agrawal: that is a really dickish interpretation of my tweet
TheAcsMan: Not at all. Same message. Negative tone gets more attention. RT that is a really dickish interpretation of my tweet
TheAcsMan: The point, with which I agreed, is (perhaps sadly) a negative tone often gets more interest. Human nature is hard to re-wire
Agrawal: I write based on what I find interesting. Not a commercial endeavor.
And today came disclosure of a long position in American Express, but at least there’s finally disclosure, because it’s clear that there’s no objectivity as Agrawal “journalizes.”
I just realized that I can completely ignore all Kwanzaaian principles. Rather than take responsibility for writing blog entries, I can simply provide a transcript service.
Now to be totally fair, I did seek to unload my personal “journalizing” responsibility by asking any Twitter follower to do my research for me, by making the following request:
TheAcsMan: Seriously. 140 spaces or less,: Can anyone point to source of credibility/expertise? “Full Disclosure”
There were no takers. I should have offered a coffee mug as a prize.
But to my credit, I re-affirmed aq belief in a Kwanzaaian approach to life and re-accepted my own responsibility:
TheAcsman: So I see the strategy. Write incessantly about single topic $GRPN & beat dead horse. I may use same strategy & focus on
And I certainly didn’t extend a hand of peace by suggesting:
TheAcsMan: Since everyone knows $GRPN is its own worst enemy, is there really a need for ? Let’s put job re-training dollars to work
And that’s when I realized, that to criticize Keynes for killing human dignity is hypocritical when my own dignity is lowered by spending time addressing the dual sins of grandeur and delusion.
Instead, take charge and restore dignity by managing that which you can and afford all the right to laugh at those that need disclaimers.
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Arlo Guthrie wasn’t an accidental rebel. It was in his genes.
In honor of the holiness of Good Friday, even capitalists will put away their arms and take the day off from their all consuming efforts. After all, the Prince of Peace wasn’t exactly a fan of the 1%, so what better way to honor the message of peace than to take a day off from advancing your personal caches of wealth?