Comments on: DSK is Tom Wolfe’s “Great White Defendant” from Bonfire of the Vanities

By: Austin Whippet

Austin Whippet — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:40:35 +0000

A maid frightened of losing her job for not performing a sex-act on a hotel guest, spectacular nonsense Nicola.

The year is 2011 not 1911, the “immigrant” arrived 7 years ago and lives in the Bronx. She will therefore be fully accustomed to western society and I’m sure she would be aware that performing felacio and being sodomised were not in her job description.

By: Nicola

Nicola — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:27:52 +0000

How fucking stupid are you comparing this situation to what would happen if you tried to force your wife into oral sex.
Have you read any of the news accounts of the maids story? She was a maid, and frightened of losing her job sao she didn’t fight back. It happens all the time and not just in hotels.
I’m sure you have a good story for how her blood is on his sheets and his semen is on her dress too.

Of course he is innocent until proven guilty. But most women know how sadly common this is

By: John

John — Fri, 20 May 2011 21:04:02 +0000

karma’s a bitch.<<

Hehe–!!

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 20 May 2011 20:21:03 +0000

John, that’s true - karma’s a bitch.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 20 May 2011 20:18:53 +0000

It is interesting to note the date of Bonfire - same year as Wall Street I think.

Yes, Linkedin and Glencore could be flags on top of the social media and resource peaks.

Look at Hussman’s latest (see weekly market comment at hussmanfunds.com) - I may do a post on this - it includes data on the average length of cyclical bull and bear markets within secular bull and bear markets. Bulls are shorter within secular bears (which we have been in since 2000 of course), at an average of 26 months. It’s been 26 months since March 2009.

The SPX yield is still just 2%, and all measures of sentiment reached prolonged extremes up to a couple of weeks ago, so this territory looks toppy. No reason why it couldn’t drag out for a few more months before falling in ernest, but more than a few % more upside appears very unlikely now.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 20 May 2011 20:10:38 +0000

Good call, Mike — just the other day, I too was musing about how the DSK affair reminded me of Bonfire. Also of note is that Bonfire was originally published in January 1987 — perhaps we are approaching a similar point in social mood that could lead to a big sell-off in 2011?

On another subject, do you have any particular take on the Linkedin IPO mania? My take is that it would be a fitting capstone to the rally since March 2009 - ’social media’ has been the American economy’s best attempt at a Next Big Thing during the post-crash era. Do you think Linkedin is 2011’s version of the Blackstone (IPO June 2007) last hurrah, or are we likely in for a longer bubble … say, until the the white whale of social media, Facebook, does/attempts its IPO?

By: John

John — Fri, 20 May 2011 18:04:31 +0000

A lot of this may have to do with the fact that DSK and those in his vein were responsible for the banking system that failed through a combination of lax regulation and fraud during the crisis three years ago. The same “bankstas” were bailed out, unpunished and may likely be on a course to crash us again. It is hard to feel sympathy here for people like him or Elliot Spitzer, Marion Barry, etc. I get your point but there is inevitable backlash.

>>The rigor with which journalists and prosecutors pursue the truth is critical for a civilized society<<

I have to laugh when I read what passes for news these days–not more than versions of press releases from the powers that be.