The International – Bankers Gone Bad
I saw The International this week and enjoyed it. Its nice to see some light being shed on the dirty world of banking and international finance. The premise of the movie is an Interpol agent trying to bring down an International bank involved in weapons sales to a 3rd world country. Here is my favorite quote that sums things up pretty well.
Umberto Calvini: [In explaining the "true" nature of banking in the world] “The IBBC is a bank. Their objective isn’t to control the conflict, it’s to control the debt that the conflict produces. You see, the real value of a conflict, the true value, is in the debt that it creates. You control the debt, you control everything. You find this upsetting, yes? But this is the very essence of the banking industry, to make us all, whether we be nations or individuals, slaves to debt.”
The other important concept that is discovered is just how hard it is to bring an entity like this to justice. The reason given is that these banks provide the dirty money services required by governments, intelligence agencies, corporations, organized crime and wealthy individuals. “Everyone is involved, everyone.”
Popularity: 7% [?]
you might be interested in a new book that is coming out this year: “theology of money.” i don’t know if it’s out yet but i think duke university press was planning on publishing it this year.
Thanks Z, I’ll keep my eye out for it
When i heard those lines my eyes widened with amazement that they spoke such truth. But then i remembered that sadly most people watching will think it’s all fiction anyway. Too bad they didn’t get a better script for such great content.
We do get nuggets of truth from time to time in main stream movies but I suppose it can be hard to know what to take seriously if operating from an uninformed perspective. I enjoyed the movie but it could have been much better.
I am shocked at all these people writing that the film’s message is “true.” The message appears to be “… the real value of a conflict, the true value, is in the debt that it creates. You control the debt, you control everything.”
Before I decide whether a message is “true” or not, first I have to discover what the message means. I’m an economist. And the words used are too vague to assign any economic meaning to them. What does it mean to “control” a debt? Does that mean being the creditor?
I have never seen or heard the phrase “to control a debt” before this time.
I think this indicates that commentators on this blog are prone to outbursts of irrational exuberance when they hear impressive-sounding phrases, and the enthusiasm conveyed by the rhetoric distracts them from actually thinking about the meaning of what they hear.
That is not a good sign.
@carl stoll – ..”I’m an economist. And the words used are too vague to assign any economic meaning to them…” Really? I feel very sorry for you. I pity your patronising and blinkered viewpoint. The fact that you believe these few words of your own as reason enough to denigrate the (entirely logically argued)views of the other bloggers says it all really…You can’t handle the truth…The fact that you call yourself an economist tells us all we need to know. You are in denial. You have been brain-washed by mainstream economic theory. you need to watch Money As Debt and/or The Money Masters…that will give you all the truth you need.