02 March 2009

Warren Buffett on "Negative Feedback" vs. Alanis Morissette on "Irony" vs. George Costanza "on the wagon"

Warren Buffett appears to have done for "negative feedback" what Alanis Morisette did for irony:

The U.S.—and much of the world—became trapped in a vicious negative-feedback cycle. Fear led to business contraction, and that in turn led to even greater fear.
That is a description of a positive-feedback cycle, not a negative-feedback cycle.

Buffett's "slip" is eerily reminiscent of George Costanza's "on the wagon" mind-fake:
Jerry: Yeah. He's been off the wagon for two years.
George: "Off the wagon"?
Jerry: I think it's off the wagon.
George: I think it's "on the wagon".
That was actually Jerry Seinfeld's my "off the wagon" mind-fake.



No comments: