Jacques Attali’s Parable of the One-Legged Pants
Or, a Prominent Jew Explains the Financial Crisis

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The following is a joke told by Jacques Attali – a prominent member of the French ruling class, Socialist Party member, theoretician of globalism, and Jew – to a Jewish audience during a conference organized by the Adath Shalom Conservative Jewish Community of Paris. Attali wore a kippah and sat beside a rabbi during the event, marking the pious solemnity of the occasion. To be filed under chutzpah and goyishe kop. 

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The [following] story is the one which I believe sums up the best, better than any economic theory, what is happening today.

Schlomo telephones David saying: “Listen, I have a great deal for you. I have a truck full of pants worth $1. Do you want them? Great.”

David takes the pants. He telephones Jonathan and tells him: “Listen, I have a great deal for you, a truck full of pants worth $2. Do you want them? Great.”

Jonathan call Shaoul who proposes $3 and the story continues. Until at a certain moment Moshe calls Christian and says: “I have a great deal for you. I have pants worth $49.” “Great, great, I’ll take them.”

The following day Christian telephoned to Moshe saying:
– Listen, you’re really a crook.
– What do you mean I’m a crook?
– But yes, you sold me unwearable pants for $49.
– What do you mean?
– You know very well. I opened the truck and the pants only had one leg. What do you want me to do with pants which no one can wear?
– You don’t understand. These aren’t meant to be worn. They are meant to be bought and sold, to be bought and sold, and bought, and sold!

This is exactly, exactly the best lesson one can have on what is at stake today if you want to understand what is happening in the modern financial system. You understand everything once you have understood this story.

Original conference: http://www.akadem.org/sommaire/themes/politique/economie/crise-economique/le-capitalisme-peut-il-etre-moral-23-06-2010-8195_199.php ^[2]