Bestselling satirical novelist Max Barry explains how our attitudes toward risk both define and confine us.
He uses the mishandling of financial risk in the corporate world as a springboard to a more general discussion about the ways our attitudes towards different kinds of risk define us as people -- how risk informs the fundamental decisions we make about our lives.
Bio
Max Barry
Max Barry is a contemporary Australian author. He also maintains a blog on various topics, including writing, marketing and politics.
Barry is also the creator of NationStates (a game created to help advertise his novel, Jennifer Government) and is the owner of the website Tales of Corporate Oppression.
In early 2004, Barry converted his web site to a weblog and began regularly posting to it. In the November 2004 issue of the magazine Fast Company the novel Company was ranked at number 8 on a list of the top 100 “people, ideas, and trends that will change how we work and live in 2005.”
Barry has recently finished writing the screenplay for his novel, Syrup, which was optioned by Fortress Entertainment. Universal Pictures has acquired screen rights to Company, which will be adapted by Steve Pink. Jennifer Government has also been optioned by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney's Section 8 Films.
Julian Morrow
Julian Francis Xavier Morrow is an Australian comedian and television producer from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is best known for being a member of the satirical team The Chaser.
As a member of The Chaser he has appeared on several ABC television programs including "CNNNN" and "The Chaser's War on Everything," of which he is also executive producer.
Satirical author Max Barry argues one of the keys to McDonald's success is safety. He says consumers are comforted by the stability found within the Golden Arches.
Satirical author Max Barry discusses a hypothetical game where players risk losing $10 to earn $10.10, which he explains is actually a losing proposition. He argues that making those kinds of investments are what led to the recent financial crisis, and that buying a lottery ticket would have been a better investment.
In economics and finance, an allowance for the hazard (risk) in an investment or loan. Default risk refers to the chance that a borrower will not repay a loan. If a banker believes that a borrower may not repay a loan, the banker will charge the true interest plus a premium for the default risk, the premium depending on the degree of presumed risk. All stock investment carries an implicit risk since there is no guarantee of return on investment. Trading or variability risk is the amount that the return may vary, up or down, from the expected return on investment.
I would recommend not just watching the highlights, but the whole program as well. It's a bit slow, but every point he makes comes together in a spectacular finish.
I never eat at McDonalds. Never. When I was a teenager I got sick eating there and haven't been back since.
Also, I'd much rather eat at the local one-of-a-kind places than the chains any day. The people running them are much more invested than the people working at the chains, who have little stake in their product. Plus, I must agree with Mr. Barry: It is much more fun to go to a local place where you don't know exactly what is going to show up on the plate.
To all of you McDonalds-eating twats I have but one thing to say: BOR-ing!
Sadly, McDonalds (and places like it) are literally KILLING America! They have stores on every corner, they saturate TV with advertisements and they target our children to peddle their unhealthy, junk food. Why do you think America is overweight? I mean really!
RT
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