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The ECB Presents: Inflation Island

Tyler Durden's picture


After a day full of depressing news, what is the best way to unwind? By pretending one is former Goldman employee Mario Draghi and having to grapple with 4 make believe scenarios, of course. These are: deflation, price stabeeleetee, high inflation and hyperinflation. But instead of actually being in his shoes, and stuck in a damp Frankfurt basement with the manual for Heidelberg: Mainstream 80, Web-fed Rotary Printer, figuring out how to put it into overdrive, one can have fun from the comfort of one's own REOed and mortgage-free (thank you Congressional Politburo) home courtesy of the following ECB video game. Good luck, and may the printiest man win.


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Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:32 | 2433564 Desert Irish
Desert Irish's picture

Better still why cant we just vote Mario Draghi off the island...

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:54 | 2433707 HD
HD's picture

Because no one voted him on...

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:26 | 2433900 flacon
flacon's picture

Outwit. Outplay. Outlast. BUY GOLD!


"PRICE STABILITY" is the biggest myth. 

If I figure out how to build a house for half the price and decide to mass produce my "pre-fab" houses and sell them for half the price, then I benefit because I have undercut the competition. The INVISIBLE HAND is that EVERYONE ELSE BENEFITS TOO! 


That's where "price stability" comes in. The central planners tell people that this is "price DEFLATION" and it is bad. So they decide to put an end to it in order to "stabilize prices". 


What they have accomplished is to STEAL the real PRODUCTIVE BENEFITS from everyone and give it to themselves. 


Houses today should be dirt cheap, but young married adults find they will never be able to save up enough money to BUY their house outright like they used to do a few generations ago. 


PRICE STABILITY IS THE MOST INCIDEOUS THEFT because not only does it pretend to be something it is not, it is actually an economic poison. 


Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:33 | 2433927 Manthong
Manthong's picture

Manthong Pro-Sports got together with Tool Time Tim and the good folks at Heidelberg to put this bad boy together for the ECB racing team.     : D

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:44 | 2433956 flacon
flacon's picture

From:  xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 10:41 PM


Subject: Inflation Island - How ignorant do you think we are?


Hello Central Planners,


I took a gander over to your “Inflation Island” masterpiece. 


I have to say I was rather impressed with the audio, however you have to realize that we aren’t being fooled by your flash presentations.  We know that unlike gold, you have the power to inflate the currency at will. That is the only advantage of paper money, you can make more or less of it as you choose. 


There is really nothing more to be said, when Europe finally descends into the “deflationary” spiral of debt collapse there will be no choice but to monetize the debt, because that is your GOLDEN ticket out, but you will destroy the currency. 


Under a gold standard none of this would have happened in the first place because these speculative booms would have had the chance of getting started. 


You have failed the people of Europe by pushing this drug that is digital/paper money. You have failed the people of Europe by encouraging speculative booms nationally and internationally. You will seek to save yourself from a public mob execution by printing more money, but you will fail because you have ensnared yourselves in the vice that you believe that wealth can be printed. 


Sorry to say, but you are going down and your flash presentations don’t fool us because we see straight through them. 

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:54 | 2433965 Western
Western's picture



There's even a Bernanke looking character in one of the highrise buildings, by the construction site. I kept expecting him to frantically run to the printer..

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:23 | 2433914 ihedgemyhedges
ihedgemyhedges's picture

If you look really closely at that pic, you can see Ricardo Montalban...........................

And I can hear little Bernank right now:  "Look, de helicopter, de helicopter".............

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:31 | 2433934 Matt
Matt's picture

if you go visit the central bank inside the financial district and set the dial to Deflation, there is a helicopter and they take about using it to drop money from the sky.

The videos on Weimar and Hungary were decent. It's pretty good for people who don't know anything about inflation, deflation and hyperinflation. A decent primer.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:25 | 2433572 Global Hunter
Global Hunter's picture

I clicked on it to give it a go and ummm this is a real marketing tool put out by the ECB, WTF!!!???

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:39 | 2433605 navy62802
navy62802's picture

Yes. It's as real as the video they produced a while back. I also clicked the link, unfortunately. I would rather have believed it was just a joke.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:47 | 2433631 Global Hunter
Global Hunter's picture

well I'm glad to see they're focusing on the important stuff, what a bunch of corrupt wallies.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:48 | 2433638 Lost Wages
Lost Wages's picture

The fed has some kind of online game too, to help us understand how hard it is to be Janky Bernanke.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:34 | 2433764 A Nanny Moose
A Nanny Moose's picture

Indeed. The burns!!!

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:59 | 2433838 Buck Johnson
Buck Johnson's picture

No kidding I wish it was a joke, but they are serious.  I truly think that the US and Europe is going to go into hyperinflation big time.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:25 | 2433732 LongBalls
LongBalls's picture

They are probably keeping track of the results. They want to know how many people actually know WTH is happening to taylor the next propaganda campaign message.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:26 | 2433577 tim73
tim73's picture

Keep on talking Euro down! Give it all you got, like you mean it this time!

Germans especially like this shit! Do it just like you did last time during summer 2010. That was a nice talkjob, thank you very much. This also helps those piggy piggy, naughty naughty southern European countries.

These "Euro is going down"-talks are like adding nitrous oxide to the engine of AMG Mercedes! Just feel and hear the power, it is like six lovely pussycats doing their GRRRRRR-thing. It is beautiful! :-)

Americans might not feel so good about this, the last thing they need is dollar going up. It is like a nail in the head.

Just remember, GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR :-----------)

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:42 | 2433619 Harlequin001
Harlequin001's picture

Don't worry, QE3 is coming. That should fix it...

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 03:05 | 2434308 giovanni_f
giovanni_f's picture

One up for this comment, tim73. For some reason, I cannot yet figure out why, ZH has an almost psychotic fixation on all minor details related to the Euro "desaster". What is worse, they miss stories such as the naked short selling revelation by good old GS you can read here or here (Matt Taibbi)

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 08:27 | 2434673 Diplodicus Rex
Diplodicus Rex's picture


I sympathise with your predicament in as much as you compare it to the "Shouting FIRE in a crowded theatre" philosophy. Sure enough, shouting fire when there is no fire is indeed destructive and hateful. However, picture yourself in a crowded theatre. By chance you happen to look behind the curtain or side wall and see the beginnings of a fire and by its nature you can also see that there would be no point in fighting it since the fire is of a nature for which there is no fire fighting equipment. Clearly, in accordance with your civic duty, you yell "Fire" in order that your fellow human beings may proceed in an orderly manner to the exits. It never happens that way, of course, humans being as irrational as they are. The rush to the exits is not orderly and unfortunately some people are trampled in the process. This would have happened whether there was a fire or not.


Given the above analogy, are you seriously suggesting that, having seen the start of ( actually, a well established) fire that the theatre (world) is better served by keeping quiet? Really? Isn't "keeping quiet" what got us into this debacle in the first place?

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:31 | 2433584 Argos
Argos's picture


Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:32 | 2433585 Wakanda
Wakanda's picture

"Printiest" sounds very metrosexual.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:32 | 2433588 l1b3rty
l1b3rty's picture

what is price? Price is a lie under the bankers!

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:34 | 2433594 malikai
malikai's picture

Horrible implementation. Nice semi-evil music though. Almost like a 70s cop show. Almost.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:38 | 2433604 zorba THE GREEK
zorba THE GREEK's picture

The world economy has been on life support for 5 years, just let it go. Pull the plug.

For God's sake, if it was a loved one, you had plenty time to prepare, it's time to cut

off life-support and let this thing die. It looks to me that they will keep this zombi

economy going until someone puts a stake in its heart. The bond market will eventually

do that.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:00 | 2433668 X. Kurt OSis
X. Kurt OSis's picture

Actually, you stake vampires. For zombies, you just shoot them in the head, or so I'm told.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:56 | 2433613 Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides's picture

Went to the finance ministry and selected hyperinflation and this is part of the message:

Hyperinflation completely devalues the currency and ruins the economy. It causes great hardship and poverty. It can only happen if the central bank is under government control...

They really don't want society to wise up to the private central banking cartel.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:40 | 2433947 jimmyjames
jimmyjames's picture



That's true-but another thing hyper-inflation does is bails out the borrower and screws the lender-which is why i doubt that they actually want it to happen-

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 08:04 | 2434609 Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides's picture

No it isn't true, hyperinflation is caused by money velocity and excessive printing it matters not wether the central bank is privately or government controlled. I am with you on the monetization of debt that is a given.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:46 | 2433629 Big Corked Boots
Big Corked Boots's picture

The next time some Euro-peon tells me how much smarter he is than Joe Sixpack, now i have a website to prove him wrong.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:51 | 2433644 Lost Wages
Lost Wages's picture

If I were a Central Banker I'd raise interest rates to 7% and triple the minimum wage.

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 02:29 | 2434279 GoinFawr
GoinFawr's picture


Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:13 | 2433699 EclecticParrot
EclecticParrot's picture

"Inflation Island" ?! 

I can't shake the disturbing image of a cackling Herve Villechaize pushing wheelbarrows full of euros, chasing after Ricardo Montalban, who's driving a golf cart modified into a portable printing press . . .

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:26 | 2433733 apu123
apu123's picture

But the IMF just said every thing is going to be ok in EU land.  They just said that Italy is the model for reforms in Europe, so I guess if Greece, Spain and Portugal follow Mario Monti's lead we can all get back to risk-on.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:32 | 2433751 Atomizer
Atomizer's picture

Fantasy Island ECB TV Show --Opening Theme Season coming Q3 of 2012.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:39 | 2433786 Shizzmoney
Shizzmoney's picture

What the fuck kind of implanted bullshit reality is this?

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:45 | 2433805 slewie the pi-rat
slewie the pi-rat's picture

i'm still working on theBrodsky&leeQ, but this fits! 

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 02:39 | 2434292 GoinFawr
GoinFawr's picture

Joe (whoops did I leave that in there?) Floren...ZH leaving all the glory to Taibbi? Or did I miss it in the 'contrbutors'?

"...Now warning lights are flashing down at quality control, somebody threw a spanner, they threw it in the hole. There's rumours in the loading bay and anger in the town, somebody blew the whistle and the walls came down. There's a meeting in the boardroom they're trying to trace the smell, there's a leak in the bathroom and a sneak in personnel. Somewhere in a corridor someone was heard to sneeze. Goodness me could this be..." -M.Knopfler

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:45 | 2433806 Downtoolong
Downtoolong's picture

I was hoping the bears were going to show up and explain how gold and silver fit into the picture.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:39 | 2433944 Atomizer
Atomizer's picture



Clears my throat.. When QE3 [Operation Twist] ends, QE4 begins. As the fears of EU membership bank run continues, monies fall into the USD/GBP coffer. Up rises the reserve currency surpluses. Friday’s Fuckface IPO will draw lemmings into market, oil and other commodities will rise as dollar debasement cycle slowly repeats. During your time reading this, you had 70 or more breathes per minute. How much C02 did you create for your Government to tax on your unsustainable lifestyle to the Global Community Eco- Health law? Just another subtle hint.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:02 | 2433859 TonyCoitus
TonyCoitus's picture

Like, totally bumming dude, the game doesn't work on my iPad.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:21 | 2433907 engineertheeconomy
engineertheeconomy's picture

Just heard rumor that Greece will issue Drachma backed by GOLD. Can anyone confirm this here or do I need to go ask a 12 year old?

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:54 | 2433967 besnook
besnook's picture

it is going to be backed by renmimbi......because of the genius greek mind. only they can take down the chinese.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:27 | 2433921 Snakeeyes
Snakeeyes's picture

If you believe the CPI, our inflation is zero. But many of our economic measures have been in decline since mid 2010, so maybe we are actually DEFLATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe the USA are honorary French Socialists!

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:28 | 2433922 world_debt_slave
world_debt_slave's picture

Is the Skipper and Gilligan and all the rest there?

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:32 | 2433923 WoodMizer
WoodMizer's picture

Calling this piece of tripe a game, is like calling Geobbels a media tycoon.

To think this piece of shit was paid for, by the hard work of the Euro sheeple, angers me to no end.

I wish they had a super secret armageddon level, that corresponds to what folks at the ECB and the FED have designed for us to play out in real life.

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:42 | 2433953 dognamedabu
dognamedabu's picture

I found a glitch..It doesn't allow me to deflate AND show positive results. It almost like some central bank put out this game. 

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 22:49 | 2433959 Bullish Bear
Bullish Bear's picture

That's so cool. They even used the Sim City music and graphics.

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 00:24 | 2434132 Cthonic
Cthonic's picture

Designed by a real member of financial fucktardom: no farms, no factories, no warehouses, no refineries, and certainly no coal mines, utilities, smelters or oil derricks. What a world view.

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 00:34 | 2434154 Gordon_Gekko
Gordon_Gekko's picture

If anyone needed any more proof that we are an ignorant slave society living in a fascist controlled Central Bank dictatorship - really a global EMPIRE - THIS is it.

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 00:34 | 2434155 Gordon_Gekko
Gordon_Gekko's picture


Thu, 05/17/2012 - 00:57 | 2434187 MayerRothschild
MayerRothschild's picture

I was recently told:

'Capitalism requires inflation to exist.'

How true is this? 

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 01:35 | 2434224 Cthonic
Cthonic's picture

If someone had told you 'fractional reserve banking requires inflation to exist', I'd be more inclined to agree with you.

Capitalism == the right to own property and privately transact in it.

Inflation == a measurable loss of purchasing power (affecting the majority of goods available for exchange) of a specific amount of legal tender.


Thu, 05/17/2012 - 02:06 | 2434263 MayerRothschild
MayerRothschild's picture

Thank you!  That was what I was trying to get accross.  Just didn't know how to word it. 

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 02:04 | 2434259 orangegeek
orangegeek's picture

Deflation folks and nothing else but.

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 02:21 | 2434275 q99x2
q99x2's picture

Hope I don't get pooh on my shorts with the FB put about to hit.

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 03:09 | 2434312 sockratte
sockratte's picture

indeed a very interesting scenario in euro-area. putting all around germany into deflation could result in a hyper inflation in germany? but at least overall it is balanced. ;-)

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 05:16 | 2434410 mrdenis
mrdenis's picture

de plane de plane ........
