You remember those twin statues of the Buddha that I told…
““You remember those twin statues of the Buddha that I told you about? Carved out of a mountain in Afghanistan, that got dynamited by the Taliban back in the spring? Notice anything familiar?" "Twin Buddhas, twin towers, interesting coincidence, so what." "The Trade Center towers were religious too. They stood for what this country worships above everything else, the market, always the holy fucking market." "A religious beef, you're saying?" "It's not a religion? These are people who believe the Invisible Hand of the Market runs everything. They fight holy wars against competing religions like Marxism. Against all evidence that the world is finite, this blind faith that resources will never run out, profits will go on increasing forever, just like the world's populations--more cheap labor, more addicted consumers.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The quote draws a parallel between the destruction of Afghanistan's Buddhas and the 9/11 towers, critiquing the market's quasi‑religious worship and its unsustainable belief in endless growth.
In simple terms: It compares sacred statues and towers, warning that market worship is irrational and dangerous.
Key Takeaway
Question the blind faith in endless economic growth.
Themes
consumerism
economics
religion
environment
politics
Mood
critical
skeptical
provocative
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- business strategy
- environmental policy
- public discourse
- academic analysis
- personal finance
Key Concepts
Capitalism
infinite growth myth
resource depletion
ideology
Questions to Reflect On
- What are the consequences of treating the market as a religion?
- How can societies balance profit motives with finite resources?
A Different Perspective
The market cannot sustain infinite expansion; ecological limits will eventually challenge this belief.