The Daily Feather — The Art of Politeness
Two polite twin gophers raid a vegetable patch guarded by a rather smug dog, whose various unsuccessful schemes to nullify the crafty and modest gophers involve a female gopher disguise, a hand grenade and a carrot stuffed with dynamite... So goes the plot to the 1947 Warner Brothers cartoon “The Goofy Gophers.” Drawn by classic animator Bob Clampett -- who dreamed up the studio’s most famous characters, including Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Tweety -- the small, brown, tan-bellied, buck-toothed, high-pitched, British-accented duo were voiced by Stan Freberg and American treasure, Mel Blanc. Interestingly, the gophers’ speech was compared to the enthusiastic deferential relationship between Pip and Mr. Pocket in Dickens’ Great Expectations. Moreover, the two often quoted Shakespeare and used humorously long phrasing in lieu of simple language. In 1955’s “Lumber Jerks,” they said this to salvage their tree: “We must take vital steps to reclaim our property.” But they were best known for being overpolite, generously offering “Indubitably!”, “You first, my dear,” and “But, no, no, no. It must be you who goes first!”
You could speculate that the last two exchanges transpired between European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The reality is rates traders have long since priced such niceties into futures and swap markets. As of yesterday’s trading, the number of anticipated ECB quarter-point cuts is twice that of the Fed. The ECB is expected to launch in June or July, while it’s anticipated the Fed waits until September or November.