tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048715035467766557.post1820080987670686983..comments2024-03-03T04:40:39.492-05:00Comments on Fire Megan McArdle: Ye godsbradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06907349163323395529noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048715035467766557.post-27925131257039303372008-01-08T18:11:00.000-05:002008-01-08T18:11:00.000-05:00Yeah, it is quite stupid. This kind of thinking is...Yeah, it is quite stupid. This kind of thinking is a huge part of why I left the discipline in the first place. To me, it says that the economist who adheres to such a mindset completely fails to understand the richness that is life on earth, and I finally realized that I did not wish to surround myself with such people in my professional life.<BR/><BR/>So I'm not sure if the reason for it is something as pathological as what you suggest. But it very well could be.spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01770056727940292951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048715035467766557.post-26111114325254785432008-01-08T16:37:00.000-05:002008-01-08T16:37:00.000-05:00Wow. I'd feel foolish for not realizing that was '...Wow. I'd feel foolish for not realizing that was 'proper' use of jargon if the jargon itself weren't so mindbendingly stupid.<BR/>I assume this is a way to recast unemployment as possessing a hidden good? Something that crazy just has to be part of a pathology in some way.bradhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06907349163323395529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048715035467766557.post-39663936303621804672008-01-08T06:37:00.000-05:002008-01-08T06:37:00.000-05:00The parenthetical clause in particular is simply m...<I>The parenthetical clause in particular is simply mystifying. How does raising costs encourage people to consume? Does she mean it encourages people to not consume and instead seek leisure?</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, this is exactly what she means. For some economists (and for some people who wish they were economists), the word "consume" is perfectly appropriate for use in situations where most normal people would say that nothing is actually being consumed. That is because they believe that people have a binary choice in how to spend their time: you can either produce, or you can consume. So by default, if you've fallen asleep in the hammock in your backyard on a Saturday afternoon, you must be consuming <I>something</I>, since you are obviously not producing anything. The "something" they came up with is leisure.<BR/><BR/>Personally, I think this reveals a lot about how these economists view people and their roles in society.spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01770056727940292951noreply@blogger.com