Among the economists that I see and hear in the media, there seems to be an almost uniform lack of ability to conceive of what actual life is like for anyone who lives below the middle class. I figure it’s probably hard to be an ivory tower academic if you’re stepping on roaches when you go for a midnight snack. I’m just sayin.’
This comic is dedicated to NPR’s Planet Money podcast. The show does a great job of demystifying complex economic concepts, and has a surprisingly low percentage of stuffed-shirt market fetishists among its guests. But even they occasionally talk to somebody who desperately needs to live on plain pasta and powdered milk for a year.
Also, I’m aware that you waited almost two months for a new comic, and it was totally not worth it. Not only did it take forever, but if you follow me on Twitter, it’s kind of a re-run. I’d love to say that I’ll be able to remedy that in the near future, but that would be crossing the line from harmless fib to blatant falsehood.
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New plan:
Anyone who wants a degree in economics should have to spend a year living and working in an impoverished community.
Don't talk to me about the perfection of markets, or the evils of regulation.
Not until AFTER you've spent a year trying to EAT on minimum wage.
I grew up a spoiled rich kid, and when I was in elementary school, sometimes I wondered why the poor kids didn’t just get their parents to buy them cooler clothes. By the time I was 10, I had already moved past this oblivious stage of my life. If only certain economists could mature past the level of a 10 year-old.
That sums it up pretty well. Call it “Are You More Socially Conscious Than A Fifth Grader?”