[Crantag]

The most important thing to understand is that our current economic system is based on scams, and on mafia violence.

The rest is shell games and PR, and pursuing too much Economic "education" can often eradicate parts of the mind that need to be dedicated to broader knowledge of the real world.

Focussing too much on our modern economic indicators has lead us to school shootings. The lack of a significant economic downside to these massacres has allowed them to continue unabated by any kind of "governance" on the part of the various American governments.

You are right, and that was a cheap shot from me; and moreover you clearly understand plenty well, especially about key areas of analysis which are especially of interest to you.

I happen to have a pretty thorough formal background in economics, but I also consider myself very eclectic in my approach to economic analysis, as well as to my approach to my own education (I am currently working on my 3rd bachelor's degree, while also working on a PhD (my 4th/5th degrees overall, when including graduate with undergraduate), at the same time as I am teaching in China; and I speak multiple foreign languages).

I received a heavy portion of my economics education in the US, but I also received a heavy portion in Japan, and much of that time I spent studying under some top Marxist economists in that country (with most of the instruction in Japanese).

The bad reputation of the economics discipline is pretty well earned and I should be a little less knee-jerky when it comes to it.

[Pants-of-dog]

@Crantag

I consider you to be a thoughtful member of the forum who contributes immensely to economics discussions.

As someone raised by parents who have multiple degrees, and who made careers out of discussing politics, I am too easily bored by the work it takes to do what they did, but I appreciate how much education is needed to debate these things properly.

Salud!

[QatzelOk]

The bad reputation of the economics discipline is pretty well earned and I should be a little less knee-jerky when it comes to it.

One of the main reasons for the bad reputation is that Economics, unlike most professions, is studied by people who scam other people, and is used to strategize complex theft.

That many wealthy people (or aspirational people) study Economics, Business, or various forms of engineering, shows how these "sciences" have morphed into palettes for new methods of complexifying theft.

Theft of the future, theft of people's retirement money, theft of surplus labor, etc. The neutrality required is gone when money or power is involved for particular "scientists."

School shootings demonstrate how much we don't take Sociology seriously, building inhuman environments that suck the life out of people. Economics is treated like Midas.