Topic: Art and Culture

Art and Culture, Economic Trends, Free Markets, Media

In Defense of Cash Grabs

– August 30, 2023

“It doesn’t have to make sense to the outside observer, because ‘the system’ is not something a single mind designed but the unintended consequence of innumerable individual choices in response to (sometimes badly distorted) incentives.” ~ Art Carden

Art and Culture, History, Media, Unemployment

The Country Music Singer Who Took Aim at Welfare 50 Years Before Oliver Anthony—and Also Hit #1 on the Music Charts

– August 28, 2023

“In 1970, when Guy Drake wrote ‘Welfare Cadillac,’ one could argue that we hadn’t yet given welfare a chance. Today, there is no such excuse.” ~ Jon Miltimore

Art and Culture, Authoritarianism, Government, Media

AngerSong

– August 22, 2023

“He doesn’t point his accusing finger at the one-percent or evil corporations, he goes right for that 68-or-so square miles of land sandwiched between Virginia and Maryland and the sort of people who inevitably find their way there.” ~ James R. Harrigan

Art and Culture, Authoritarianism, Government, Media

“Rich Men North of Richmond” Undeniably Captures a Moment

– August 22, 2023

“The song works because it is a refreshing depiction of the harms a runaway federal government has inflicted on working Americans, sung by a working American.” ~ David Waugh

Art and Culture, Economic Growth, Government

Economic Parasites: Their Gain, Your Pain

– August 18, 2023

“Just as biological parasites try to hide in the recesses of host bodies, economic parasites try to hide in the recesses of the body politic. Some, like leeches, cling tenaciously when exposed to the light. Others, like hookworms, feed deep in the belly of the economic beast.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Art and Culture, Economic Education, Media

Why is Lionel Messi Wasting His Time at Publix?

– August 17, 2023

“Maybe Messi isn’t wasting his time shopping at Publix. After all, they’re writing some of the checks to cover his eight-figure annual salary, and maybe conspicuously shopping there is part of the bargain.” ~ Art Carden

Art and Culture, Books, Economic Education

In Defense of Tipping, Part III: Market-Enhancing Norms

– August 12, 2023

“Individuals who voluntarily leave a gratuity at the end of a meal indicate that they appreciated the service and are happy to contribute more to the server than is legally required.” ~ Anthony Gill

Art and Culture, Economic History, Podcast, Socialism, Video

Critical Theory and The Frankfurt School: The Neo-Marxist Roots of WOKE

– August 7, 2023

Kate Wand invites Phil Magness to discuss the origins of critical theory, which is a neo-Marxist school of thought born in the Frankfurt School in 1923.

Art and Culture, Books, Economic History

Individualism and ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’

– August 5, 2023

“Collectivist ideologies are ultimately nothing but fantastical escapes from reality, filled with promises of freedom from scarcity and alienation in one’s work.” ~ Jedediah Pida-Reese

Art and Culture, Economic Education

In Defense of Tipping, Part II: Price Discrimination

– August 4, 2023

“Whereas most price discrimination is instigated from the side of the seller, tipping represents a cultural mechanism that obligates consumers to reveal their own preferences and share their consumer surplus with the supplier.” ~ Anthony Gill

Art and Culture, Economic Education, Entrepreneurship, Policy

Supply and Demand: As Straightforward as it Seems?

– August 2, 2023

“It’s the entrepreneur’s dilemma—a kind of chicken-and-egg quandary that complicates the basic law of supply and demand. Consumers are in the driver seat, to be sure, helping steer resources to their most valued alternative uses.” ~ Paul Schwennesen

Art and Culture, Government, Property Rights, Regulation

Historic Designations: Not All Bad

– July 30, 2023

” People can only live in one house at a time, but the enjoyment of living in that house depends in no small part on the other houses in the neighborhood, if they care about the aesthetic vibe.” ~ Janna Lu