I'm an environmental economist who researches econ pedagogy to make learning economics marginally less dismal. My pipe-dream is to write a fantasy novel/economics textbook, which is getting closer to reality every day. #economics #teaching #sustainability #equity #FantasyNerd Profile pick is me smiling in front of a whiteboard with economics gibberish -- cause econ makes me happy. Background is nothing cause I'm technologically challenged and haven't figured out how to change it.
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Published at
2023-04-17T23:57:28+02:00 Event JSON
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Last Notes npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Another debunked idea still pushed in mainstream #economics is that capitalism leads to democracy - some even go as far to say capitalism is a necessary condition of democracy. This is just cold-war era propaganda that still occasionally shows up in econ classrooms to this day. If anything, unfettered free-market capitalism almost necessarily devolves into oligarchy, rather than bolstering democracy, as the biggest companies in the world are showcasing well as we speak. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/23/amazon-tesla-meta-climate-change-democracy npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio “Only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable.” - Milton Friedman A doctrine to sow #capitalism may also seed our salvation. Are we ready for when #ClimateChange solutions become politically inevitable? npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio A graph that should be headline news everywhere. #ClimateChange https://www.axios.com/2024/07/23/earth-hottest-day-record-set https://objstorage.f7it.net/masto1/media_attachments/files/112/841/500/686/645/745/original/969dc54279e8f27f.png npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub189n…satx That is great to hear. These last couple of days have given me more hope than I've felt in a long while and it's largely because of stories I hear like this. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio If you haven't seen the Mastodon-specific way to donate to the #Harris campaign, I suggest you check it out! https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mastodon-for-harris Pleasantly surprised to see the lack of information they request - no address nor email is required to donate - so you don't even need to worry about being placed on a donor list to receive endless requests in the future. #USPolitics #VoteBlue npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio I'm teaching a Law and Economics course for the first time next semester, so I'm following the liability of #CrowdStrike with interest. Who will bearthe cost of this, perhaps, billion dollar disruption? Who should? Do their contracts shield them from liability? If anyone from #LawFedi (or anyone with expertise, really) has any insights, I'm all ears! https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/21/business/crowdstrike-outage-cost/index.html #TeachEcon #Economics npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Every single Democrat who was floated as a possible challenger to #Harris2024 - California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro - have expressed support for her. Even Joe Manchin has said he will not run against her. Harris has been "anointed" by popular demand seen from those within the system and the massive, unprecidented grass-roots fundraising. Aka democratically chosen. #USPolitics npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio All y'all thinking Americans will vote for Harris are delusional. Do you even know that she eats on her pizza?? "The Vice President's pizza came with anchovies, her go-to topping." -Axios That's a deal-breaker if I've ever seen one. (By that I mean I'm super stoked on #Harris2024 and hope I don't hear other silly reasons not to support her to defeat the party of fascist misogynistic rapists.) #USPolitics #USPol npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio For the love of all that is good on the left, if Biden drops out this weekend (which is likely) can we please all agree to rally behind whoever Democrats decide on? Biden supporters, it doesn't matter if you think it's a bad move or not. Go with the new ticket, and go hard for it. Others, it doesn't matter if this ticket is not your top choice. Go with the new ticket, and go hard for it. No, we won't all get everything we want, but maybe we can avoid the worst for all of us. #USPolitics npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Musk is claiming Neuralink will "give people superpowers" and you should actually believe him. Pretty soon these devices will give people the power of mind control. Like people with power being able to control the minds of the rubes who willingly stuck these chips into their brains kind of superpowers. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio I don't always see #TaylorSwift cross my news feeds, but rarely am I disappointed when she does. "In a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Vermont, Taylor Swift’s openness about her struggles with body image and disordered eating has been found to positively influence her fans’ attitudes and behaviors towards these issues." https://www.psypost.org/psychology-study-sheds-light-on-taylor-swifts-impact-on-fans-body-image-and-disordered-eating/ npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub1sac…apc0 Clearly you just aren't assuming the right things. At long as you pretend 4ish utterly unrealistic things, markets are super efficient! npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Literal Nazis march through Nashville. Newsworthy event, right? ... Right? CNN? Washington Post? New York Times? Where the hell is your coverage of this? Would it help if you framed it as radicals breaking Georgia's anti-mask ban? Cause I know I've seen you post stories about that when it's for a cause other than white supremacy. #USPolitics https://objstorage.f7it.net/masto1/media_attachments/files/112/751/668/057/890/025/original/97abd7815a5bc1cd.png npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio "Watch in horror as our hero blindly chooses faith over logic!" Now, I'm not much of an art aficionado, but I sense this piece is making a subtle political statement. https://objstorage.f7it.net/masto1/media_attachments/files/112/746/579/277/035/331/original/cd763b3b02a31c9b.jpg npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio "Free markets ensure resources are put to the best use for society, that is to say resources are allocated efficiently." This common #economics refrain is bullshit. Take the life sustaining climate with its infinite value - seriously, consider how many trillions we are spending to try to get a handful of people to live on Mars, then realize how dependent they would still be on Earth - that markets value at next to nothing. This is sufficient to know #neoliberalism is dead wrong. #TeachEcon npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio My wife called me a radical leftist for the first time today, thanks Fediverse. And because I know it's hard to figure out sarcasm, I just want to be clear this is not it. Conversations here have definitely pushed me further left, and I'm better for it. Genuinely, thank you. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Luna has broken her hunger strike! She now acknowledges wet food - which many cats call "the good stuff" - is, in fact, not poison. She is still not happy about not having her crunchy kibbles, but at least she is not going to wither away. Less than two weeks, cat, til you can have them again. You can make it. #CatsOfMastodon npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio "Make no mistake, today's decision is a power grab." - Justice Sonia Sotomayor It's sad just how many recent decisions this could be referencing... npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio While applying for permission to add PayPal-like payment options, X revealed drastic losses in revenue that could only be guessed at since Musk took the company private. "In the first six months of 2023 — the first full year in which Musk controlled the company — X's revenue fell by nearly 40 percent from the same period the prior year. The company brought in $1.48 billion during that time period. Furthermore, X lost $456 million in the first quarter of 2023." https://mashable.com/article/twitter-x-revenue-falls-x-payments-plans npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Huh... Nuerodivergent burnout would seem to be a better explanation for the 3 and 3/4 years of utter unproductivity between finishing my course work and buckling down to finish my PhD dissertation that I have been attributing to lazyness and depression. Looking back, I definitely check off 11/11 symptoms. Interesting. #TheMoreYouKnow https://neurodivergentinsights.com/mentalhealthresources/autism-and-burnout-glypb npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio If it isn't clear yet, the fight we need to be having is against the far-right, not each other. I don't give a shit if we disagree on specific policy, goals or (most commonly) the best way to achieve them. We need to figure out how to work together to fight the very very scary common enemy that is quickly growing in power. Make friends, make coalitions, make temporary alliances. Cause whatever progress you want to achieve will not happen with a fascist takeover of our world. #Politics npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Don't threaten Tesla shareholders with a good (and strategically sound) time... "Tesla CEO Elon Musk could leave if $56 billion pay package not approved, shareholders warned" Seriously, where is the downside? The next CEO will likely not have a negative brand value with liberals (aka the ones who buy electric vehicles) and fewer AI microchips will be diverted to X. And that's in addition to not having to give $56 billion to a wealthy egomaniac! https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/6/24173064/tesla-board-chair-warn-elon-musk-leave-pay-shareholders npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Colorado joins four other states (California, Illinois, Maryland and Minnesota) in banning book bans! This new bill also: - makes the names of people trying to ban books public record. - protects library workers from "the whims of politicians or the demands of the public." Things like this make me proud to be a Colorado resident. https://bookriot.com/colorado-passes-anti-book-ban-bill-for-public-libraries/ npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Just finished Neil Howe's "The Fourth Turning is Here" and 10/10 would not recommend. Howe uses historical trends to make deterministic predictions about the future - a dubious proposition at best - based on 80ish year generational cycles of which he has only 6, a tiny sample size, to draw trends from. One of those doesn't even fit his grand pattern he argues for. 1/4 npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio You've probably heard that many people *think* inflation is still much higher than it actually is, but did you know that people have changed the definition of inflation (and didn't tell us economists)? Inflation no longer seems to mean "rising prices" but, instead, "high prices". So 'inflation' can be high even as prices fall, the thought of which gives me a hell of a headache... https://www.axios.com/2024/05/26/inflation-definition-evolution-high-prices #econonics #inflation npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio I’ve never been accused of having a way with words. I have always been more drawn to math, hence economist. That said, I gave a speech today asking our administration to drop charges related to the #StudentProtests that I am quite proud of. I am sharing it here for anyone who would like to hear my perspective as a member of the faculty who has witnessed and been arrested alongside students at one of these protests you have heard so much about. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zfqpLJxZEIIIKMb6PihcPL5yluNhRBucAC_aZQf9qFc npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Almost 20% of US public schools are more than 90% non-white. "As the U.S. marks the 70th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling on Friday, American public schools are growing more separate and unequal even though the country is more racially and ethnically diverse than ever." "The resegregation of America's public schools coincides with the rise of charter schools and school choice option," (almost as if this was the intent of charter schools). https://www.axios.com/2024/05/14/school-segregation-brown-eudcation-ruling-70th npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio "I will keep wasting money until you pay me more." - Elon Musk, probably. "Tesla now spends ad money to influence shareholders approval of Elon Musk’s $55B payday" https://electrek.co/2024/05/13/tesla-spends-ad-money-influence-shareholders-approval-elon-musk-55b-payday/ npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub1psd…9sr7 Yikes. Sorry to infuriate. You are correct, no one got sucked out of a plane. All the fatalities have come from planes crashing to the ground. Take care. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub1psd…9sr7 Hard to keep customers when they keep getting sucked out of doors at 40,000 feet. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio We really need to rethink our capitalistic obsession of running things like a business. Cutting costs to increase profits obviously doesn't make sense in areas of education, healthcare, public utilities, and prisons, to name just a few. Hell, Boeing is making a strong case that it doesn't even make sense for businesses to be run like a business, much less these public goods... #economics npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio " I find myself more in agreement with Chief Clay. I think the threshold for police action at universities should be relatively high – level (3) or perhaps even (4). That is because civil disobedience is in part persuasive and in part disruptive. But police action is only coercive and dialogue-ending. So, threshold of disruption should be high in order to warrant the coercive termination of deliberation." npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Highly recommend this read on the permissibility of campus protests. "As a scholar of deliberative democracy, I cherish most of all universities’ core values of reason and dialogue. Those values are most important when they are under the strain of intense and passionate disagreement. That’s when we have to do our level best to keep talking and try even harder to listen to and understand one another. Massive police action is the end of that reason and dialogue." https://ash.harvard.edu/articles/campus-protests-and-police-force-an-ethical-framework/ npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio "Student protests against injustice generally age pretty well and efforts to criticize or crack down on them tend not to." - John Oliver Just something worth remembering as we continue to form (or solidify) our feelings towards the #Gaza protests. It may also be worth remembering that we can and should be willing to change our views. Please don't feel locked in to your initial reaction (a bias we are all susceptible to) especially on emotional and complex topics. #Palestine #Israel npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio As tensions rise over protests and foreign policy, please remember we don't need to 100% agree to be on the same side. Far-right fascists are mobilizing and authoritarian countries are weaponizong the #Gaza war to weaken democracy. These are far bigger threats than the fellow liberals who happen to have come down on the other side of this complex and highly-emotional topic of #Palestine and #Israel. Good people can and do disagree, so it may be helpful to tone down the angry rhetoric. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio If voting doesn't matter, why are the wealthy wasting their time on it? Upset that progress isn't happening fast enough? I am with you. Voting is just one part of making the change we want to see in the world, but an important one. #Politics #VoteBlue https://objstorage.f7it.net/masto1/media_attachments/files/112/377/923/152/819/113/original/485197c932cc2e83.png npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio We live in a magical world. Seriously. Our mere belief can change the workings of the world around us. Stop believing in the value of money? Money loses its value. Stop believing our votes count? Poof goes democracy. There are nefarious agents working to errode the belief on which democracy depends. Don't let these dark authoritarian conjurers win. I implore you, stay vigilant and do your part to keep the magic of democracy in our world; it truly is better than the alternatives. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio It's so interesting how many people seem to point to images of altercations of cops and protestors as evidence the protests are not peaceful - helmeted cops have been bonked on the head by plastic water bottles, after all. I also know economists get things wrong by simplifying human behavior into math equations, but bear with me here. Protesters alone = non-violent Protesters + cops = violent It seems strange to draw the conclusion here that the protests are violent. Math doesn't add up. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Remember folks, "rubber bullet" is a misnomer. "Rubber bullets (also called rubber baton rounds) are a type of baton round. Despite the name, rubber bullets typically have either a metal core with a rubber coating, or are a homogeneous admixture with rubber being a minority component." - Wikipedia It is more accurate to say "Riot police are shooting students with rubber-coated-metal-bullets." I know that doesn't roll off the tounge very nicely, but that's ok 'cause it probably shouldn't. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio You cannot consume your way out of an overconsumption problem. #degrowth npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Important question: when have large-scale student movements been on the wrong side of history? I may be biased by my progressive leanings (no, scratch that, I'm definitely heavily biased by them) but it seems like we can reliably look to the young to see the direction we should be moving. I don't care where you stand politically or your views on the fucked up situation in Gaza, everyone should be standing up to loudly support the rights of students across the globe to protest. Full stop. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio (Neoliberal) Evonomic Theory: the pursuit of profits will ensure resources are put to their most efficient use, best meeting the needs of society. Capitalism in Practice: potato-chip-holster-boots. https://www.axios.com/2024/04/16/pringles-crocs-swicy-chips #economics #capitalism #TeachEcon https://objstorage.f7it.net/masto1/media_attachments/files/112/283/269/923/406/027/original/994645cb00e04a6a.png npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Anyone who says we cannot afford to stop climate change is lying to you. A new study estimates that a 20% reduction in CO2 will cost a whopping 2% of GDP. Shuuttering companies that have the highest CO2 per economic impact (rather than merely focusing on most CO2) helps lead to these large restrictions at incredibly reasonable costs. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-emissions-economic-loss.html 1/2 npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Claudia Goldin is the most recent winner of Nobel Prize in #Economcs and the first women to win it for her solo work. She has dedicated her career studying things her mostly-male peers were comfortable ignoring: women in the workplace. She is a wonderful example of why diversity matters. She has made the field a better by expanding the focus beyond what wealthy white men care about and, in doing so, is helping make the world a better place. https://time.com/collection/women-of-the-year/6691521/claudia-goldin/ #WomensHistoryMonth npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio The NAACP has had enough of DeSantis' anti-DEI policies and are encouraging Black athletes to boycott Florida schools. "This is not simply about sports; it’s about acknowledging and advocating for the rights and supports of Black students within educational environments.” We'll see if sports (and the millions of dollars of revenue they bring in) will be the Achilles heel of these studies e on universities in the name of combatting 'wokeness'. https://thehill.com/homenews/race-politics/4524394-naacp-florida-university-boycott-dei/ @npub1t7d…h3ud npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio You probably know about the growing mental health crisis and that US schools are struggling to fill the school counselor shortage. But instead of (costly) mental health professionals, have you considered the better option of tackling this crisis, god? Well even if you haven't, rest assured that red states have! There is a growing push to instill chaplains (who don't require any expertise nor training in mental health) in public schools. https://www.axios.com/2024/03/11/chaplains-in-schools-movement-florida-texas @npub18x5…z5lv #education npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio "Reducing #inequality is essential in tackling #ClimateCrisis, researchers argue." Not only do the richest have a disproportionate impact on the environment, the relatively poor (even in incredibly wealthy societies like the US) lack the time and money to invest in sustainable actions that often have large initial costs. Reducing inequality can help promote climate friendly behavior from both the wealthy and poor while also improving well-being for many. #economics https://phys.org/news/2024-01-inequality-essential-tackling-climate-crisis.html npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub16kg…hh7t What action would you suggest the US take to be active rather than reactive? A premptive strike on Russia? On Iran? The whole idea that the US should (or even can) set the music for the entire world to dance to is highly problematic on many levels. If you agree that is not the kind of "leading" we would want, then you have to accept "leadership" must also have reactive elements. Sometimes leadership is reacting as best you can to changing, difficult situations. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub18p3…03wh Well funded right-wing "think tanks" and the fact that econ 101 is still, essentially, 'the basics of neoliberal BS' also help the flawed views to persist. Lots of money and vested interests to fight to get the world to realize neoliberalism is and has always been a tool for the powerful to maintain and grow that power. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub1g0t…tvm4 Can you make a quick edit to your post: a mass shooting is when there are at least four victims, but they don't all need to be killed. But your post and alt text make the error. This obviously does not dimminish the point or intent of the post in any way. The rising mass shootings and corresponding lack of care and attention is scary and sad. The US is getting used to this as just a part of life, rather than something that can easily be changed with regulation. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio Apple "pauses" advertising on #X (Twitter) due to #Musk's #antisemitism and ads if major companies, including Apple, appearing alongside far-right content. "This could be the start of an advertising exodus." Let's hope the dominoes keep falling. Targeting X's revenue stream may be more effective than pressuring users to ditch the site, which has been disappointingly slow. Though the language of advertising "pause" is cause for concern... https://www.axios.com/2023/11/17/apple-twitter-x-advertising-elon-musk-antisemitism-ads?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiospm&stream=top npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub1zdp…vqv8 I think you are missing an important plot twist. Economics isn't related to math at all. Econ is actually the daughter of Philosophy. It's only fairly recently that she fell in love with the elegant, not-so-simple simplicity of Physics and began believing human nature can be boiled down into equations. That is when Economics lost it, called herself "Neo-Classical", broke into the house of Mathmatics, terrorized her daughters, and gas-lit everyone into believing she was related. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub189n…satx Yup. In China, many think climate change is a US hoax designed to make China less competitive. Not even kidding. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub1hpc…hjn3 Useful and interesting. I agree flak is a better explanation than a coordinated conspiracy to explain media's collective behavior here. Any thoughts on what to do about it? I think this is part of a broader problem of the most extreme (particularly, but not exclusively, in the far right) being able to wild disproportionate power because of how loud and sanding they can be. I think the attack on Target and Bud Light are other great examples of flak--or a close cousin to it. npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio I don't think I've done an #introduction here and figured now might be a good time with all the new migrations--welcome new tooters! I enjoy critical and fact-based discussions on #politcs, #economics, #ClimateChange, #SciFi, #Fantasy and #education. I often share articles and statistics to support views and value people challenging me to help me see where I'm wrong. Looking to build a community who are willing to challenge the views we hold so we keep progressing. #VoteBlue @npub1t7d…h3ud npub10s54n9wdlyt2488jlartpkmv29kh78cl5wp9czqnr0y7j5w2fmgs333v3k Kyle Montanio @npub15ef…n95r What a great story arch for The Wagner Group. Thuggish mercinary unit that wantonly recruits and deploys underprepared prisoner conscriptions turns out to be the anti-hero who is capable of bringing the fight to Moscow--something non-Russians would be unlikely to risk due to threat of nuclear retaliation. Though, as the article points out, there is still a risk of nuclear rebutal causing some intense tension as we approach the climax while we unexpectedly root for Prighozen!