1. A huge part of the antitrust/finance racket is making people feel stupid for asking simple questions.
2. The key organizer of the Chicago School, Aaron Director, understood that elite liberals would be susceptible to intimidation by complexity. When they pointed at a monopoly he had his disciples mock them for 'not understanding economics.' It worked. promarket.org/how-powerful-i…
3. When I worked in Congress during the bailouts, all the jargon was designed to cover up what happened, which is the same thing that causes every other bubble. Gambling with other people's money.
4. A lot of people tell me they are surprised how readable Goliath is. Some scoff at the idea that I'd write a popular book on monopoly, a 'real beach read.' We've accepted that talking about all the money and power in the world is boring/inaccessible. simonandschuster.com/books/Goliath/…
5. It's not boring/inaccessible. The most popular show on the Starz network is "Power." People love talking about salary caps in sports.
The point is, don't let your ego disempower you. Ask the dumb question. And if they try to make you feel dumb they are making a power move.
The point is, don't let your ego disempower you. Ask the dumb question. And if they try to make you feel dumb they are making a power move.
6. The greatest Supreme Court justice in history, Louis Brandeis, wrote not to impress but to teach. After endless drafts of one decision, he told his clerk, “The opinion is now convincing, but what can we do . . . to make it more instructive?”
That's democracy.
That's democracy.
7. The foreclosure crisis was immensely sad bc millions of people were persuaded by complexity that losing their own homes was their own fault.
“When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions.” - Carter Woodson
“When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions.” - Carter Woodson
8. I'm optimistic. The great moments of progress are preceded by great moments of teaching and learning. And I think, behind all the noise, that's what's happening, a great collective learning process.
