4 ms·

Does anyone else ever get the feeling that popular terms & phrases for this subject, e.g. "unlock value", strike that perfect balance of vaguery and reverence a

by ip26 8y ago

Does anyone else ever get the feeling that popular terms & phrases for this subject, e.g. "unlock value", strike that perfect balance of vaguery and reverence as to evoke a cargo cult?

adamisom 8y ago
Yes. It's also just a cliche word--I wonder what a better one would be: "open up" value/wealth? Too clunky.
wutbrodo 8y ago
Is it vague? I've always taken it to refer to a Kaldor-Hicks improvement, ie positive-sum, which is very well-defined (though of course, as with everything utility-related difficult to measure). It never even occurred to me that it would mean something else.
- ip26 8y ago
  I understand there's real economics in the background, and plenty of earnest & legitimate economists. But sometimes when I read the pundits, I can't help but hear Jack D. Ripper in my head. A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual, and certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works. I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love... Yes, a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I — I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence. I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women, er, women sense my power, and they seek the life essence. (Dr. Strangelove) I realize the above has nothing to do with economics, but it strikes me as the same mystical thinking, specific-yet-vague phrases, and reverence. Exaggerated, yes, but it's satire.
hitekker 8y ago
Good catch. The phrase does indeed suggest a metaphorical treasure chest, filled with riches that we can reap if we only just use the key that the author promotes. The thought-terminating cliche "Money Out of Nowhere" reinforces that deception, as though the title was drawn from the self-help or the MLM industry. Finally, the website name: "Above the crowd". Yuck. An article written by the fatuous, for the fatuous.

by ip26 8y ago

Does anyone else ever get the feeling that popular terms & phrases for this subject, e.g. "unlock value", strike that perfect balance of vaguery and reverence as to evoke a cargo cult?

adamisom 8y ago

Yes. It's also just a cliche word--I wonder what a better one would be: "open up" value/wealth? Too clunky.

wutbrodo 8y ago

Is it vague? I've always taken it to refer to a Kaldor-Hicks improvement, ie positive-sum, which is very well-defined (though of course, as with everything utility-related difficult to measure). It never even occurred to me that it would mean something else.

ip26 8y ago
I understand there's real economics in the background, and plenty of earnest & legitimate economists. But sometimes when I read the pundits, I can't help but hear Jack D. Ripper in my head. A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual, and certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works. I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love... Yes, a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I — I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence. I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women, er, women sense my power, and they seek the life essence. (Dr. Strangelove) I realize the above has nothing to do with economics, but it strikes me as the same mystical thinking, specific-yet-vague phrases, and reverence. Exaggerated, yes, but it's satire.

hitekker 8y ago

Good catch. The phrase does indeed suggest a metaphorical treasure chest, filled with riches that we can reap if we only just use the key that the author promotes. The thought-terminating cliche "Money Out of Nowhere" reinforces that deception, as though the title was drawn from the self-help or the MLM industry. Finally, the website name: "Above the crowd". Yuck. An article written by the fatuous, for the fatuous.