> There is this weird idea I can't wrap my head around that is very popular that if you explain why something is happening, that means it is somehow not happeni

> There is this weird idea I can't wrap my head around that is very popular that if you explain why something is happening, that means it is somehow not happening.... > It's fine and valuable to ask about the reasons why inflation is occurring, but the answer does not add or diminish it in the slightest. The issue isn't if it's happening or not, it's what to do about it. If you act before the "why" is determined, you might do more harm than good. IIRC, the last set of actions used to get inflation under control was to engineer a multi-year recession. If this is a self-limited blip, we probably don't want to do that. > They're not waiting for the "shock to pass", they're trying to make sure you don't find out something that you are going to use to decide they're not doing a good job. This is purely political, not economic. What evidence do you have for that? That kind of baseless speculation (that's assumed to be true) is the root of conspiracy theories.