"Christmas Movies and Bad Economics" de Michael Levin:The division of labor allows the creation of a variety of toys--the typical parent cannot whip up a Lego set at home--and kids love the variety. Imagine what they would say if reformers restored "the spirit of Christmas" by banishing all the electric robots, the dozens of different Barbies, and everything that to adult eyes is a cheesy fad. To youngsters, a dazzling array of goods is the spirit of Christmas, and places like Macy's are magical because they display it. [...]Take the Christmas tree. Once a man would locate a nice spruce in the forest, chop it down, drag it home, and his family would festoon it with homemade ornaments. Total effort: about a day's worth. Today's urban paterfamilias buys a spruce someone else chopped down for his family to festoon with commercial ornaments. Suppose he earns $50,000 per year. A nice spruce costs about $50 and some new ornaments perhaps $100. That $150 is about one day's income, representing a day's effort. Each man has, directly or indirectly, exchanged his labor for a decorated tree. Who is to say which is more spiritual?
"Christmas Movies and Bad Economics" de Michael Levin:The division of labor allows the creation of a variety of toys--the typical parent cannot whip up a Lego set at home--and kids love the variety. Imagine what they would say if reformers restored "the spirit of Christmas" by banishing all the electric robots, the dozens of different Barbies, and everything that to adult eyes is a cheesy fad. To youngsters, a dazzling array of goods is the spirit of Christmas, and places like Macy's are magical because they display it. [...]Take the Christmas tree. Once a man would locate a nice spruce in the forest, chop it down, drag it home, and his family would festoon it with homemade ornaments. Total effort: about a day's worth. Today's urban paterfamilias buys a spruce someone else chopped down for his family to festoon with commercial ornaments. Suppose he earns $50,000 per year. A nice spruce costs about $50 and some new ornaments perhaps $100. That $150 is about one day's income, representing a day's effort. Each man has, directly or indirectly, exchanged his labor for a decorated tree. Who is to say which is more spiritual?
Categorias
Entidades
"Christmas Movies and Bad Economics" de Michael Levin:The division of labor allows the creation of a variety of toys--the typical parent cannot whip up a Lego set at home--and kids love the variety. Imagine what they would say if reformers restored "the spirit of Christmas" by banishing all the electric robots, the dozens of different Barbies, and everything that to adult eyes is a cheesy fad. To youngsters, a dazzling array of goods is the spirit of Christmas, and places like Macy's are magical because they display it. [...]Take the Christmas tree. Once a man would locate a nice spruce in the forest, chop it down, drag it home, and his family would festoon it with homemade ornaments. Total effort: about a day's worth. Today's urban paterfamilias buys a spruce someone else chopped down for his family to festoon with commercial ornaments. Suppose he earns $50,000 per year. A nice spruce costs about $50 and some new ornaments perhaps $100. That $150 is about one day's income, representing a day's effort. Each man has, directly or indirectly, exchanged his labor for a decorated tree. Who is to say which is more spiritual?
"Christmas Movies and Bad Economics" de Michael Levin:The division of labor allows the creation of a variety of toys--the typical parent cannot whip up a Lego set at home--and kids love the variety. Imagine what they would say if reformers restored "the spirit of Christmas" by banishing all the electric robots, the dozens of different Barbies, and everything that to adult eyes is a cheesy fad. To youngsters, a dazzling array of goods is the spirit of Christmas, and places like Macy's are magical because they display it. [...]Take the Christmas tree. Once a man would locate a nice spruce in the forest, chop it down, drag it home, and his family would festoon it with homemade ornaments. Total effort: about a day's worth. Today's urban paterfamilias buys a spruce someone else chopped down for his family to festoon with commercial ornaments. Suppose he earns $50,000 per year. A nice spruce costs about $50 and some new ornaments perhaps $100. That $150 is about one day's income, representing a day's effort. Each man has, directly or indirectly, exchanged his labor for a decorated tree. Who is to say which is more spiritual?