Monday, December 24, 2018

Santa Claus and the Mythology of Centralized Systems

"The real process, though perhaps less mystical, is no less enchanting."

https://spectator.org/cartoons/
The Foundation for Economic Education
Like other centralized economic schemes, we can only continue to believe in the myth of Santa Claus if we also believe in magic.

You Can't Suspend the Laws of Economics  "Last year, the USDA satirically issued an APHIS permit to Mr. Claus to be able to freely move his reindeer in and out of the country as necessary, but this flippant gesture sheds light on the countless regulatory hurdles that are characteristic of centralized authority. 

"Try as we may to suspend the laws of governments in order to enable Santa Claus to complete this impossible project, we simply cannot suspend the laws of economics (or physics, for that matter). Resources are scarce and have alternative uses. Preferences are subjective and not always easily understood or communicated. Knowledge is distributed, but prices established through trading in the market can help communicate relative preferences for more optimal resource allocation. Like other centralized economic schemes, we can only continue to believe in the myth of Santa Claus if we also believe in magic.

"The real process, though perhaps less mystical, is no less enchanting. To the extent that each person around the globe is relatively free to pursue their interests, through specialized labor and voluntary exchange in the marketplace an order emerges. It matters not if we share a common mythology, language, culture, or even if we desire the same ends; order emerges. It certainly isn’t perfect, but it is just perfect enough that we are able to give the credit to a mythical figure and his multitude of magical makers, and wide-eyed children see plausibility in that story. 

"But just as children grow from believing in Santa Claus to playing an active role in being Santa Claus, so too do we grow to look beyond the myth of magical central planning and to play a part in the distributed system of the market, for that is where the magic of Christmas is repeated every single day." . . .

International Women's Day Protester Suddenly Realizes She's Reinforcing Harmful Social Construct Of Gender

Babylon Bee


Pictured: liberal with bullhorn.
NEW YORK, NY—"A protester yelling into a megaphone on International Women’s Day suddenly realized she was reinforcing the “oppressive and harmful” social construct of gender by promoting a day that implies gender is inherently meaningful, sources confirmed Wednesday.
"Midway through screaming the phrase “Down with the patriarchy!” into the loudspeaker, the woman suddenly stopped and thought about how her presence at the protest suggested that the concept of womanhood represented something more significant than an arbitrary social construct foisted upon females.
“ 'Wait a minute, think about what we’re suggesting here,” the woman said to her fellow demonstrators as she lowered her megaphone, according to witnesses. “By participating in this protest, aren’t we suggesting that ‘man’ and ‘woman’ are ideals that transcend culture and subjectivity?”
“ 'What have we done?!” she added.
"The woman then called for the protest to be paused in order to rationally discuss the perceived inconsistency in the protesters’ deep-seated beliefs, but was quickly shouted down with her own megaphone, according to sources."
You do catch the Babylon Bee, don't you?  So what is the BB?