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Jun. 7th, 2011 09:55 amMan, economics is hard.
Nourishing the brain is a constant process, especially for someone like me whose brain does not retain stuff very well. One of the ways I find new stuff to temporarily pack into my head is through inherited magazine subscriptions from people who don't work here anymore. Currently I "subscribe" to ARTnews, The New Yorker (I think this one's about to expire), and Fortune. Could be worse, could be Forbes. Seriously, fuck Forbes.
But I do read Fortune, because it's about economics, and I don't know much about economics.
There are very few things I can't comprehend at least a portion of, if I put my mind to it, but anything past long division is a mystical ancient rite to me. Economics stands at this weird midpoint between sociology and mathematics, which makes it a struggle, but not downright impenetrable like most math is.
I mean, for example, I don't understand the stock market. But then apparently nobody else does either, so I feel heartened. I find it kind of hilarious that our entire economic system is based on something that reacts to mass emotion, but I suppose there's a certain romance in that. I'm less amused by the fact that all my 401K investment information reminds me that investing is risky and I could lose money. Really? That's great, because I'm being legally forced to gamble 3% of my yearly income on it. Who thought up that genius plan? So I treat that money like it doesn't exist, and that makes investing a lot more fun.
I do spend a lot of time googling stuff like "what is a national interest rate" and "how do dividend stocks work". I sure hope the internet's not lying to me.
Nourishing the brain is a constant process, especially for someone like me whose brain does not retain stuff very well. One of the ways I find new stuff to temporarily pack into my head is through inherited magazine subscriptions from people who don't work here anymore. Currently I "subscribe" to ARTnews, The New Yorker (I think this one's about to expire), and Fortune. Could be worse, could be Forbes. Seriously, fuck Forbes.
But I do read Fortune, because it's about economics, and I don't know much about economics.
There are very few things I can't comprehend at least a portion of, if I put my mind to it, but anything past long division is a mystical ancient rite to me. Economics stands at this weird midpoint between sociology and mathematics, which makes it a struggle, but not downright impenetrable like most math is.
I mean, for example, I don't understand the stock market. But then apparently nobody else does either, so I feel heartened. I find it kind of hilarious that our entire economic system is based on something that reacts to mass emotion, but I suppose there's a certain romance in that. I'm less amused by the fact that all my 401K investment information reminds me that investing is risky and I could lose money. Really? That's great, because I'm being legally forced to gamble 3% of my yearly income on it. Who thought up that genius plan? So I treat that money like it doesn't exist, and that makes investing a lot more fun.
I do spend a lot of time googling stuff like "what is a national interest rate" and "how do dividend stocks work". I sure hope the internet's not lying to me.
