Economic Stew: poodles and other victims

[From Bill Williams 18 February 2OO4 9:30 PM CST]

[From Kenny Kitzke (2004.02.18)]

Add to this complexity, and the lack of consensus on

theory, and possibly shoddy methodology in data

generation and analysis to the unprofessional rancor

and insults and accusations accompanying the thread(s)

and my interest in pursuing this futher has waned.

I find it fascinating that Kenny’s perception of the state

of economics matches my own perceptions regarding economics

when I first realized, as a secondary school student, that

the study of economics was a specialized academic and

professional field.

However, my reaction was quite different than Kenny’s.

Instead of being repelled by the perception that I share

with Kenny about many of the features characteristic of

the state-of-the-art of contemporary economics, I was

thrilled.

Here was an area in which there was obviously lots of

room for improvement. And, this, again obviously is still

true. My initial impression that economics was sort of

like engineering wasn’t accurate. But, economics is a

field in which it is at least potentially possible, at

least in principle, for a person to make a fundamental

contribution-- without having to become a small cog,

that is a part of some enormous industrial/research

big science type enterprise.

And, economics can be an interesting field to work in.

When you first are awarded a Ph.D. as I was it really

can be thrill to walk into a hospital as director and

representative of the state’s planning board. One day

you are a graduate student, the next day with a Ph.D

in hand, it is like being a Bird Colonel. Which even if

you don’t crave that sort of thing, it is still rather

interesting.

But, the real thrill is having Ph.D. students. And,

the graduate seminars really are conducted very much

like a competitive sport-- with the rules made up as

you go along. Sort of like CSGnet.

You talk about the

"unprofessional rancor and insults and accusations

accompanying the thread(s)

It has been my experience that when issues are thought to

be really important people behave exactly like they do in

the CSGnet discussions. When things get really important

there are no rules-- because it is the rules that are the

subject of the dispute.

You complain about vulgar language. I’ve been working on

materials that are a part of the political economy course

here. A part of it is concerned with revolutionary leaders,

Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln.

Now, in may ways Lincoln may be as interesting as any of the

others. In putting down a reactionary counter-revolution he

carried out at least an over-haul of the American governmental

system. And, he was quite clever. Consider the following

Sandburg, Carl. 1954 Abraham Lincoln: volume 3 The War Years

New York: Dell paperbacks

"The good, upright, usually well-tempered [senator] Fessenden

it was told over Washington, in a rage over some unjust

distribution of patronage turned loose a flow of 'intemperate

language’ on Lincoln one morning. Lincoln keep cool. The fury

of his Maine friend spent itself, Lincoln inquired gently,

‘You are an Episcopalian, aren’t you, Senator?’

‘Yes, sir. I belong to that church.’

'I thought so. You Episcopalians all swear alike. Seward is

an Episcopalian. But Stanton is a Presbyterian. You ought to

hear him swear.’

Then Lincoln went on telling about several varieties of profanity, and he and Fessendon settled down to an even-toned conversation." p. 628.

Now, Lincoln’s approach was far more astute than the one that I’ve adopted. But, my approach works in the sense that I intended it to. It shucks off, the hypocrisy.

There has been, maybe there always has been a sort of rule that Bill Powers and Rick Marken get to abuse people verbally. So, Powers tells me to “stuff it.” Where were you? Is this how people

ought to talk?

Well if nobody on the CSGnet gives a shit how Powers treats other

People then I don’t have any hesitation to tell him to just fuck off.

Where does Powers get the idea that it is OK, to tell me to Stuff it. Basically from being surrounding by people like David Goldstein.

Does anyone call Marken’s on his absurd whining. Noo.

Marken in a bid for sympathy once more screwed the pooch, only this time the pooch was his “gentle Jewish grandfather.”

Bill Williams