Saturday, January 24, 2009

Supply Curves in "Slumdog Millionaire"

It is politically incorrect to suggest the supply of unemployed persons slopes up -- that an increase in payments to unemployed people will increase their numbers.

[warning: the laws of supply and demand sometimes reveal themselves in graphic and disgusting ways. You may not want to read what's below -- or see the film. The film is nominated for Oscars, so I assume that most of you already know about it]

Mysteriously, it is political correct -- fantastically popular, in fact -- to suggest that the supply of deformed children slopes up. "...hundreds of young children have had their arms and legs chopped off; scores of others have been blinded. The gangs also pour acid on to the children’s bodies, leaving them with suppurating wounds. A happy ending for the stars of the film Slumdog Millionaire - but for real slum dwellers the future is bleak. Their suffering comes down to one thing: money." (quote from here, but see the film yourself)

2 comments:

Dust I Am said...

Oh, oh, ohhhhh..... How evil can some people be?

scott cunningham said...

Ugh. That hurts. I'm an economist, and saw the movie, and didn't see this even though it's plain now that you mention it. So what is the proper version charity in a poor country (seriously)?