Don't Buy It: The Trouble with Talking Nonsense about the Economy

A wonderful dose of common-sense iconoclasm! This book is written in a frank engaging style that exposes the neo-liberal cult of market-worship for what it is; an idolatrous religion masquerading as science. Anat Shenker-Osorio hits the nail on the head when she exposes the personalised, fetishised discourse that dominates our modern thinking about markets. Markets do not feel, they do not suffer, laugh, go on picnics with their families or feel upset when real actual people who do do all those things, end up unemployed, homeless or abandoned. All this sacrificing to the economy makes as much sense as the ancient Jebusites allegedly sacrificing their children to the idol Moloch. Whether its Moloch or market, human hands have created a false god and now human heads are expected to bow before it. The question is very simple really, should the economy exist as a mechanism to serve humanity or vice-versa. Surely only a lunatic could argue the former case! Yet, the neo-liberal priesthood do just this. Of course, there are those few powerful types that the economic system does serve and it's for their sake the rest of us have to put up with the rule of the econo-god. Except we don't. We can wake up and start resisting. We can create better, fairer economic systems. When the neo-liberals argue for "economic freedom" we need to be able to counter with "human freedom". "economic freedom" leads to human slavery. It's a bit like arguing it's unfair to harness fire and keep it couped up in a tiny hearth all day- let's liberate the fire and let it run free as nature intended! If the house burns down in the meantime it can only be because the fire-god was angry with us. This is an evidently lame-brained example yet how is it that the equally lame-brained mystical drivel of neo-liberal pundits fails to elicit the same ridicule? Anat Shenker-Osorio has done us all a huge service in writing this book and the more people who read it the better. A delightfully well-written wake up call for those of us so scared by the "economy" we've forgotten it's just a big paper tiger we made ourselves.

I put down the other 3 books I'm in the middle of in order to read this one straight through to the end. Great read with funny quips to get you through the potentially wonky subject matter - Shenker-Osorio drives home the point without beating you over the head with it. Progressives, Democrats, and allies (and everyone!) must change the way we talk about the economy, if we ever dream of fixing it.Got this book on a friend's recommendation when complaining about our side's lack of communications savvy on the issue of the economy. By incisively dissecting the underpinnings of the right-wing narrative on the economy, the author steers us clear of the pitfalls and shows us the way out of our desert of ineffective communications on the economy.From "Don't Buy It" (pg. 75)"The ways that left-of-center politicians shoot themselves in the foot are clear. They employ models that evoke conservative beliefs to make arguments for progressive economic solutions, they switch within an argument or even a single sentence between multiple models, and they imbue the economy with agency and intentionality, obscuring the roles people play and the harms done to them. All of these commonplace habits reinforce self-defeating notions about the market as an independent entity. This makes it harder to see the truth: the economy is a construction of human choices that requires our oversight and control. We are not here in it service, at its beck and call. It is neither our creator nor our crotchety uncle but rather the means by which we produce and distribute all we need and want in our lives."While I've seen and read quite a few treatises on the economy over the years as well as some on messaging/communications, this book clearly stands apart as a swift, clear, and insightful take on how to fix our economic dialogue and take the first steps to re-asserting some control over the economy in order to make it work for people again.Very happy with this purchase; it's definitely one I'll mention at the cocktail party and share with a friend. Cleverly titled too (like "don't think of an elephant").

Buy it.If you apply cognitive science to your communication —and especially if you don't— this is a must have book. Liberals make disastrous mistakes every day when talking about the economy. Mistakes that at best obscure our position and at worse reinforce the messages of the rich and powerful and the Republicans and conservative media outlets who do their bidding.Shenker-Osorio will fix all that. She covers the many ways we get our messages wrong and offers solutions that work for talking about the The core concepts can be applied to all our communication. Fans of George Lakoff's books will find this a perfect addition on to their collection.

Shenker-Osorio breaks down the language used to describe the economy, explaining the impacts each metaphor, analogy and word choice has on how the American Public reacts.She provides a how-to manual for honest discourse that clearly makes the case for progressive economic policy as the best path for America.Every Democrat/Progressive (really every American) should read this book and be a part of the solution - if we all reject the corrupt language used to manipulate our behavior solely to benefit the 1% and instead push honest and clear messages, we will collectively make the economy stronger and drive the nation to better policies.Highly recommended for anyone who engages in public speaking, particularly in a political context, even if they don't deal with economic policy. The lessons contained in this book will aide you in your efforts to effectively and honestly communicate and advocate about a wide variety of topics/issues.

Very good ideas behind the book, but the text/communication is extremely convoluted and repetitive. You need an unsurmountable force of will to read the book through the end.

Both insightful and entertaining. A must read for anyone interested in making serious progress in shifting the conversation and stopping the mainstream slide to the Right. Just as applicable in the Australian context despite the various references to American politics.

Very easy to understand for a layperson. Would have liked a little more how the stock exchanges work and the gambling involved.

I just wish the Democrats had taken all of this onboard before Trump stole the show! But it's never too late.