I hate the discourse around new jobs to make the economy seem better.
Unless it's a full-time job with full benefits, a pension, and a living wage to support a family, it's a temporary gig that people are coerced into, not a real job.
Very good passage and it's relevant in the modern world again. Arguably even more so than it was during Marx's time in some respects.
It's truly incredible to see libs running around dismissing the relevance of Marxism in today's society. Despite its perceived "outdatedness", it continues to offer the most lucid explanation of what we see all around us. The ideas of class struggle, alienation, and economic determinism, are still applicable today because these are the invariants of a capitalist society. Marxism remains a crucial tool for understanding the dynamics of capitalism. Its relevance is undeniable as we continue to grapple with issues that are fundamentally rooted in economic structures and power relations.
Ah yes, I too draw my 'preliminary estimate' line as solid, and my 'actual data' line as dotted.
Its always good to make the more satisfying story visible. Don't let facts get in the way.
I follow the stock market, and every time China releases (good) economic numbers everyone will go "haha yeah right, who would trust China they fake everything", but the US always lies about economic figures like this to get good headlines/juice the market and no one ever questions it
It's the way they do it. China uses actually counted real numbers. US counts small areas, then multiplies numbers for a wider area. Then cooks the numbers anyway.
Recently a couple US think tanks literally used the argument that China's numbers are unreliable because "authoritarianism" and that really they are collapsing. Then compared to completely made-up US numbers. Then came to the conclusion that the US should fight China in a war, because it will win. Shortly after, the US dispatched more carrier strike groups to China Sea.
The US economy is collapsing, and the elites know it. They are trying to cause confrontations against their rivals to buy themselves time and because in a couple decades they'll probably no longer have the capacity to go against them militarily or diplomatically. Also, to further enrich themselves. This sort of propaganda is aimed at manufacturing consent for war.
It certainly does highlight the pervasive nature of nationalistic fervor, which often clouds people's judgment and prevents them from seeing things clearly. When it comes to international relations, objectivity and a willingness to acknowledge the truth, even if it goes against one's preconceived notions or desired outcomes, is essential for making informed decisions and achieving success. In US, as you pointed out, this is often lacking in many quarters, leading to misguided policies and ultimately to self harm.
I'd say that is true for democracies. If there is a ruling elite, they can know the truth to make better decisions and give whatever yellow journalism slop to the masses. The problem is though that the ruling elite believe the yellow journalism.
Indeed, when one has an overly refined and efficient system for disseminating information in a particular manner, there is a risk of becoming so enamored with the process that one begins to unquestioningly accept its output without critically examining it. Consuming one's own propaganda in turn leads to a diminished capacity for objective analysis.
It's interesting to note that the household survey tracked the revised numbers more closely than the preliminary data (final graph in report). There has been a lot of handwringing about why people are unhappy with the economy while economic indicators look good, and perhaps this sheds some insight.
ah yeah found the article the chart is from https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/801
