A reader calls this the “most bizarre form of make-work bias I have ever seen,” and I have to agree:
NAJAF, Iraq — At what’s believed to be the world’s largest cemetery, where Shiite Muslims aspire to be buried and millions already have been, business isn’t good.
A drop in violence around Iraq has cut burials in the huge Wadi al Salam cemetery here by at least one-third in the past six months, and that’s cut the pay of thousands of workers who make their living digging graves, washing corpses or selling burial shrouds.
Can anyone doubt that we should dream of a world where every grave digger, corpse washer, and shroud seller loses his job?
HT: Josh Hendrickson
READER COMMENTS
caveat bettor
Oct 18 2007 at 1:53pm
Wait, you just argued in the previous post to cut defense spending in half, which expose members of our armed forces to death and therefore will boost growth in these industries that you now are dreaming away?
Myth of the rational econ blogger.
caveat bettor
Oct 18 2007 at 1:54pm
Wait, you just argued in the previous post to cut defense spending in half, which will expose members of our armed forces to greater death and therefore will boost growth in these industries that you now are dreaming away?
Myth of the rational econ blogger.
General Specific
Oct 18 2007 at 2:05pm
The news article you reference reports on a fact. Does it anywhere state that there is a drive afoot to subsidize or improve business for the gravediffers and merchants at death’s door?
Unless I missed it, I don’t think so.
I think the only bias in this case is the work that went into the post (and the energy required to tip the hat).
Let’s call this bias I’ve just discovered the looking for bias bias.
John Fast
Oct 18 2007 at 3:31pm
I’m considering doing my thesis on fantasy and science fiction and their link to the social sciences; for example, the film GATTACA raises issues about “genetic domination.” (Actually it raises issues about Statist domination.) When I saw the title of your post I immediately wondered, “Has anyone done an economic analysis of the effects of replacing low-skilled workers with zombies?” I’ve seen at least one sf story which dealt with this issue…and of course there is the “Masters of Horror” episode “Homecoming.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homecoming_%28Masters_of_Horror_episode%29
Matthew c
Oct 18 2007 at 3:51pm
Can anyone doubt that we should dream of a world where every grave digger, corpse washer, and shroud seller loses his job?
Does this mean that you, too, are now a “Singularitarian”, “Extropian” and all that?
TGGP
Oct 18 2007 at 7:51pm
caveat bettor, I believe Bryan wants to reduce defense spending by bringing troops home and out of harm’s way.
Matthew C, I thought you might be interested to know that Eliezer Yudkowsky praises Roger Penroses’ anti-reductionist books on the mind.
Matthew c
Oct 19 2007 at 9:04am
TGGP,
Elizier is really writing some good stuff on OB the last week or so. I’m impressed.
B.H.
Oct 19 2007 at 9:44am
Is this evidence that the “surge” is working?
Comments are closed.