ADVANTAGE
40% of his productivity by splitting his time between literature and the lively arts, while John Grisham loses only 25% of his productivity. Bieber has the "comparative advantage" in making music because it will cost him more if he doesn't stick to what he does best.) David Ricardo applied the Law of Comparative Advantage to questions of foreign trade. China makes better Bluetooth earphones than Canada does, and China may produce better pop music than Canada. (I haven't worked up the nerve to ask Alexa and find out. Although I'd say the Chicoms are going to have a hard time topping Neil Young.) But anyway, because of comparative advantage, both nations profit by buying their earphones from Alibaba and letting Justin Bieber tour China. And Canada definitely has the advantage if he stays there. (Alas, the Chinese – who are not so hip on free-market economic principles as they think they are – have banned Justin Bieber from performing in their country.)
JOHN GRISHAM SPENDS ALL HIS TIME BASHING THE LAPTOP AND JUSTIN BIEBER SPENDS ALL HIS TIME CATERWAULING Thrillers Songs BS Production John Grisham 100 + 0 = 100 Justin Bieber 0 + 5 = 5 TOTAL BS = 105 time blowing into a kazoo, the result will be 50 thrillers and 25 songs, for a total of 75 BS units. If Justin Bieber spends 50% of his time annoying Microsoft Word and 50% of his time making noise in a recording studio, the result will be one half-completed thriller and 2.5 songs, for a total of three BS units. The grand total Benefit to Society from both men will be 78 BS. But if John Grisham spends 100% of his time inventing dumb adventures for two- dimensional characters and Justin Bieber spends 100% of his time calling cats to the tune of a drum set falling down a flight of stairs, the result will be 100 thrillers and five songs, for a grand total Benefit to Society of 105 units. (And just to make things slightly more complex, note that Justin Bieber loses
- P. J. O’Rourke
American Consequences 11
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