With Jake stuck in prison, he needs to find a way to get a cell phone. His prison pal, Caleb, tells him about an opportunity to get a cell phone from another inmate in gen pop (general population), but it’s going to cost Jake. It turns out that since cigarettes have been banned in the prison, various flavors of ramen noodles are now the preferred currency. This new medium of exchange makes it where Jake can finally get a cell phone
The Simpsons — Homer Wants a Ticket
Homer waits in line 8 days to grab a coveted ticket to a coveted event. His excitement is dismayed when a scalper, who happened to be first in line, decides to purchase all of the tickets for the event. Scalpers can serve as an efficient distributor of tickets, but many people don’t believe it’s fair.
If you love economics and The Simpsons, Josh Hall edited a book that may interest you.
The Simpsons — Opportunity Cost of Lines
If you’re teaching opportunity cost, this is a great clip to show the value of time. Homer waits in line 8 days to grab a coveted ticket to an event. A passerby accurately notes that the Homer could have just purchased the ticket with the money he would have earned from working.
The following scene has a nice clip that can be used to talk about efficiency and equity.
If you love economics and The Simpsons, Josh Hall edited a book that may interest you.
New Girl – Douchebag Jar
Schmidt has a tendency to be a bit eccentric and bother his roommates with a variety of sayings/outfits. These outburst tend to annoy his roommates so they collectively agree to regular his behavior and force him to pay a tax to a “douchebag jar” when he does things the group considers unfavorable.