The Simpsons — Day Laborers

In this scene, Homer and Bart are loading construction materials into their car at Builder’s Barn (a Home Depot-type store). Bart isn’t sure his dad is capable of handling the word himself when a group of immigrant day laborers offer their services. The day laborers have come from nearby Barleyville due to a recent “Barley Bust.” Homer accepts their offer and welcomes them to his home. He now feels superior because he’s able to hire workers to do jobs “we don’t want to do,” but then a hoard of laborers rushes the town of Springfield.

For a deeper look at economics and The Simpsons, check out Josh Hall’s book Homer Economicus.

2019 0

Catastrophe — Working to pay for child care

A husband and wife comically discuss their plans for preventing another child, whether to use an IUD or have a vasectomy. The conversation then leads into whether it’s time to go back to work after maternity leave. While she loves her children, she wants to be away from them a bit, but they can’t decide on the best option. One option is to hire a “child minder,” but that would cost nearly the same as her teaching salary, but Sharon is in favor of the option. She’s willing to work full time to pay for someone to watch her children, essentially have zero effective income. Why would she be willing to do something like this? She would derive utility from spending time away from her own children.

Thanks to Sheena Murray for the clip suggestion! If you have a great clip that you’d like to add to the site, just reach out to me!

2019 0

The Daily Show — Wage Against the Machine

This video does a nice job of describing many of the economic arguments for and against raising the minimum wage in a comical way. The clip is a few years old, but it still does a nice job of discussing many of the common arguments. Note: the clip does include a supply and demand graph, but it labels supply and demand incorrectly! This is a good opportunity to discuss economic misconceptions, as well as the labor supply and labor demand curves.

Thanks to Rebecca Chambers for the clip and description!

2018 0

Chicago Booth Review — Video Killed the Radio Star

Erik Hurst, an economist with the University of Chicago, delivered an interesting commencement address that focused on the role of video games in the supply decisions of young men. While a bit more academic than some other commencement addresses, it sets the stage for a nice discussion on the increasing value of leisure.

2017 0