Thursday, February 16, 2012

Calvinomics

This "Calvin and Hobbes" comic takes shots at a few different groups who are often blamed for the economic problems in this country. It satirizes government subsidies, Unions, and CEOs. First Calvin mocks the ridiculously high salaries and bonuses that CEOs and company presidents often give themselves. Also, Calvin , playing the CEO of his business, is against government health and safety regulations that would cost him money. "Caveat Empor" means "let the buyer beware" in latin, an effort to save money. But when his company starts to go under because of his incompetence in running a business, he runs off and begs for a government subsidy, represented here by his mother. Who you assume will subsidize Calvin's Lemonade Stand. He then plays the role of employee, since he is both the sole employee, investor, and CEO of his lemonade stand. Calvin pokes fun at the unions who demand high wages, and benefits. These all combine to hurt the consumer, when prices go through the roof, such as if lemonade was $15 a glass. Obviously it is all exaggerated, but it shows how these different groups of people, when acting irresponsibly, can hurt both the consumer and the economy as a whole.

2 comments:

Alex D. said...

This comic is tearing me apart! I’m not sure if I should be enraged or delighted since this picks on both executives and unions.

The artist was trying to illustrate the ridiculous notion that economic issues are complex. NONSENSE. Everyone knows that in every issue there’s only one party at fault. I usually don’t worry about that though, since the party at fault is always the one I disagree with.

In all seriousness, this Calvin and Hobbes comic impressively brings to light the pitfalls of a supply-side-controlled economy.

Erin said...

Satire is a good method of social critique concerning our economy. In fact, we see this satire all the time on TV. Many people can relate to satire even if they do not completely understand it. In a way, satire serves to inform people about the economy. This particular cartoon allows people to see how the consumer is affected by other people's mistakes.