[Sone7]

Er, mainstream economists. Considering their record, mainstream economists seem far more anti-intellectual than most of their 'bashers'. Though your handle suggests this might be hard for you to swallow.

Also, wage slaves do exist. America is full of them, and it's very much deliberate and intentional. I knew an extremely kind and bubbly lady with the incredible skill of recognizing every one she's ever met, no matter how long ago. She could remember their name, and the names of their whole family. She worked two crap paying full-time jobs to support her small family, and did not have any options, because of America's totally fucked welfare system. That's a wage slave. With respect, if you think wage slavery isn't a thing in America you're in a very strange bubble.

[friedman23]

> Considering their record, mainstream economists seem far more anti-intellectual than most of their 'bashers'

You don't explain why you believe this. Please go ahead and explain why you believe that economists are anti intellectuals and please explain what their horrible record is.

> She worked two crap paying full-time jobs to support her small family, and did not have any options, because of America's totally fucked welfare system. That's a wage slave.

No you don't understand. I know that a term called 'wage slave' exists and that people have given it definition that is completely unrelated to what actual slavery is. I think it is insulting to the actual slavery that still exists on this planet.

Suffering because of your stupid life decisions is not slavery.

[Sone7]

Alright, I'll do my best. Your ignorant comment about people's "stupid life decisions" (ever hear of a thing called "bad luck"?) suggests I'll be pissing into the wind, but alright.

Most mainstream economists (with a few 'sort of' exceptions like Hayek and Krugman) think of their field as a science, when it's really not. They speak as if they had authority and empirical evidence, when they really don't.

They allow economic warfare against Africa, South America, poor Americans, Greece, Italy, Ireland, etc. to go unchecked. They issue recommendations that consistently favour the wealthiest, the central banks, the status quo. Those who differ, such as Varoufakis, are ridiculed and chuckled at, while ignoring their arguments.

They lack any introspection or ability to examine their mistakes. Few, very few, mainstream economists chose to make their voices heard about the economic crash of '08. Contrary to the myth they spread that it was "unforeseeable", many people knew that house prices were getting way out of control. I knew, my friends knew, but somehow economists didn't know... Goldman and others deliberately sold shitty bundles, and mainstream economists let them off the hook completely, even when the facts came to light. Now it's happening again, and they're still silent.

They quote Adam Smith to support their arguments, though he would have hated the system we have now. Alternative views to the dogma of mainstream 'economic theory' are mocked, rather than engaged with.

In the history of economic brutality - colonialism, apartheid, the financing of wars - there are very precious few economists willing to speak up about the effects on the least well off. They get denounced as naive, and have trouble finding jobs.

Where are the mainstream economists talking about the future of our species, the ones with some fucking vision, some foresight, some creativity, some unique thought, some compassion? Unem-fucking-ployed, that's where.

Almost by definition, mainstream economists refuse to challenge the status quo. And the status quo is fucked for the vast majority of human beings. We are nowhere near our potential, and mainstream economists spend their time debating miniscule changes in tax policy.

Despite the economic impact and effects of unchecked global surveillance, they say nothing.

Despite the economic impact of continuous increases in military spending, they say nothing.

They'd lose their cushy job, and deep down they fucking know it.

And after all that, they only speak up whenever someone comes along who wants to help people and bring them together. They're trotted out on Fox News and CNN to denounce Bernie Sanders' economic policies, despite the fact that those policies are practically substandard in Europe. What did they say about Trump? In comparison, nothing.

And yes, "actual slavery" exists. But in what economic course in the world do students grapple with those issues? Where are the leading lights, the clear voices in economics telling us what we can do about it?

Feel free to tell me how wacky, unrealistic and naive I'm being. Projection is a funny 'ol thing. But here's your major clue that they're full of shit, and anti-intellectual - in the history of mainstream economists, time and time again they've been proven utterly wrong about major things. "Trickle-down", "austerity", "cutting taxes on the rich drives growth", Brexit, Trump, '08. But there's never any reflection, never any expansion into inter-disciplinary approaches.

Economics, as taught today, tries to make people simple, cogs in a vast machine that only economists can understand. And even though they've been wrong more often than nutrionists, and more catastrophically, the text-books stay the same. Inequality grows, and we're told it's a good thing. Too many times economists have told us it's raining while we're being pissed on.

The real, respected, popular intellectuals - Feynman, Sagan, Einstein, Chomsky tell us that mainstream economists are full of shit, and they've saif it far more eloquently than I could. But economists sniff, and scoff, and laugh at how ignorant they are, before calling poor people stupid and endorsing the latest scam on the people of Earth.

I haven't had breakfast yet, so I hope this doesn't come across too harsh. I'm sure I made some mistakes, and I know I swore a lot. Rather than nit-pick, please engage with the major points.