[revelio]

>> you'd come up with some passable explanation ahead of time

Central bankers are appointed based on two criteria:

1. A willingness to print money for the government so it can spend more than it raises in taxes.

2. Looking presentable, sounding sophisticated and emitting enough bafflegab that (1) seems scientific instead of ideological.

Thinking deeply about economics and the role of banking/central banks in society is an anti criteria, because if you did think about those things you'd end up concluding that the only fair and stable solution is way less money printing and quite possibly none. That would directly undermine the government that appoints you. Your salary depends on you not understanding your own area of specialism.

I do feel like the defining characteristic of the 2020s is turning out to be people's struggle to accept the horrible truth that government officials/scientists who claim to be experts systematically have no idea what they are doing.