[rayiner]

Supply and demand requires thinking about equilibria and intersecting curves and is out of the reach of a largely innumerate population. Most Americans don’t even really have a strong grasp on millions versus billions versus trillions.

Americans also think in terms of stories with actors, and supply and demand doesn’t have any obvious actors. “Prices are high because bad people are choosing to keep them high” is an easy narrative for people to understand. There’s an obvious villain, and the success simply requires the hero to defeat the villain. This leads to a funny meme: https://www.reddit.com/r/neoliberal/comments/13l1lmn/present...

[supertrope]

People prefer a teleological explanation. It has the allure of a simplistic solution. Having a direct and complete solution out there is emotionally satisfying. Just like how subduing the villain saves the day, why not tax/ban landlords/immigrants/Wall Street/your favorite outgroup here? If there’s no simple solution available that’s not nearly as hopeful of a message. Politicians and marketers peddle simplistic “solutions” to a willing audience.