tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post419792742137234333..comments2024-03-28T18:32:05.933-04:00Comments on bensozia: Scott Sumner on MeaningJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-66925309452979367722018-08-29T10:59:59.264-04:002018-08-29T10:59:59.264-04:00As an opter-out, I would like to agree with you. ...As an opter-out, I would like to agree with you. And I do think that, under current conditions at least, many of those who rise to the top are pretty weird, often off-putting, sometimes insane, usually not too good for the larger community (though not all; Obama and Atul Gawande are good counter-examples). But, again as an opter-out, I feel the insidious force of the loser label.<br /><br />In Sumner's case, I definitely get a regretful "I'd rather be advising the Fed" feel. Though, to judge by his Wikipedia page, he looks to me like one of life's winner's, in the more conventional sense. Why he seems to feel like a failure is an interesting question. Perhaps his narcissism is wounded by the fact that he's not in the ranks of Milton Friedman, et al. Or perhaps it's more that he's an ideologue who regards anything less than pure monetarism from the Fed as a defeat for his side.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08993570411881726772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-38892112613257237822018-08-29T07:39:24.154-04:002018-08-29T07:39:24.154-04:00"Loser" is not a word I would use, becau..."Loser" is not a word I would use, because I think that many who rise to the top of highly competitive fields are insane. The process I have in mind involves deciding that you don't want to work 80 hours a week for decades or subject yourself to the humiliation of running for office etc. To me, the people who opt out are the real winners.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-33234240062273812342018-08-28T14:11:54.317-04:002018-08-28T14:11:54.317-04:00I wonder if there's anyway to insulate the kin...I wonder if there's anyway to insulate the kind of thing Sumner is talking about from the charge, implicit in your comments, that it's essentially a loser's consolation prize.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08993570411881726772noreply@blogger.com