Post by @shortmagsmle
95% credible (100% factual, 90% presentation). The content accurately presents a satirical anecdote critiquing GDP metrics, with no factual claims to verify. Minor issues include omission framing that presents GDP increase as absurd without context on its purpose as a measure of economic activity.
Analysis Summary
The content presents a classic joke where two economists exchange money to eat piles of shit, resulting in a $200 GDP increase despite no net gain, highlighting the absurdity of certain economic metrics. Main finding: This is a well-known satirical anecdote critiquing how GDP measures transactions without assessing true value or welfare. Opposing views emphasize that GDP tracks economic activity broadly, not individual utility, and the joke oversimplifies by ignoring productive vs. non-productive exchanges.
Original Content
The Facts
The content is a fictional joke, not intended as factual reporting, drawing from a longstanding internet meme to satirize economic concepts. Prior base rate for such jokes is high reliability as humor (near 100% non-factual), updated with author's 65% truthfulness score and satirical track record yielding moderate confidence in its non-misleading intent. Verdict: Accurate as satire; no factual claims to verify.
Benefit of the Doubt
The author advances a humorous, anti-establishment perspective on economics, using the joke to mock GDP as a flawed indicator that counts valueless activities as growth, likely to engage followers with relatable satire on bureaucracy. Emphasis is on the economists' absurdity and zero-sum outcome, omitting real-world GDP nuances like its role in measuring market activity and exclusions of non-market transactions, which shapes perception toward viewing economics as detached from practical reality. This selective framing amplifies critique while entertaining, potentially reinforcing skepticism toward official metrics without deeper analysis.
How Is This Framed?
Biases, omissions, and misleading presentation techniques detected
Presents GDP increase as absurd without context on its purpose as a measure of market transactions and economic output, not individual utility or net welfare.
Problematic phrases:
"We increased the GDP by $200!"What's actually there:
GDP measures total value of goods/services produced, excluding non-market activities but including all transactions regardless of 'value'
What's implied:
GDP counts pointless exchanges as genuine growth, ignoring zero net benefit
Impact: Misleads readers into oversimplifying economics as flawed or detached, amplifying satirical critique while downplaying GDP's utility in policy and analysis.
Focuses exclusively on the joke's critique of GDP flaws, omitting counterpoints like GDP's exclusions (e.g., illegal or unpaid work) and its role in tracking broad activity.
Problematic phrases:
"That's not true... We increased the GDP by $200!"What's actually there:
GDP intentionally omits welfare assessments; alternatives like GPI exist for broader measures
What's implied:
All GDP activity is equally valueless if zero-sum
Impact: Shapes perception toward blanket skepticism of economic indicators, entertaining but potentially reinforcing uninformed views on fiscal policy.
Sources & References
External sources consulted for this analysis
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/qp49wz/two_economists_are_walking_in_a_forest_when_they/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37395566
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rmmzol/two_economists_are_walking_in_the_park/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16bq4r9/two_economists_are_walking_in_a_forest_when_they/
https://upjoke.com/gdp-jokes
http://www.tinyrevolution.com/mt/archives/000466.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ahu7kt/two_economists_are_on_a_walk_in_the_park/
https://ifunny.co/picture/kspacewalk2-13-minutes-ago-i-prev-i-next-two-economists-jwWtJ4BbC
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/12/economics-joke-time.html
https://www.jokesblogger.com/2021/11/08/two-economists-are-walking-in-a-forest/
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/economics/this-isnt-a-joke-its-a-criticism
https://amfg.substack.com/p/the-parable-of-the-shit-eating-economists/comments
https://tomswirly.medium.com/hear-hear-i-am-reminded-of-this-joke-f3c66c8d7dc8
https://www.tumblr.com/babyywoman/72128166685/themikebilly-a-joke-about-economists-two
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1887447697143066919
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1982608096783708172
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1982816879820308731
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1980444695139680663
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1980585228688323004
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1982175650002678175
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/qp49wz/two_economists_are_walking_in_a_forest_when_they/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37395566
http://www.tinyrevolution.com/mt/archives/000466.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/16bq4r9/two_economists_are_walking_in_a_forest_when_they/
https://upjoke.com/gdp-jokes
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ahu7kt/two_economists_are_on_a_walk_in_the_park/
https://tomswirly.medium.com/hear-hear-i-am-reminded-of-this-joke-f3c66c8d7dc8
https://medium.com/bobs-economics/a-sick-joke-about-economists-c77054fe2723
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/12/economics-joke-time.html
https://bestjokehub.com/joke-224613/
https://tomswirly.medium.com/hear-hear-i-am-reminded-of-this-joke-f3c66c8d7dc8
https://www.jokesblogger.com/2021/11/08/two-economists-are-walking-in-a-forest/
https://www.tumblr.com/babyywoman/72128166685/themikebilly-a-joke-about-economists-two
https://amfg.substack.com/p/the-parable-of-the-shit-eating-economists/comments
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1887447697143066919
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1982608096783708172
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1980444695139680663
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1982531127731794406
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1982816879820308731
https://x.com/shortmagsmle/status/1980585228688323004
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