Sneak Peek: Through the Fading Darkness
Prologue The fire always took him to a hidden place. As the flames glanced off the hearth’s blackened stones and spilled light across the cabin’s floor, his waking nightmares again felt real. To his nephew the scene was serene, inviting, and comforting. A place [...]
Thirteen Quotes on Why Humans Matter More Than Data
Robert Shiller's book, Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral & Drive Major Economic Events is an essential read for anyone who wants to understand how viral stories impact economies and public policy. By looking at specific events and news coverage prior to and during economic depressions, Shiller makes a [...]
CW4 Woody Williams: An Original American Averagist
There was never any doubt that I would add Woody Williams to the list of American Averagists, but I wanted to wait until things calmed down. After he passed away, people used his memorial at the U.S. Capitol to score empathy points in the media. I didn’t want to [...]
Americans are Hurting: Ignoring it Won’t Solve the Problem
I have spoken with Americans from five different states this past week and have learned one thing; many people, too many people, are suffering. Most aren’t desperate yet and will endure the economic fratricide that’s being inflicted on us all from Washington with silent determination. But it’s clear that we [...]
None for All and All for Nothing
I’ve been asking friends and colleagues how publishers should monetize their copyrighted work. This is what I've learned thus far. Publishers produce content against which search engines and social media companies sell ads. The publishers are rewarded for incurring production expenses with a dopamine fix in the form of [...]
Book Review: The Humanity of Being Irrationally Predictable
I first discovered an interest in behavioral economics when I was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley in 2012. After failing miserably to land new clients, I wanted to understand why some people would say yes to a pitch while others would simply say no. In 2005, acclaimed economist [...]
Two Things I Did in High School That Changed My Averagist Life
When I started the American Averagist I thought I had a plan. I was going to find normal Americans in Middle America and tell their stories in a compelling way. But shortly after I started, I began to worry that I may not actually be qualified for the job. My [...]
Book Review: The Forgotten Man
The Forgotten Man is considered by many to be a benchmark history of the Great Depression in America. Amity Shlaes’ background as a distinguished economic historian at the Council of Foreign Relations and syndicated columnist for Bloomberg gives her insight that is often missing in other histories of the [...]
History as a Punchline
We’ve lost our way. In the rush to help our children land lucrative careers in science, technology, engineering and math, we are teaching them that degrees in subjects like political science, economics, and history are non-starters in today’s job market. The sad truth is they are. Over the last twenty [...]
Is the Internet Wrecking Democracy?
For better or worse, government defines the environment in which all business takes place, and averagists need to understand why that is and what's driving today's chaotic dysfunction. First things first: If you are expecting me to make some sort of declaration about my personal political beliefs, you'll be sadly [...]
