We're Measuring the Wrong Economy - Barry's Economics
Barry's Economics 5:12
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Your rent is up. Your bills are unpaid. But the government says the economy is FINE.
Why?
The answer is one of the simplest mathematical illusions in politics: GDP and averages.
GDP was invented in the 1940s to measure wartime tank production. It doesn't care about your quality of life. It doesn't care who gets the money. It just measures "busy-ness" - and billionaires walking into rooms can make the average skyrocket while you're still on £25k.
In this video, I break down:
Why GDP is a wartime metric that makes no sense in peacetime
How averages hide the real economy from view
The two numbers that actually tell us how people are doing
Why we can't fix what we refuse to measure
Every major economist - Piketty, Saez, Zucman, even the IMF - is sounding the alarm. The pie is growing, but your slice is shrinking. And the reason nobody's fixing it? We're measuring the billionaire economy, not the one you actually live in.
We're not measuring the economy wrong. We're measuring the wrong economy.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - The Two Economies
0:45 - The Billionaire in the Stadium
2:15 - Why GDP Measures Everything Except What Matters
4:20 - The Two Numbers That Actually Work
6:30 - Why We Refuse to Look
#Economics #GDP #Inequality #UKPolitics #EconomicPolicyI’m
Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.
This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.
How to Support Barry’s Economics
Help us stay independent and keep making videos like this.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomics
https://ko-fi.com/barryseconomics
https://www.patreon.com/barryseconomics
Subscribe for future videos: https://www.youtube.com/@barryeconomics
More about me: https://barryferns.co.uk/
You can also follow me on
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryferns
Instagram: instagram.com/barrybarryferns
Twitter: twitter.com/barryferns
If you’re new to this, check out @garyseconomics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.
Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00
Want to see the stand-up side of all this?
Find my live comedy and storytelling here:
https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryferns
To learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/
#BarrysEconomics #GarysEconomics #Inequality #BehaviouralEconomics #SocialJustice #BarryFerns #ComedyWithDepth
Why?
The answer is one of the simplest mathematical illusions in politics: GDP and averages.
GDP was invented in the 1940s to measure wartime tank production. It doesn't care about your quality of life. It doesn't care who gets the money. It just measures "busy-ness" - and billionaires walking into rooms can make the average skyrocket while you're still on £25k.
In this video, I break down:
Why GDP is a wartime metric that makes no sense in peacetime
How averages hide the real economy from view
The two numbers that actually tell us how people are doing
Why we can't fix what we refuse to measure
Every major economist - Piketty, Saez, Zucman, even the IMF - is sounding the alarm. The pie is growing, but your slice is shrinking. And the reason nobody's fixing it? We're measuring the billionaire economy, not the one you actually live in.
We're not measuring the economy wrong. We're measuring the wrong economy.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - The Two Economies
0:45 - The Billionaire in the Stadium
2:15 - Why GDP Measures Everything Except What Matters
4:20 - The Two Numbers That Actually Work
6:30 - Why We Refuse to Look
#Economics #GDP #Inequality #UKPolitics #EconomicPolicyI’m
Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.
This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.
How to Support Barry’s Economics
Help us stay independent and keep making videos like this.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomics
https://ko-fi.com/barryseconomics
https://www.patreon.com/barryseconomics
Subscribe for future videos: https://www.youtube.com/@barryeconomics
More about me: https://barryferns.co.uk/
You can also follow me on
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryferns
Instagram: instagram.com/barrybarryferns
Twitter: twitter.com/barryferns
If you’re new to this, check out @garyseconomics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.
Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00
Want to see the stand-up side of all this?
Find my live comedy and storytelling here:
https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryferns
To learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/
#BarrysEconomics #GarysEconomics #Inequality #BehaviouralEconomics #SocialJustice #BarryFerns #ComedyWithDepth
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