Tanked the economy

Hey... Hey, guys...

Hym "Wouldn't it be funny if every time liberals got into office we tanked the economy and blamed it on them? Heh... We could probably be pretty subtle about it and just tank it every time we lose and then hold 'a good economy' hostage so we can maintain the status quo. LIKE WE DO WITH OUR RELIGION! It'd be, like, the same exact thing except for politics!"

by Hym Iam November 22, 2023

In This Economy?

A statement usually made after someone suggests something that the other party doesn’t particularly want to do, particularly involving anything to do with money whatsoever. Often used as a cost-effective way to not do something, though really it often applies to a stupid idea being rejected for this even more stupid reason.

“Yo we should put some rats up our asses!” - Guy 1
“In this economy? Damn shits are lucky if they even get out of the sewers.” - Guy 2

by I.E.I. Industries February 25, 2025

Hot Waitress Economic Index

Hot Waitress Economic Index (HWEI) is an unofficial and controversial economic indicator suggesting that when the economy tanks, suddenly all the servers at restaurants become ridiculously attractive because hot people who normally work better-paying jobs are forced to wait tables. The hotter your server, the more fucked the economy probably is.

The HWEI is one of the many weird indicators that people have used to make sense of the economy. Advertisements by the United States Marine Corps, sales of men's underwear, and even lipstick sales are just a few of them.

You can expect to see tougher marine recruitment ads on TV in a difficult economy because they meet recruitment goals quickly in down economies. They don't have to worry about scaring people away. Men's underwear sales will dip (that pair might last a little longer) and lipstick sales will go up because it's a relatively inexpensive personal luxury.

Kevin: Damn, my waitress last night was hot, why is she working at The Cheesecake Factory?? According to the Hot Waitress Economic Index, we're definitely heading for a recession.

by Sickomonster March 4, 2025

Theory of Constructed Economics

The argument that "the economy" is not a natural force like weather, but a human-constructed game with invented rules, players (households, firms), and scores (GDP, money). Concepts like "inflation," "unemployment," and "the market" are models we built; they then take on a life of their own and shape our behavior, but they began as ideas, not laws of physics.

*Example: "A 'recession' is two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. GDP itself is a constructed metric invented in the 1930s. The Theory of Constructed Economics shows that the terrifying, objective-sounding force that 'causes' layoffs is actually a story we tell ourselves using numbers we invented. We built the game, forgot we built it, and now tremble at its rules."*

by Abzu Land January 31, 2026

Internal and External Ecology Theory

The study of a community's dual ecological environments. Internal ecology refers to the dynamics of relationships, roles, niches, and resource distribution within the community—its social ecosystem. External ecology is the community's relationship with its physical environment and other surrounding communities. The theory examines how changes in one ecology (e.g., external climate change) force adaptations in the other (internal social structure).

Example: A fishing village faces an external ecological shift: fish stocks collapse. Internal and External Ecology Theory analyzes how this forces a change in the internal ecology: the social role of "fisher" shrinks, new niches like "aquaculturist" or "tourist guide" emerge, and power dynamics shift away from fishing families. The two ecologies are in constant, stressful dialogue.

by Dumuabzu February 5, 2026

Theory of Economic Social Control

The idea that your wallet is a primary tool for steering behavior. It examines how access to resources, job markets, debt, and consumer culture dictates your life choices and keeps you invested in the status quo. Control is achieved by making your survival and social worth dependent on playing by the system's economic rules.

Theory of Economic Social Control Example: The crushing weight of student loans and mortgage debt. This isn't just personal finance; it's a potent form of economic social control. Needing to make huge monthly payments makes you far less likely to risk your stable job by striking, protesting, or starting a radical business. It funnels you into a compliant, productive life path by leveraging your economic vulnerability.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 7, 2026

Psychology of Economical Systems

The study of how human psychology shapes and is shaped by the systems that produce, distribute, and consume goods and services. Economics traditionally assumed rational actors maximizing utility; psychology reveals that humans are predictably irrational—loss-averse, status-conscious, prone to herding, and terrible at probability. The psychology of economical systems explains bubbles (herd behavior, overconfidence), crashes (panic, loss aversion), inequality (status seeking, positional goods), and the persistence of poverty (scarcity mindset, cognitive load). It also examines how economic systems shape psychology in return—creating desires we didn't know we had, defining success in narrow terms, making us feel like winners or losers based on arbitrary metrics.

Example: "She studied the psychology of economical systems during the housing bubble, watching otherwise rational people make obviously terrible decisions. It wasn't stupidity; it was psychology—herd behavior, overconfidence, the thrill of the gamble. The system encouraged it, exploited it, and collapsed when the psychology inevitably turned. The next bubble was already forming."

by Dumu The Void February 16, 2026