Bhagwati on Trade

I listened to all of Mr. Bhagwati's talk and probably half of the gentleman who followed him, a Mr. Slaughter.

What puzzles me is that while both talked about public perception of how global trade affects the American worker, neither mentioned the role played by the propaganda and indoctrination of the media in specific, and of our education system in general. In short, why is the perception the way it is, there are obviously answers to that.

It came as no surprise to me to hear Mr. Slaughter say that polls of High School graduates showed that only 26% gave the opinion that global trade benefited them personally. The reason I am not surprised is that I fullly recognize where the average American laborer gets his news and his information, and it isn't from Cafe Hayek, Reason Magazine, or Liberty Magazine. Most have never heard of Bastiat, Hayek, Freidman, Rhomer, Williams, Sowell, Boudreaux, or Russell. So they fall easy prey for the propaganda of the media and its sycophants that beat the negativity drum when Democrats need to shine a bad light on Republicans and so convince the people to put Democrats in office, and then turn around and beat the drum of positivity when they need to keep Democrats in office and Republicans out.

Unfortunately the way our politics have developed we never seem to be out of an election cycle, the politicing goes on twenty four/seven for all 365 day.

So when and where does the average American laborer hear positives on trade, capitalism, competition, and change?

Unfortunately there is also the bottom line fact that most people operate 95% or better of their time running on reaction to their enculturation not through active thought, and never know it.

There are more and deeper reasons for the public perception being what it is but I am going to leave that part to the independent thought of others.