From ABBA to Led Zeppelin: using music to teach economics
From ABBA to Led Zeppelin: using music to teach economics

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The Fear - Lily Allen

JEL: a d     

I want to be rich and I want lots of money
I don’t care about clever I don’t care about funny
I want loads of clothes and loads of diamonds
I heard people die while they are trying to find them

And I am a weapon of massive consumption
And its not my fault it’s how I’m programmed to function
I’ll look at the sun and I’ll look in the mirror
I’m on the right track yeah we're on to a winner

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Assignment:

In "The Fear," Lily Allen sings about a young woman who lives in a trailer but dreams about living with unlimited resources in a large estate. The narrator's utility for some costly but tangible goods (such as clothes and diamonds) is high. On the other hand, her utility for some intangible but costless goods (qualities of cleverness and funniness) is very low. Are these bundles of goods comparable? If not, why not? Why doesn't the narrator care about the clever/funny bundle, especially if it does not have a traditional market value? How does the narrator view clothes and diamonds? Does some of their value come from something other than their market price? What are the trade offs between these two bundles? Also, what is a weapon of massive consumption anyways?

[Provided by Katharine Bigott - Beloit College]

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