Strange Bedfellows

Rappers Fail to Rile Up Economist Audience

Heather Horn 145 Views Nov 2, 2010
It seems to take more than some rappers with fake mustaches to unbutton The Economist's Buttonwood Gathering. Planners took a stab at levity this year by inviting the team from EconStories.tv to the event. Attendees were treated to a skit and rap by two men playing famed economists John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek, put together by economist Russ Roberts and producer John Papola with the help of two performers. A quick glance at the shots of the audience, though, reveals a decidedly non-mosh-pit reaction. Rap begins around 1:25.

The other rap featured on a video screen at the beginning is an earlier work of EconStories.tv, wherein Keynes and Hayek attend a conference, Keynes coddled in the lap of luxury but winding up with a nasty hangover from shots poured by bartenders representing Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner. They perform each chorus bobbing around the Wall Street bull statue.

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