Included in The Best American Essays 2009
is Michael Lewis's account of living in a mansion in New Orleans. A mansion that ultimately evicts him. It's really a fun tale and worth a read. He describes his definition of upper middle class:
Upper middle class: That’s how I’ve always thought of myself. Upper
middle class is the class into which I was born, the class to which I
was always told I belonged, and the class with which, until this
moment, I’d never had a problem. Upper middle class is a sneaky
designation, however. It’s a way of saying “I’m well-off” without
having to say “I’m rich,” even if, by most standards, you are.
Upper-middle-classness has allowed me to feel like I’m not only
competing in the same financial league as most Americans—I’m winning!
Playing in the middle class, I have enjoyed huge success.
A political scientist wins the Nobel Prize in Economics.
Desperate for work.
Apt. 11d 
Well, the Nobel *Memorial* Prize. Not to be confused with The Prize. The economics prize is the Nobel Prize with an asterisk. They even treat it differently in subtle ways at the big ceremony. Kinda funny.
Still a huge honor, of course. Plus, she shared it was a guy from Cal! Gotta love it. Both from public institutions. Go public option!
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oh, I missed that important word. Thanks for the clarification. Yeah, it is cool that they’re both from public institutions. Especially since those universities are probably facing cuts from state budgets.
Check out that Lewis essay. It’s a little gem.
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I just read the Lewis essay. Very cute. I like the section where he realizes that it’s just impossible to have a pool without an attached pool house.
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If you want to read some bitter, sexist crap from some economics grad students about Ostrom, click here. What turds!
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Anybody know if Nobel (Memorial) winning Ostrom is related to social psychologist Thomas Ostrom? They would have been about the same age.
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Turds, indeed.
As my dad, a sort-of economist, pointed out to me tonight: they couldn’t very well give it to any macroeconomists or forecasters this year! Or next. Or maybe even the year after that….
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My least-unfavorite part of that comment thread was around page 25, where someone pointed out that among other things, Ostrom’s theory predicts why it’s impossible to exert social pressure to maintain civility on a messageboard on which everyone posts anonymously.
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