I often think about this Chomsky quote when thinking about politics, economics, the rate of inflation, how much debt, etc and people’s actions in this crazy world we live in.

“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum. Even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense the there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of debate”.

Ps - “The natural state of a free market is deflation” is outside those presuppositions