first racoon

the new deal was the u.s. government's huge "oh shit" response to the great depression in the 1930s. when the stock market crashed in 1929, unemployment hit nearly 25%, banks were collapsing left and right, and people were literally lining up for bread. fdr (franklin d. roosevelt), who became president in 1933, rolled out the new deal as an emergency playbook to save the economy and calm the chaos.

basically, the washington consensus is the name for a set of economic policies that came out of washington, d.c., in the late 1980s. picture this: latin american countries were dealing with debt crises, inflation through the roof, and overall economic chaos. so, economists from places like the imf, world bank, and the u.s. treasury got together and said, "alright, here's the game plan to fix this."

the game plan boiled down to about ten policies, stuff like:
- cut government spending
- open up to international trade
- privatize state-owned companies
- encourage foreign investment
- deregulate industries
- keep taxes simpler and broader

the thinking was, if you let markets work freely, economies would stabilize and grow. in theory, it makes sense. in practice? mixed results.

some countries saw short-term growth and lower inflation. others ended up with higher unemployment, growing inequality, and economies that were basically built for foreign investors rather than local people. it often felt like the medicine was worse than the disease, especially when governments slashed spending on healthcare and education just to balance their books.

the name itself came from an economist named john williamson, who wrote it down as more of an observation than a commandment, but it took off because it perfectly described the economic "starter pack" washington was pushing at the time.

today, people use the term either as a neutral description of free-market reform or, more often, as a critique of globalization and how rich countries try to shape poorer ones in their image. if you ever hear someone complain about "neoliberalism," they're probably talking about some version of the washington consensus.

buttercup refers to any plant in the genus ranunculus, which includes about 600 species of herbaceous flowering plants.

these plants are known for their bright yellow, cup-shaped flowers and are commonly found in meadows and gardens worldwide. image

world-systems theory is a social science theory developed by immanuel wallerstein in the 1970s.

it explains global inequality by viewing the world as a single interconnected economic system, where countries are divided into three types:

- core countries: wealthy, powerful, industrialized nations.
- semi-periphery countries: in-between nations, developing economies that have some industry but still depend on core countries.
- periphery countries: poorer, less developed countries that mainly export raw materials and labor to core countries.

the system is based on exploitation:
core countries exploit both the semi-periphery and the periphery for cheap labor and raw materials, keeping them dependent and underdeveloped.

1- core country example:
united states, germany, japan
explanation: high technology, advanced industries, strong political power. they manufacture goods from raw materials imported from poorer countries and export finished products globally.

2- semi-periphery country example:
mexico, brazil, south africa
explanation: countries that have growing industries and some political power, but still depend on core countries for capital and technology.

3- periphery country example:
bangladesh, ethiopia, democratic republic of congo
explanation: these countries primarily export raw materials (like cotton, coffee, or minerals) and cheap labor to richer countries.

in anthropology, role reversal refers to situations where individuals or groups temporarily exchange their usual social roles or statuses. this can happen in rituals, festivals, or social practices, often to challenge or reinforce societal structures, relieve social tension, or allow expression of repressed behaviors.

it's a way societies explore power dynamics, hierarchy, and cultural norms usually in controlled environments where the normal rules are suspended.