Bee Movie has captured the essence of Hazlitt's Economics In One Lesson.
The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy ... [italics are original]
WARNING - PLOT DETAILS FOLLOW
One story arc of Bee Movie features a bee's response to finding out that humans take their honey; in contemporary fashion, he sues (get it ... sue bee). He wins his case.
Then the economics starts. Bees reclaim all their honey and stop working because of their new found riches. So plants go unpollinated, and are not replaced by new ones as the old ones die.
The short-run effect of the court victory is positive, but the long-run consequences are both dire and unforeseen.
Anyway, Hollywood triteness follows: disaster looms, disaster is narrowly averted, and their is much rejoicing (the inside joke). Of course, there is no mention of how one actually undoes bad policy choices, or whether that is even possible.
This is good fodder for people looking for lighter classroom activities that get at deeper issues.
