--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A quick quiz. What do the following…" description: "\"“A quick quiz. What do the following events have in common? The war in Iraq. The Exxon Valdez oil spill. The rise in America’s prison population. The a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/eric-weiner-1843_oil-spill_a-quick-quiz-what-do-the-following-event_1006398.jpg" --- # A quick quiz. What do the following events have in common?… ![“A quick quiz. What do the following events have in common? The war in Iraq. The Exxon Valdez oil spill. The rise in America’s prison population. The answer: They all contribute to our nation’s gross national product, or what’s now referred to as gross domestic product, or GDP, and therefore all…” quote by Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/eric-weiner-1843_oil-spill_a-quick-quiz-what-do-the-following-event_1006398.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/eric-weiner-1843_oil-spill_a-quick-quiz-what-do-the-following-event_1006398.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/eric-weiner-1843_oil-spill_a-quick-quiz-what-do-the-following-event_1006398.jpg) > ““A quick quiz. What do the following events have in common? The war in Iraq. The Exxon Valdez oil spill. The rise in America’s prison population. The answer: They all contribute to our nation’s gross national product, or what’s now referred to as gross domestic product, or GDP, and therefore all are considered “good,” at least in the dismal eyes of economists.”” [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how economists label harmful events as positive because they increase GDP, ignoring social costs. **In simple terms:** Economists call harmful events “good” if they raise GDP. Key Takeaway Question the true value of economic growth. Themes economics environment justice policy metrics Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - policy making - environmental activism - education - public debate Key Concepts GDP externalities costbenefit analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do we measure progress beyond GDP? - What policies could reflect true well‑being? A Different Perspective GDP ignores social and environmental harms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Oil spill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oil-spill/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Our gross domestic product, or GDP, is barely above 1 percent. And going down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/our-gross-domestic-product-or-gdp-is-barely-above-1-percent-and-going/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Has the United States been blessed for its critical role in Israel’s re-birth? Financially, America has certainly prospered. In the intervening 65 years since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/has-the-united-states-been-blessed-for-its-critical-role-in-israel-s/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [When the Exxon Valdez spilled in 1989, I was angry. I even wrote on the back of my car, Boycott Exxon!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-paul/when-the-exxon-valdez-spilled-in-1989-i-was-angry-i-even-wrote-on-the/) [Alexandra Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-paul/) > [Ecologically speaking, a spilt tanker load is like sticking a safety pin into an elephant's foot. The planet barely notices. After the Exxon Valdez…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-clarkson/ecologically-speaking-a-spilt-tanker-load-is-like-sticking-a-safety/) [Jeremy Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-clarkson/) > [“You’ve heard of the famous Exxon Valdez tanker spill, where a tanker ran into the rocks in Alaska. Thirty million gallons of crude oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/you-ve-heard-of-the-famous-exxon-valdez-tanker-spill-where-a-tanker/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [What people unfortunately relate to when they think of Alaska oil was when the Exxon Valdez went aground because of a captain that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-murkowski/what-people-unfortunately-relate-to-when-they-think-of-alaska-oil-was/) [Lisa Murkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-murkowski/) > [Exxon fought claims resulting from the Exxon Valdez spill in court for 20 years. Alabama could have suffered the same fate. What would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-strange/exxon-fought-claims-resulting-from-the-exxon-valdez-spill-in-court/) [Luther Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-strange/) > [The Exxon Valdez spill triggered a swift and strong response that changed policies about shipping, about double-hulled construction. A number of laws came into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-exxon-valdez-spill-triggered-a-swift-and-strong-response-that/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [My second ex-wife was really kind of like a ship passing in the night. Only she turned out to be the Exxon Valdez.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/my-second-ex-wife-was-really-kind-of-like-a-ship-passing-in-the-night/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [How can we teach our children to be responsible beyond themselves and care for other human beings' welfare and for the welfare of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-reuben/how-can-we-teach-our-children-to-be-responsible-beyond-themselves-and/) [Gloria Reuben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-reuben/) > [At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/at-present-we-are-stealing-the-future-selling-it-in-the-present-and/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [The GDP approach doesn't address many aspects of human life: health, education, political liberty, religious liberty, employment opportunities. And these are not all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-c-nussbaum/the-gdp-approach-doesn-t-address-many-aspects-of-human-life-health/) [Martha C. Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) > [“Gross Domestic Product—the substitution, in effect, of ideas for physical value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/gross-domestic-product-the-substitution-in-effect-of-ideas-for/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [The economy of the United States gross domestic product doubled from 1996 to 2015, doubled, more than, $8.8 trillion to $17.1 trillion. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/the-economy-of-the-united-states-gross-domestic-product-doubled-from/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [By 2030, up to 10 percent of the world's gross domestic product could be linked to space in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-taylor/by-2030-up-to-10-percent-of-the-world-s-gross-domestic-product-could/) [Dylan Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-taylor/) ## More by Eric Weiner > [We can't love a place or a person if we always have one foot out the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-can-t-love-a-place-or-a-person-if-we-always-have-one-foot-out-the/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“Money sometimes buys happiness. You have to break it down, though. Money is a means to an end. The problem is when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/money-sometimes-buys-happiness-you-have-to-break-it-down-though-money/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“My way of thinking is completely different,” he says. “I have no such mountains to scale; basically, I find that living itself is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/my-way-of-thinking-is-completely-different-he-says-i-have-no-such/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“Social scientists estimate that about 70 percent of our happiness stems from our relationships, both quantity and quality, with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/social-scientists-estimate-that-about-70-percent-of-our-happiness/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“It is not the skills we actually have that determine how we feel but the ones we think we have" ... we experience flow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/it-is-not-the-skills-we-actually-have-that-determine-how-we-feel-but/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“In a nutshell, Gross National Happiness seeks to measure a nation’s progress not by its balance sheet but rather by the happiness—or unhappiness—of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/in-a-nutshell-gross-national-happiness-seeks-to-measure-a-nation-s/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [You look around the world at geniuses, and they don't appear randomly, they appear in genius clusters. Athens in 50 BC, Florence 1500, Silicon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/you-look-around-the-world-at-geniuses-and-they-don-t-appear-randomly/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [What is the ideal audio atmosphere for creativity and it turns out it is not complete silence, and it is not a very loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/what-is-the-ideal-audio-atmosphere-for-creativity-and-it-turns-out-it/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“Bhutan is the land of la. The monosyllabic word serves as all-purpose affirmation, honorific, and verbal tic. Mostly, it is a softener, appended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/bhutan-is-the-land-of-la-the-monosyllabic-word-serves-as-all-purpose/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“He tells me of one American woman, forty-five years old, who was able to conceive only after being blessed by the Holy Dildo. That’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/he-tells-me-of-one-american-woman-forty-five-years-old-who-was-able/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“We need to a new word to describe Swiss happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-need-to-a-new-word-to-describe-swiss-happiness/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“The narrator, in a voice-of-God tenor, explains the experiment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/the-narrator-in-a-voice-of-god-tenor-explains-the-experiment/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“Yes, but it doesn’t matter, Csíkszentmihalyi argues. Either way, we experience flow, a state of mind where we are so engaged in an activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/yes-but-it-doesn-t-matter-cs-kszentmihalyi-argues-either-way-we/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“Maybe happiness is this: not feeling like you should be elsewhere, doing something else, being someone else. Maybe the current conditions in Switzerland .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/maybe-happiness-is-this-not-feeling-like-you-should-be-elsewhere/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“Everyone has their own idea of happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/everyone-has-their-own-idea-of-happiness/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) [Explore all 194 Eric Weiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) ## More Oil spill quotes > [There could be oil coming up until August.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/there-could-be-oil-coming-up-until-august/) [Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/) > [Given Mr. Obama's lack of experience as an executive, and his past performance in crises such as the oil spill, it is reasonable for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-talent/given-mr-obama-s-lack-of-experience-as-an-executive-and-his-past/) [Jim Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-talent/) > [Disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, floods, oil spills and radioactive fallout cause massive death of people, pigs, bats and birds. These disasters also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stamets/disasters-such-as-earthquakes-tsunamis-volcanoes-floods-oil-spills/) [Paul Stamets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stamets/) > [After the oil spill, I had this strong feeling that if I ever were to be blessed in having children, I never wanted my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/after-the-oil-spill-i-had-this-strong-feeling-that-if-i-ever-were-to/) [Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/) > [“I cooked with so many of the greats: Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert, Wylie Dufresne, Grant Achatz. Rick Bayless taught me not one but two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-ballis/i-cooked-with-so-many-of-the-greats-tom-colicchio-eric-ripert-wylie/) [Stacey Ballis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-ballis/) > [All my journalism, all my books are first person, and it's all memoir. Even when I'm writing about the oil spill in the Gulf,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/all-my-journalism-all-my-books-are-first-person-and-it-s-all-memoir/) [Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/) > [The Porter Ranch situation is the BP oil spill on land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brockovich/the-porter-ranch-situation-is-the-bp-oil-spill-on-land/) [Erin Brockovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brockovich/) > [Alabama has made great progress in proving that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean are liable for the devastating effects of the oil spill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-strange/alabama-has-made-great-progress-in-proving-that-bp-halliburton-and/) [Luther Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-strange/) > [“Did You Know? The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska, the Challenger space shuttle disaster, and the Chernobyl nuclear accident have all been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-blumenthal/did-you-know-the-1989-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-off-alaska-the/) [Brett Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-blumenthal/) > [Arcitc Harp seal pup populations are declining as they are commercially hunted for oil and fur and global warming causes the ice where pups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-helene/arcitc-harp-seal-pup-populations-are-declining-as-they-are/) [Zoe Helene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-helene/) > [I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have been very, very modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hayward/i-think-the-environmental-impact-of-this-disaster-is-likely-to-have/) [Tony Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hayward/) > [“Everybody is comparing the oil spill to Hurricane Katrina, but the real parallel could be the Iranian hostage crisis. In the late 1970s, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/everybody-is-comparing-the-oil-spill-to-hurricane-katrina-but-the/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [They said the black oil wouldn't come ashore. Well, it is ashore. It's here to stay and it's going to keep coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-nungesser/they-said-the-black-oil-wouldn-t-come-ashore-well-it-is-ashore-it-s/) Billy Nungesser > [If you ask the fish whether they'd rather have an oil spill or a season of fishing, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd vote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/if-you-ask-the-fish-whether-they-d-rather-have-an-oil-spill-or-a/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [Have you been following the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Or as we call it now, the Dead Sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/have-you-been-following-the-big-oil-spill-in-the-gulf-of-mexico-or-as/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) [Browse all 76 Oil spill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oil-spill/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A quick quiz. What do the following events have in common? The war in Iraq. The Exxon Valdez oil spill. The rise in America’s prison population. 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