Open Market

Enlisting readers in a hunt for answers.

During the financial crisis, the bank-run scene from “It’s A Wonderful Life” proved a useful pop-culture reference for helping people understand what was happening to the economy.

This whole debt ceiling debacle and its potential consequences are similarly confusing, especially if you’re just tuning in now. It would be nice if there were a similar popular allusion to help people make sense of the debate. Yesterday I asked the Twitterverse for suggestions, and so far I’ve heard “Thelma and Louise,”  the end of “Planet of the Apes” and “Jackass: The Movie.“ Those aren’t exactly the kind of analogies I was looking for, but hey, they’re amusing all the same.

So readers, what do you think? Is there a film or other cultural touchstone that can help people understand the debt limit discussions and their potential consequences?

Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9442f02f00b2d900fdd92de70da39ecc