NPR explains entire meltdown, sweetly

All right. Confused by the whole concept of the "Ponzi Scheme?" What is it? How does it happen?
Listen to this, then.
From NPR, Chicago Public Radio and This American Life producer Alex Blumberg, a 5-minute primer on why the whole economy is going down in flames, illustrated by an incident in a primary school in the early 1980's.

Today, Josh Bearman has gone straight. He's a successful writer in Los Angeles. But he was briefly a criminal mastermind — in 1980 — when he transferred to a new school in Minneapolis and joined the third grade.

It was a fancy school where all the kids had fancy snacks like chewy granola bars and Rice Krispies treats.

Bearman himself grew up in a spartan home with no sugar.

To make matters worse, kids wouldn't just eat their lunches — they'd flaunt them. Every day, a brisk trade in lunch snacks would take place. Kids would pile all their best items onto one main table and start bartering.

This is 5 minutes of your life you will not regret. Or forget.