Note the phrase: "______ will hurt the economy"

Those who say "________ will hurt the economy" are actually saying "________ will hurt MY economy."


Economies are sprouting and dying every second. This morning when I bought a coffee from the local coffee shop I started and ended an economy between me and the coffee shop.  You could say I hurt the economy of another coffee shop by not buying there but yet the macro-economy of coffee buying remains the same regardless of which shop I went to.

So, in the context of all this hurting, how does one define The Economy?  Where does one draw a circle around transactions and call it The Economy?  The Earth?  The USA?  The local coffee shop?

When the statement "________ will hurt the economy"  is used, it is being drawn by the speaker around his or her own interests.