No, We Don’t Know What This Means Either

A bunch of people have asked what the illustration that accompanied our latest N.Y. Times column is supposed to mean. Honestly, I have no idea. If you want to see a considerably less abstruse illustration concerning Freakonomics, take a look at this. It was done by a Portuguese artist, Goncalo Viana, to illustrate our Times column as it is carried in a newspaper in Portugal. Here is Viana’s online portfolio, which includes some of his “Freakonomics” illustrations. As for the caricature of Levitt and me: First of all, Levitt and I have never worn matching shirts. Further, I think Levitt makes out quite a bit better than me; while I refuse to find anti-Semitic undertones in the devil horn that crept into my hairline, I do admit slight displeasure that my nose has been made to look like a human tush.