It turns out that those aren't the things that are really distracting.

Another distraction is exaggerating the threat of inflation.

For Summers, the problem is that there is so much that is distracting, confusing, and problem denying in the first year course in most PhD programs.

For Summers, the problem is that there is so much that is distracting, confusing, and problem denying in the first year course in most PhD programs. As a result, even though economics knows a fair amount, it has forgotten a fair amount that is relevant, and it has been distracted by an enormous amount.