"No you see, idiot, uneducated worker, the economy is doing great actually. Now go back to the your 3rd job's shift to barely make ends meet."
it's funny they're trying to gaslight when everything is blatantly more expensive/difficult/annoying than it was even 10 years ago. the america of 2024 makes the america of the 90s look like a paradise. shit is so bad that if you're on the lower end of the socio-economic ladder and on the verge of homelessness, good luck even finding an affordable 20 year old hoopty to sleep in. vans are a luxury.
Media companies are owned by billionaires. They're protecting their investments. The "News" has operated this way for decades.
Gee... I wonder who's spreading that lie? Gosh... I wonder who could benefit from the telling of such lies.
I wonder...
A recession is a word with a specific economic definition and measurement.
It sounds like you're saying that if people feel like there's a recession, it should be called one. That's not a good idea.
What do you think would happen if we stopped using calvinball measurements like GDP and started using metrics based around people's material conditions?
A recession is a word with a specific economic definition and measurement.
Measured by who? Predatory western sociologists-that-wish-they-were-mathematicians whose predictions hold less merit than a meteorologist's when he's three Adios Motherfuckers in? If you still take these banker-priests seriously, that's on you; but what I know is my pension definitely doesn't go as far as it used to even five years ago.
If the economy didn't existentially suck ass in ways that resemble recession, I wouldn't have had to move in with some homies of mine, and I'd still be blissfully on my ones; but no, the economists gotta oversee an unending transfer of wealth until we're all inescapably wage-slave'd so now I gotta live like I'm in fucking college again.
Recession: A period during which economic activity, as measured by gross domestic product, declines for at least two quarters in a row.
The first problem with what you're saying is that you think a recession is some kind of prediction. It's not. It's a measurement of the prior 2 quarters. By definition, it can only be declared for time that already passed.
The second problem with what you're saying is that you think it is a measurement of quality of life, cost of living, or wages. It's not. By definition, it's a measurement of GDP.
I'm not trying to say that I think the economy is good or that people feel good about it. Those are things that have words to describe them, but not the word "recession". By understanding the terminology and using the right words, we can all be on the same page and solve problems.
When the media talks about recession (same as your papers, your favourite news site, it's the media in general), they mean "shit's bad and you're struggling". Same in school, when you learn about a recession, you learn about the simplified definition. That's fine. I don't care what your economics book is saying, I deal with real science, not imaginary shit.
So when people start complaining because their living conditions are getting worse, the same media and the people who suck up to them for some reason (wink wink) come back with "akshully, I think you'll find things aren't that bad because technically, this is not a recession".
The same thing happens when a government counts "unemployment". They define it in such ridiculously restrictive ways that every time they report on it, it magically goes down.
"Oh, you've gotten out of bed at least once in the past 12 hours? Well, that's a job, buddy! Well done, you're now self-employed and can't be counted as unemployed." Telling me "unemployment" is down is meaningless and I couldn't care less. Telling me "it's not a recession so everything is fine, trust me bro" is just as meaningless.
Last I checked the media has said that we were on the very edge of a recession every day for the past 5 years. I guess if you say it long enough, some people will believe you and eventually you'll be right.
This writer needs to lose their job and work as a shelf stocker at WalMart and then be allowed to write this same article again 5 years later.
