Post by Cornflake on Nov 6, 2009 10:04:10 GMT -5
In the last few days, I've had a number of discussions with people about how bad the economy is around here. Last night, a woman I know was telling me about how her son and son-in-law are both unemployed, and how hard things are for them. Several people have mentioned that business is way off and they're drumming their fingers on the table at work.
Yesterday, I was talking to a guy who works for a liquor distributor. He was telling me about his financial woes. "Of course," he said, "it's not so bad when everyone you know is in the same boat. If you're doing badly and everyone else is doing well, you figure you screwed up. If everyone's doing badly, you just figure that's how things are."
This wasn't an entirely novel idea. Its accuracy struck me, though. In a way I'd been relieved to hear friends talk about how rotten business was for them, probably for exactly the reason this guy mentioned. I was thinking about how a lot of people I know actually seem to enjoy talking about how bad things are at the moment, and hearing such talk from others.
After the economy tanked, particularly around here, I decided early on that I wouldn't complain. I know that I have nothing to complain about compared to many. It's dawning on me, though, that a lot of people want to hear everyone else complain. Maybe we should all bitch more as an act of kindness to our friends and neighbors.
Yesterday, I was talking to a guy who works for a liquor distributor. He was telling me about his financial woes. "Of course," he said, "it's not so bad when everyone you know is in the same boat. If you're doing badly and everyone else is doing well, you figure you screwed up. If everyone's doing badly, you just figure that's how things are."
This wasn't an entirely novel idea. Its accuracy struck me, though. In a way I'd been relieved to hear friends talk about how rotten business was for them, probably for exactly the reason this guy mentioned. I was thinking about how a lot of people I know actually seem to enjoy talking about how bad things are at the moment, and hearing such talk from others.
After the economy tanked, particularly around here, I decided early on that I wouldn't complain. I know that I have nothing to complain about compared to many. It's dawning on me, though, that a lot of people want to hear everyone else complain. Maybe we should all bitch more as an act of kindness to our friends and neighbors.
