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Media at its best?
OK, I have been trying to figure
out how this whole economic collapse started and carried through in a manner of
a couple of weeks and how it happened to occur right at a critical time of an
election. Regardless of who you were cheering for, you have to admit that the
crisis came at exactly the right time to change the direction of politics in the
USA. So, I started to go back and reflect a little bit and I noticed a
pattern. This year there was a definite increase in interest related to news on
the election both through standard print and television media as well as
internet media. I also noted that there was a sudden increase in opinion and
‘talking head’ editorials related to the condition of the economy spreading fear
amongst many people who had not paid attention to the subject in the past and a
rash of acidic blogging most of which was not based in reality on any side.
While several Wall Street firms
became troubled a few months ago, based upon poor asset decisions, overall the
economy was in good shape. People were buying items and generally doing the
things that are required in a good economy while a relatively small handful were
running into trouble with their mortgages. Let’s just say that there was a
strong media push for months concerning how the housing bubble was going to
collapse and a definite push that gasoline costs were going to continue to
skyrocket. The general feel that I had been observing was that most of the
costs and other issues were accelerated by media coverage. The pen mightier
than the sword? Now add in television and the internet…
Now I watch the news and the
very people on Wall Street that gave advice that led us into our present
economic and unemployment condition are recommending that the big three
automotive companies should declare bankruptcy in order to eliminate unions,
EXISTING and future pensions, benefits, re-organize and/or be taken over by
foreign companies that are somehow more innovative than US-based companies?!?
When you start taking a close look at the reasons for all of this, one thing
comes to mind – there is a 24 hour news cycle nowadays, and if you cannot find
news that sells advertising – generate it.
In the world of the media FEAR
sells. Right now I keep hearing about how terrible the Christmas (yes, I dare
spell out the whole holiday name – I am not a ‘PC’ kinda guy) season is going to
be for retailers, yet I can’t get anywhere near a mall right now anywhere that I
travel. So, what is being reported does not appear to match what is going on
the ground, as in the past, until people react and it goes the direction that
the media sends us.
It did not help that Congress
and the Senate acted on fear and against the wishes of their constituencies by
voting for the $700B bailout package that triggered the spiraling stock market.
It is quite interesting that the main purpose it was set up for has become quite
muddy and it is now being used as a method to do so many other things that don’t
appear to be in the interest of the very people it was supposed to help. I
mean, give me $170B to have a few parties, I will be glad to send a thank you
note.
So, here we are, the general
media has managed to succeed in developing news and scare the hell out of the
entire world at this point. So, what can we do? How do we respond?
I am calling for a boycott of
the news media – all news media, including blogs – on December 8, 2008, for 24
hours EST (12:01am to 11:59pm). I wonder how many of us are so addicted to the
media now that we cannot get away from it for 24 hours? I also am going to call
for people to go out and spend at least $1 dollar on themselves or someone else
(at least a cup of coffee!). I also ask that this message is forwarded to
whoever you wish.
Now, before some of you jump on
me for this call for boycott, I have not done a call like this in the 25 years
that I have been in the public eye. I am just tired of watching my fellow
humans being toyed with, to the benefit of one industry, so I am acting on it.
I am tired of watching retirement incomes go away, pure negativism being spewed,
companies collapsing, people losing their homes, etc. It is time for us to act
whether you are in the USA or elsewhere.
Can we, average citizens, have
an impact? Show me.
Sincerely,
Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP
President, SUCCESS by DESIGN
www.motordoc.com
howard@motordoc.com
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