Black Friday and the Media

As I have previously mentioned, I am still trying to understand the general media's reasons for wanting to cause more trouble with the economy, other than human suffering generates news. So far, I keep hearing about how things are going to get worse because people aren't out shopping and are holding back on purchases. Yet, all across the USA I have watched and tried to get anywhere near malls and stores for the past month.

This morning at 12:01am, stores opened following Thanksgiving. We were stuck at several exits returning to Old Saybrook due to lines on I-95 that stretched for miles as people exited into the Outlet malls that opened their sales at midnight. Local news reports discussed extremely long lines for people waiting to get into stores and, more importantly, very long lines at checkout counters.

We sat in traffic to get past the lines in the twin non-hybrid Tahoe and discovered that it cost us well over a gallon versus the less than gallon for sitting in traffic for 3.5 hours in the hybrid.

Send a message to the media about the spread of fear that is generating problems for our economy. Go to http://www.motordoc.com/boycott.htm and send others to the link. It is time for the general public to finally be heard concerning the negative messages coming from the general media.

December 8 2008 Media Boycott!

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. (You can forward this message by selecting the mail icon below).

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, a small group of maintenance and related professionals have an impact? Show me.

Sincerely,
Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP
President, SUCCESS by DESIGN
www.motordoc.com
howard@motordoc.com