The original article was printed in New York magazine and titled "Pessimism Porn". The excerpt below was written by Gordon Kaye, commenting on the aforementioned article, and published in Graphic Design USA. I think the advertising/photography industry would be wise to follow Gordon's advise.
"New York Magazine recently published a brilliant article called "Pessimism Porn", capturing the growing national obsession with surfing the net, lusting after bad economic news. Everyone has their favorite source to satisfy the not-so-secret desire to ogle market volatility, mass layoffs, salary cuts, home foreclosures, plant closings, tax cheats, Ponzi schemes, celebrity bankruptcies, and the like. It hurts so good, and I am as addicted as anyone. In recent days, though, a nagging doubt arises: Could it be that pessimism porn is not merely a guilty pleasure, but an affirmative cause of economic pain? Remember, this is the first recession played out in a totally plugged in, completely connected, 24/7 new cycle age, and the flood of information is as unprecedented as it is overwhelming. Before writing this idea off as crazy talk, consider that our collective fetish for finding and spreading negative news accelerates panic and uncertainty, undermines confidence and blunts action. It is not a healthy pattern for self or society, and I want out. So here is my plan: Avoid business news as much as possible. Resist the temptation to gossip (even if yet another Cabinet member turns out to owe back taxes). Take cold showers as needed. Find at least one bit of good economic news every day and share it with a friend, colleague or loved one."
Amen to that!... OK, so here's some good economic news... the "Beer of the Month Club" has at least one new subscriber. So all of you potential clients saving your "photo dollars" for a rainy day... open up those wallets... we can celebrate a successful shoot afterwards with some cold beer.
1 comment:
Steven, Steven, Steven, what am I going to do with you? Of course none of us normal people like to hear about our neighbors loosing their jobs (mine called yesterday as I poured my coffee to tell me he'd never been fired in his entire life, yet he was now driving home to tell his wife who takes care of their two very young children, that he has just ‘sh-t the bed’ and was now one of those statistics) and certainly no one ever wants to see those people who either lost their jobs or have a mortgage that's about a gazillion miles under water, but the harsh reality and which I just posted on Alpha News this am, is this:
We are not enjoying the concept of pessimism, but are delving into reality and guess what, it is not fun! While many call people like me a pessimist, others recognize that I use a long list of facts and figures to help guide me through this wild ride. These are not pessimistic or optimistic, but real data.
Anyways, my perspective on your commentary is this: If we ignore watching these events in real time and the issues that are affecting us all, then we will never as a country unite and either correct them or toss the bast---ds out! Does it hurt to see the employment numbers or the foreclosures? You bet it does! However, unlike the moron's this morning who may push the market up over a little bitty housing gain, and who are ignoring the trillion dollars in pay options arms that are hanging out there, or have for a moment put aside the unemployment issues in this country or the trillions of dollars that we are spending that will ultimately push rates back into the teens, the rest of us must keep it all in perspective and accept the news as reality. Reality will ultimately breed action as no one wants to stand by and watch AIG, Merrill, Bank of SellAmerica, and others continue to rape and pillage the American economy.
So while you have chosen to not watch the news and which is a position I respect, I am going the opposite way and will most certainly tune out the morons in Washington, but will pay strict attention to the stats and economic data that drives our economy. To me it's all about accountability, ethics, and responsibility, something this country is in dire need of.
Anyways, I thought I would drop you a note to day great site! As always, the forgotten Beaudet or my other alias, "The Beaudet Wannabe". Chow! By the way, it was your ‘Dancing Queen cousin Lisa’ who put me up to looking on your site. Now look what’s she’s made me do! LOL!
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