2008 Woodie Awards
Can't anyone tell me if we're doomed or not?
Jim Elliott
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: Opinion
Originally published: 10/9/08 at 5:46 PM EST
Last update: 10/10/08 at 7:22 AM EST
It seems like I've been hearing and reading phrases like "not since the Great Depression" and "the worst since the Great Depression" everywhere lately. Considering the increasingly disturbing economic-crisis news headlining every single media outlet for weeks, you would think those phrases wouldn't seem strange or out of line. Yet they do seem strange to me.
When I hear references to the Great Depression my mind conjures up images like those in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath." I picture the dust bowl. I imagine desperate families packing up everything they own to move toward the faintest rumor of jobs. I think of large groups of dazed and directionless people with sad, sunken eyes.
Yet if you were to drive down to Consumer Square or the Champlain Mall off of Route 3 this very instant you would see what appears to be the same steady stream of consumers filtering in and out of the parking lots.
I know the 30s were a different time with a different set of circumstances, and that the setting for "The Grapes of Wrath" was intended to characterize a place drastically different from one we live in, but shouldn't I be seeing some sort of impact from all this economic turmoil?
Am I viewing this whole situation too simplistically by expecting to see immediate repercussions from this crisis? Are the effects too subtle to be seen at this point? Or is it that we American consumers are in denial because we're too complacent or arrogant to think this crisis could actually affect us in any significant way and are continuing to consume under the assumption that this will all blow over?
I've been reading about this crisis as much as I have time for recently, but I still have more questions than answers and absolutely no idea of what the future will bring (in that at least I'm sure I have some company). Could things potentially get to be as bad as they were during the Great Depression?
If there is anyone out there who thinks they have a sound enough understanding of this economic crisis and can offer something resembling a complete response to my questions (and maybe others that I didn't think to ask) in 600 to 800 words or so, I'll give up the space allotted for my column to publish it. I don't care whether you are a student, faculty member, or a regular citizen. This invitation/challenge is offered to all takers.
The reason I'm wiling to give up the space for my column without hesitation is because all of you who are reading this right now are going to be affected by this crisis eventually. All of us who are currently enrolled in college throughout this country will probably graduate right around when this country's (and potentially the rest of the globe's) economy is projected by many to be to be in the deepest, darkest period of this recession.
We, as college students, are the future leaders of this nation and its citizens. As such, we need to arm ourselves with the knowledge of exactly what the repercussions may be for this crisis and for the bailout. We need to learn about this in order to protect our families and ourselves. We need to learn about this so we can recognize when mistakes are being made in the future and hopefully avoid another crisis.
So please, is there anyone out there who can explain this crisis in terms we can all understand?
When I hear references to the Great Depression my mind conjures up images like those in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath." I picture the dust bowl. I imagine desperate families packing up everything they own to move toward the faintest rumor of jobs. I think of large groups of dazed and directionless people with sad, sunken eyes.
Yet if you were to drive down to Consumer Square or the Champlain Mall off of Route 3 this very instant you would see what appears to be the same steady stream of consumers filtering in and out of the parking lots.
I know the 30s were a different time with a different set of circumstances, and that the setting for "The Grapes of Wrath" was intended to characterize a place drastically different from one we live in, but shouldn't I be seeing some sort of impact from all this economic turmoil?
Am I viewing this whole situation too simplistically by expecting to see immediate repercussions from this crisis? Are the effects too subtle to be seen at this point? Or is it that we American consumers are in denial because we're too complacent or arrogant to think this crisis could actually affect us in any significant way and are continuing to consume under the assumption that this will all blow over?
I've been reading about this crisis as much as I have time for recently, but I still have more questions than answers and absolutely no idea of what the future will bring (in that at least I'm sure I have some company). Could things potentially get to be as bad as they were during the Great Depression?
If there is anyone out there who thinks they have a sound enough understanding of this economic crisis and can offer something resembling a complete response to my questions (and maybe others that I didn't think to ask) in 600 to 800 words or so, I'll give up the space allotted for my column to publish it. I don't care whether you are a student, faculty member, or a regular citizen. This invitation/challenge is offered to all takers.
The reason I'm wiling to give up the space for my column without hesitation is because all of you who are reading this right now are going to be affected by this crisis eventually. All of us who are currently enrolled in college throughout this country will probably graduate right around when this country's (and potentially the rest of the globe's) economy is projected by many to be to be in the deepest, darkest period of this recession.
We, as college students, are the future leaders of this nation and its citizens. As such, we need to arm ourselves with the knowledge of exactly what the repercussions may be for this crisis and for the bailout. We need to learn about this in order to protect our families and ourselves. We need to learn about this so we can recognize when mistakes are being made in the future and hopefully avoid another crisis.
So please, is there anyone out there who can explain this crisis in terms we can all understand?
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