Nope there's a word beyond depression on the economic scale that's not even being talked about yet. The word is 'die-off.' It's what happens when you have a global depression that takes out food and other necessities. People simply die-off.
Dada apologizes for today's dark imagery, butour topic is economics for Pete's sake. (Sorry)
Recession: An economic slowdown "officially declared after two consecutive quarters of reduced gross domestic product" or recognition by government economists of increasing societal miseries, whichever comes last. (Sorry, I couldn't resist a dig at the the Bush administration's somnambulists who suddenly regained coherence yesterday by realizing we've actually been in a recession for the entire past year!)
Depression: Something we've heard about, studied or seen pictures of but only a small minority have ever actually experienced. A condition the entire Earth may now be on the doorstep of, but don't expect governments and their economists to acknowledge until being chased into the hills to save their asses from hordes of rabble.
Die-off: What follows a great depression. Something in all my economics classes I'd never heard of until today but I suspect is what - on a visceral level - attracted me to the 'dismal science.' That is, like other academic disciplines such as history or microbiology (viruses, plagues, etc.), economics contains a dark element that can kill us all!
Have a nice day.
7 comments:
I'm sure the folks already living in tent cities, and those who lost their homes and can't find work will be happy to know this "breaking news" of the recession.
Although, Im thinking they figured it out a while ago.
It's classic Bush-- just like we are not in a war, we are installing democracy, therefore we could take "detainees", that are not prisoners of war.
It's pretty much been this word play stuff from the beginning- it was not a stolen election, it was just decided by the Supreme court.
The Geneva Conventions were open for interpretation, so waterboarding is not torture.
Abu Ghraib was just a few bad apples.
Just ignore reality & listen to & trust the government.
I compare the economy to Katrina....
It s the Katrina of economies...
face dwon n the water & government people in charge of fixing it make it worse...
with Katrina it was FEMA,
with the economy it is Paulson & his weekly change & tap dance... you can just tell he can;t wait to be relieved of his position, but I am guessing that $700 billion will be gone by the time of the changing of the guard, or regime if you will.
In other news, I saw a political cartoon- a spaceship with aliens talking to Bush-- the aliens saying--" on second thought, take us to your leader elect".....
Neo-Depression: Living under a freeway overpass in a box wondering where it all went wrong. Yet still wondering if you should invest in that algae plant in El Paso.
But, but, FRAN! Weren't you moved the other day by that pitiful expression on Bush's face as he expressed sympathy for those suffering from his economy? How could you NOT be touched by such a display of sincere empathy?
xandtrek: Again, welcome! I think "Phase II" - under the fwy overpass - I'll do w/o the cardboard box. This is gonna be total freedom! (..."just another word for nothing left to lose" [or worry about]).
I've not heard of the algae plant but, alas, who has anything left to invest in much of anything?
Are you patronizing us, Dada? Just when I was resigning myself to 'mass extinction,' now I have to deal with a dumbed-down equivalent: 'die-off.' Or maybe the scope of die-off is more limited? Either way, I've been collecting pecans on my afternoon walks, so I'm feeling a little more secure, barring a spike in the ground squirrel population.
Yes Dada, I missed the Bush sympathy speech. Or did I?
Steve: Sadly, I'm now pessimistic my future hopes for mankind were too optimistic!
I don't see the total extinction of the species Homo sapiens as I originally envisioned. (Not anytime soon anyway.)
But all is not lost, i.e., a die-off, especially a mass die-off, ain't all that bad.
So, continue to walk (more and more) and collect those pecans whilst doing so and, for a small price of a High Desert ESB or IPA or two, I promise to not alert the largest grower of pecans in the Southwest, Stahlman Farms, why the pecan crop likely won't meet their expectations this year.
Fran: Not sure whether you missed Bush's sympathy speech or not, after all, he's sounded sorry every time I've heard him speak these past 8 years.
Why, come to think of it, he even sounded sorry as our gov'ner before his appt. to the WH.
(I guess he's just a sorry sumbitch! QED)
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