Are we a "Nation of Whiners"?

[Pangloss]

At risk of misleading people with the subject line, this isn't so much about whether the economy isn't as bad as people think it is, as it is about recognizing that we've kinda had it easy before now, thanks to low energy prices, a strong dollar, and deficit spending.

 

I didn't post anything on the Phil Gramm comments last week for the same reason I didn't post anything on Wesley Clarke's McCain comments, and was proud of the board for not falling for that stuff. But the larger question raised by this particular comment seems worth discussing.

 

The ABC News piece linked below is worth a read (or watch the 3-minute video). Kate Snow spoke with a business professor and consumer psychologist about the subject.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5365939&page=1

 

One of the more interesting points she made:

 

... consumers are more focused on problems on a larger scale, such as troubles in the housing markets and the relative weakness of the dollar, because they have to deal with specific problems on a daily basis, such as rising gas and food prices. When consumers shell out more than $4 per gallon at the gas station, other economic considerations seem closely related and "very real."

 

But her main point seemed to be that we've become used to large growth rates. I would agree with that point with the addition of the empowerment we've enjoyed under low energy prices and deficit spending. We're used to a certain level of "wallet power" (entirely my phrase) that may not really match the realities of the 21st century.

 

I think the media also contributes to the problem, making mountains of of molehills, but of course we've talked about that many times before and it seems redundant to go into it here (unless somebody wants to).

 

The thing I liked about this perspective is that it doesn't suggest that the pressures and concerns people are having aren't real. I think they may be a bit over the top sometimes, and abused by ideologues, but can there really be any question that people are feeling pinched these days, even if for some it only means cut-backs on trips to the movies and Disney World? Cut-backs are cut-backs, and for some it means a lot more than that.

 

What do you all think? Time for society to "man up"?

[iNow]

Many people whine a lot in our society. Just look at the outcry over Wall-E and it's social message.

 

The problems we face are real, and to be frank, yes... we have to man up... cowboy up... grow a spine... suck it up and deal.

 

However, much of that would be made more productive if we weren't collectively spoken to like children. Not all messages are going to be popular, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to tell me the truth.

 

Just my "gut reaction" and "only even prime number" of cents.

[Phi for All]

Whining about this slump won't fix anything, and while I don't think we've had it "easy" (in most contexts), I think we've grown complacent about rapid growth and what we're willing to give up to keep it going. I don't think sucking it up and dealing with it are the right thing to do, either. I think now is the time for looking at effective change.

 

I think we're encouraged to whine about the little things so we don't have time to complain about the big things. We whine about partisan politics when we should be complaining about lack of representation. We whine about the price at the pumps when we should be complaining about subsidized markets and technology suppression. And we whine about high prices instead of complaining about the lack of corporate policy governance.

 

It's a lot like the way we practice medicine. The patient whines about his symptoms, and because the doctor knows the patient is too lazy to attack the problem at its root cause, we're given a pill that ensures we'll be happy, we'll stop whining, and we'll be back. I think we need to "man up" and admit that our effectiveness as a superpower is just about over if we don't start keeping better tabs on that effectiveness. Complaints are effective; increase the whining and you just get more pills.

[Sisyphus]

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/recession_plagued_nation_demands

[Pangloss]

Rofl! "We are in a crisis, and that crisis demands an unviable short-term solution." Classic!

 

I think we're encouraged to whine about the little things so we don't have time to complain about the big things. We whine about partisan politics when we should be complaining about lack of representation. We whine about the price at the pumps when we should be complaining about subsidized markets and technology suppression. And we whine about high prices instead of complaining about the lack of corporate policy governance.

 

Well put.

[bascule]

America is a nation founded by a bunch of whiners who made whining an intrinsic right for any citizen because whining about the government was what eventually lead them to wrest control from the British and become autonomous. Was life under the British really that bad? Or were Americans just unrealistically vocal about what were relatively minor problems?

 

I think whining is bred into American culture and is an intrinsic part of the American identity. So yes, we are a nation of whiners, but it isn't a bad thing.

[john5746]

 

 

Whiner!

[Pangloss]

He's the one person who gets a pass on the whining, though.

[DJBruce]

In some sense I would say it is time to man up in that people need to recognize they made poor financial choices and decided that they need to work hard and work there way out from under this mess. Instead of waiting for the federal government to bail them out.

 

Also I believe that we as a country must man up and admit that we have screwed up in putting all of our eggs in a very very unstable basket. From there we need to move on find new energies. But while we are developing those we need to realize things are going to be tough and that we are going to have to make sacrifices.

[bascule]

In some sense I would say it is time to man up in that people need to recognize they made poor financial choices and decided that they need to work hard and work there way out from under this mess. Instead of waiting for the federal government to bail them out.

 

Unfortunately, the biggest f*ckups, like Bear Stearns, already got bailed out by the federal government with taxpayer money.

[DJBruce]

I do not agree with the goverment bailing out corperations but I am not against them proping up banks in order to keep the publics money safe.