Talk of Troubled Times

The one thing we owe to all this recession schmesession is the potential it has for conversation.

We all love to complain. And once the signal turns green, we can launch into a series of anecdotes, ‘tsk tsk’ at the downfall of the dollar, and list out the names of close friends / relatives affected by the splurge of job cuts.

An awkward date can turn into a conversation smooth enough to rival one of 007’s chat-up lines. Over coffee, the men attempt to predict when the economy will finally revive, the Stepford’s fret over whether or not their husbands will be able to gift them this Spring’s Gucci, and mother’s exchange figures of their children’s friends who’ve had to drop out of school.

It’s a food fight of buzzwords like ‘slump’ and ‘lay-offs.’ It’s a horror movie with villanous bonus-dispensing CEO’s and victimized Merril Lynch’ers. Everyone’s heard of the ‘R’ word, and even a 5-year-old could point out that the Credit Crunch is not a new Nestle’ product.

Frankly i’m tired. Tired of every new subject I bring up stubbornly retracting back to the ‘current economic situation.’
I’d like to be able to talk about the weather, without having someone point out that the recent rainfall is a reflection of the gloom of the markets. Convocation ceremonies are clouded over with whispers of ‘It’s a shame. What a terrible time to graduate.’ The joy of a new addition to the family is quashed by the worry of up-keep. Even the secure individuals live a wary existence, just waiting for the metaphorical axe to fall.

Sometimes I find myself actually believing that we have a soft spot for all this gloom and doom. We love the drama it brings, the stories we have to tell, and for some perverse reason we’re kinda fond of the fear of the unknown. Maybe we’re just tired of the monotony of routine, the safety net of a secure existence.

And I just dedicated an entire post to the subject I claim to be whinging about. Proof enough.

The human psyche..go figure.

Cheers (?)

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