Recession Silver Lining? You Betcha!

Yes, this "Great Recession" reminds all of us of something we don't like to talk about--but must!

And, it's a truth that Congress, Hollywood, and Madison Avenue doesn't want you to think about:














IMAGE IS NOTHING!

That's right. And, it's hard for me to say that seeing as how I've spent the last 21-years of my professional life in a business that's built up on style over substance. But that doesn't make it any less true.

And, the proof is all around us: a struggling financial sector, the health care reform controversy (-ies), Washington politics, unemployment, and debt out of this nation's collective ass. And, the result of seeing what a fat, lazy nation we've become is the fruit of "image is everything".

Proof? Think back before this time last year, the stock market was soaring above 14,000, housing prices were booming, and hardly anybody had heard of Bernie Madoff except those who were collecting nice checks from what "looked like" a track record of great deals (minus the warnings from those who weren't buying Bernie's image). And, every single thing I just mentioned was nothing but "image"--and back in late August of 2008, **image was everything**.

And, ever since? My, oh my, what a lie! And, you know, it's been a flaming hayride down the hill pretty much ever since. And, to think--some of the very same folks who perpetuated **the lie** are some of the same people some are counting on to lead us out of this mess. And, I call that the residuals of **the lie**.

But, give "The Great Recession" its due-- it did strip away **the lie**. A-I-G was the first domino, and then they all started to fall down, and we got to see the ugly truth: greed run amok in the financial sector, and Washington politicians caught with their pants down covering for their buddies. But, I'm not done, and this is the part that's going to hurt: a good chunk of the responsibility falls on a fat, lazy general public that has a collective debt problem of its own that it doesn't want to deal with (see massive credit card debt, financed consumer items that go down in value like autos, big-screen TVs, boats, personal watercraft and clothes--and that's just the start)--all in the name of fitting the "image" of being rich--when in reality, they're broke. Thus, more perpetuation of **the lie**. And now, Madison Avenue is paying the price because said fat, lazy public--and even those who aren't part of hte fat & lazy horde--can't afford to finance and/or support **the lie** right now.

Yes, everything has been exposed. The light has been shed. Image is nothing right now, and we'd be better off as a nation if we'd quit buying into **the lie**. I know, it's hard. But what in life has been worth anything that's been really easy? Not very much, and this is no different. It's called living within our means. And when we, the public start doing it, perhaps our public servants that we elect will start doing the same--believe me, they fear/worship public opinion. And, when the public wises us, they'd do well to do the same. But if the public doesn't, our elected representatives are going to be nothing but a reflection of us--and this recession has done just that.

But now, it's a question of whether all of us are willing to do our part of continuing to shine the light on **the lie** of "Image is Everything"? That's something that each individual will have to reflect on personally--if they reflect at all.