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If the blanket news coverage of Hurricane Sandy has taught
us anything, it’s that the media loves a good disaster. Those intrepid young
local reporters and daring network correspondents race to the scene, braving
winds, rain and embarrassment to stand in ankle-high water and bark into their
mics about Mother Nature’s indiscriminate fury. In short, the perfect
storm that is Sandy is the perfect storm for a great story. At least that’s
what the media thinks.
When they’re not focusing on Sandy or her big brother, New
Jersey Governor Chris Christie in 16:9 aspect ratio, you can often catch news
anchors discussing another disaster. Before this tempest arrived just in time
for November sweeps, America’s ambiguous economic times have for years been the
perfect storm for pundits on every channel. Now with our presidential election just
days away, the fate of our economy is bearing down fast. Both candidates want
you to believe that if you vote for the other guy, you’ll doom us all.
But at
the personal level, looking back over the past few years, how have you weathered this financial storm?
As a wide-eyed undergrad, I chose to follow my dreams and
turn my passions and curiosities into a rewarding career. Unfortunately, none
of my professors or guidance counselors informed me that getting a bachelor’s degree
in broadcast journalism was a terrible decision if one was actually looking for
a career after college. Now, five years and two local television stations
later, I’ve switched paths and gone from writing for a living to writing for a
living for less. As a freelancer, new work is never guaranteed and like my
first blog post, even when I’m not working on a story, I’m working to find
another story I can get paid to write about. To some of my readers, what
appears to be constant griping may seem like a bunch of hot air, but I’m
honestly always concerned about my financial future. I live on the coast now…how
am I ever going to be able to buy a sailboat on a freelancing wage?
Millions of Americans along the East Coast are staring Sandy
in the face as I write these words. Millions more are bracing for another long
work week or another long week that they wish they were working. The recession
hit this country harder than almost anyone expected, and for countless
bachelors, bachelorettes and entire families, a bachelor’s degree just wasn’t
enough to keep them out of the unemployment line. It was a perfect storm, a
worst-case scenario that millions of people are still trying to recover from.
Now they’ve come to grips with the fact that this shitty
economy can’t bounce back overnight.
For me, I know who I’m voting for next week. But no matter
who wins, I doubt I’ll see much of a difference in my economic outlook over the
next four years. As a former member of the media, I understand how and why most
of the current members are so annoying. Hurricane Sandy may be a disaster, but
it’s a blessing for newscasts everywhere. The economy though, was a disaster
long before this storm and it’ll remain a mess long after the eye closes for
good. So forget the pundits, forget the presidential candidates and just get
used to riding this one out on your own.
Yes, I could be doing much, much better. But I know that I could
also be doing much, much, much worse.
The same can be said for lots of us. I just hope whoever wins will fix the
economy enough so that I can make more money and finally buy my boat. What’s a
better name? The "Barark?" Or "Romseas?"
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