If you’re feeling a bit down about your personal finances — specifically, devastated by inflation — don’t worry. The news media are here to tell you just how incorrect those feelings are!
The Guardian this week published the results of a questionable poll that asked respondents to share their feelings about the U.S. economy. Unsurprisingly, Americans’ sentiments are less than positive. Yet, The Guardian saw the results as a chance to declare public sentiment about this subjective topic unequivocally WRONG!
“Nearly three in five Americans wrongly believe the US is in an economic recession,” the article noted, “and the majority blame the Biden administration.” It further highlighted voter “misconceptions,” such as the belief that the economy is in recession and that unemployment is at record levels. Most frustratingly, The Guardian stated the survey showed nearly three-fourths of respondents “think inflation is increasing. In reality, the rate of inflation has fallen sharply from its post-Covid peak of 9.1%.”
Technical limitations won’t allow me to insert two massive middle fingers right here.
It’s unclear whether journalists genuinely fail to understand the compounding effect of inflation — regardless of whether its rate of increase has “sharply fallen” — or if they’re simply engaging in typical mass deception and manipulation to support a Democrat. (In this case, Joe Biden.) Of course, it could be a volatile mix of both.
For any of them reading this, inflation doesn’t “fall” in ways felt by consumers unless prices revert to previous lower numbers or close to them. It’s straightforward: If a product is $3, but jumps to $6 in a month, that’s a 100 percent rate of inflation. If the rate of inflation the following month “falls” to 50 percent, the product price goes up another three bucks, making it $9.
Yes, inflation technically “fell” by half, but if the rate isn’t 0 percent, then the price is still rising, just not as rapidly as before. Even at 0 percent inflation, the price of the product remains 100 percent higher than it was a month ago.
But the misleading media keep harping that inflation “sharply fell” to create the impression that prices are also falling, when in fact, they’re still rising, just at a slower pace. Oddly enough, repeatedly telling me how inflation is “falling” doesn’t seem to ease my checking account when I’m still paying more for standard goods and services.
Adding to the inflation crisis, it impacts consumers not occasionally but every time they go to the grocery store, which for most households is at least weekly. Each time they shop, they’re spending significantly more on products that were much cheaper just three years ago.
The Guardian article was, of course, amplified by the rest of the media, who see it as their duty to defend any Democratic president. This one’s biggest reelection liability is the economy, which has been severely affected by questionable policies (one of which was referred to as the “Inflation Reduction Act”). On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” co-host Mika Brzezinski expressed her disappointment, citing the survey and stating there’s “not a lot of truth” to what critics say about current economic conditions.
Axios picked up The Guardian report and published its own article titled, “More than half of Americans think the U.S. is in a recession. It’s not.” Emily Peck, the author of that write-up, helpfully declared, “The economy is actually in good shape and there’s no recession.”
Well, why didn’t you say so? Honey, wake up the kids! We’re going shopping on Fifth Avenue!
No one knew such a strong economy could feel this challenging.
