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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 12, 2022

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I don't know enough about the economy to argue this one way or the other. My general laymen impression had been that the stock market represents and is intricately tied to the health of the economy. After all, the stock market crash in 1929 is what kicked off the Great Depression. And besides, what had impacted me the most strongly has been the fact that all of my pretty safe investments have tanked, combined with the fact that inflation is still completely horrible and has decreased all of my savings by 8.5%, meanwhile I prepare for a winter that will cost me thousands due to fuel prices being bonkers.

I can't comment on your personal finances, obviously, but you were originally saying that people **in general **are in despair because the economy **in general **is supposedly so terrible, and that, specifically, that things have gotten "way worse" since March. But, none of that is true.

I don't know, I just feel like I heard so much about it the first time around, and now no one (around me, at least) is talking about it. It just feels like an "old news" effect. People have come to accept it. I think I even heard people praising Biden, that he made the gas prices so much better, brought them down from $5 to $3.75. And it's like if you compare it to under Trump, it's still way worse. And inflation may not have gotten worse, but my salary and savings are still worth 8.5% less than they were 9 months ago. The lack of things getting worse for a few months, or things getting slightly better, may have an IMO undeserved ameliorating effect in people's minds. Like if life is generally at a 7, then things go down to a 4, and everyone's horrified. Then it goes back up to a 5, and people are cheering for it. But to me, I'm wondering why we had to go down from a 7 to a 5.

Again, I don't see where there is evidence that things are either a 4 or a 5. So, it is hardly surprising that people are not particularly upset, though FWIW I don't think that polling on "right direction / wrong direction" has improved.

My evidence is that inflation this year has been massive, and has not been reversed, which has resulted in all of our money all being worth less, screwing a lot of people over on their plans and ability to pay their bills, along with the fact that the markets have been tanking resulting in further loss to our savings, and fuel prices are ridiculously high (which also plays into inflation, but is high even considering that).