Amen to that, but I might just up and quit and get like 3 retail or food service jobs or something. Watch this space, kids.

AKA_Monet is on point saying a lot of it is due to Seasonal Affective Disorder. You have that plus a recession, you are not going to have shiny happy people about.

Only speaking for myself, I read Munch's "media hype" statement as it seems like all the news is "OMG Recession! OMG it's another depression! OMG it's only days until we're all in Hoovervilles and standing in soup lines!"

I don't deny that yes, it is hard times out there and there are millions of people who are severely impacted by the current state of the US and World economies. Those who may not be as affected read/hear those news stories and think "well, if it's that bad, I better cut back on spending and start saving, etc..." thereby decreasing their personal stimulus on the economy and so on and so forth.

It's kind of like having a coworker who is always pessimistic about everything. If you hear them bitch and complain about everything all the time, eventually you start to get kind of pessimistic, too.

IDK, maybe that's just my overly simplistic way of thinking.

Because I can.

I wondered if some of the crankiness related to the economy was people just being cranky about hearing it. Like how a lot of people got election overload, recession overload can happen too.

I know I'm probably less tired of hearing about it because I'm not that affected...if I were, then I'd hate even hearing about it. I just wonder if a lot of the stuff the media talks about is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Think about how things get after a hurricane: everyone talks about how there won't be any gas. Everyone gets hysterical about gas, and then there's no gas! If the news folks didn't talk about the imminent gas shortages, there might not be any.

It's not really making me depressed per say. I feel bad for many who are losing jobs, cant find work, etc. I am enjoying cheap gas and massive sales.

I am tired of hearing about how much my husband has lost in his 401K. That is getting irritating more than depressing.

Well, of course you CAN - but my point is that coming on a thread talking about the recession and saying that you are tired of talking about the recession seems to indicate that you must not be tired of talking about it. Or why talk about it? Or read about it? Or subject yourself to others doing just that? :)

My fear - not media-driven - is simply that this is just the beginning. I know that here in Houston our economy has been sheltered from some of the effects of the recession by the energy industry. With gas prices dipping so low - which is a real relief for most of the country - our oil and gas industries will have to make cuts. That means our housing market, which has suffered but not as badly as other places - will start to feel it. All those unemployed energy employees won't be able to spend money and the effects will trickle down to every other business here in town.

i am always a self-imposed Scrooge around this time of year. i dont go shop anywhere other than grocery stores, all my regular shopping is done online. i hate christmas crowds...

that said, this year i am in a particularly pissy mood. i havent worked since LAST NOVEMBER...so the little bit of holiday spirit i managed to scrape together is long gone...especially since i was let go after an unpaid maternity leave, so technically i havent had a paycheck since october 07. the recession, other than not being able to find a job ANYWHERE (not even a damn 7-11! MY DEGREE IS USELESS!), isnt really hitting me as much. its just general moodiness.

It will be interesting to check back in 6 months and see if this is still the case for y'all. I sincerely hope that we are ALL doing great 6 months from now, and we can look back at this and LAUGH . . .

Not to be all silver lining, but I have been through the late 1980's early 1990's recession when none of my friends found jobs, then the downsizings...

I started a business earlier this year. I don't know if it will be successful because I have not finalized my business plan. But, I have moved forward with the formal paperwork that "legitimizes" my business--i.e. EIN, master business license, certificate of formation, etc. Which means, I pay B&O taxes where I have zero income with large amount of expenses... But, I think this can happen... And I am passionate about my business.

Also, I am going back to a certification class different from my educational degrees.

The recession may be fearful for many of us because none of us know the future. But, I am faithful that something will work out and someday this sunshine. I guess you take the good and the bad and the ugly.

The word "depression" depresses people...
~Robert Reich

My husband says that I am doing a good job of stimulating the economy and wants to know if I can please slow down. I tell him it's my patriotic duty to shop hard.:D

Some of the techs at my doctors office commented on how cranky all the patients were that day. For me it had to do with not eating or drinking after midnight and having a 10:30 appt. made me really cranky. It wasn't the economy, it was my tummy!

But seriously, Christmas just isn't the usual cheery season for me this year. Although we have yet to be impacted severely by this downturn, it's the uncertainty of what the future holds that wears on me. It seems like at any point in time, any of us from any industry could loose our jobs in a mass layoff and that is frightening. And it doesn't make me cranky, but it does make me less cheery than usual.

Yeah, I think the economy has made a lot of people grumpy. When money is slow, that would cause anyone to get a little ticked off.

I know the feeling. Every date my boyfriend and I have been on in the past three months has consisted of that very thing.

I'm cranky but I have a toothache. It is the same tooth that my dentist just worked on 2 weeks ago (which by the way, did not hurt until AFTER he worked on it).

He better not be trying to stimulate his economy through my mouth.

ok that sounded like a bad sex joke.

I agree with this sentiment. I can't blame the recession for me not getting a job, because there are plenty of places hiring. Why I haven't gotten a job yet, I have no idea. That is what contributes to my moody, that I can't get even a simple desk job (I agree, my degree seems pretty useless at the moment). I've been out of work since Dec. '07, so it just frustrates me.