i was wondering on the bus this morning...

[willaston]

if you produce/supply/do something that has genuine value, can you be harmed by an economic recession?

but is it even possible to lead a valuable life?

Comments

[bucketing]

If everyone downloads music from the internet instead of buying the single then the music industry doesn't make as much money, so the music on the internet may be made because it is genuinely good and not driven to sell a zillion copies and not about money at all.
That could relate to the entire internet too I guess, a greative revolution the escapes capitalism.

[willaston]

i'd like to think that once the internet is complete it'll do just that. but while it's still a "technology" it couldn't happen.

i wrote to google the other week suggesting a website/business plan that'd undermine caplitalism but they said it was gay :(

[allison_s]

it depends how you choose to measure that life
in units of dollars or time or knowledge or laughter
or in the value of these things you generate each minute
compared to the one before

the only people i can think of who you could label as such

have ended up benefitting society somehow

except for paris hilton and the guy behind sausage software

so i dont think a recession could damage the thing thing umm
good question

[pow3rslave]

is this about drugs?

[kaidaejin]

Everyone is harmed by economic recession.

From reading about recession on the internet for a few minutes (...and the few semesters I studied economics,) I have gleaned the following:

- Economic recessions, on a global scale, are usually the result of a war, where several countries are involved.

- Economic recessions on a national scale are often the result of a typhoon or earthquake, which wipes out a city that contains key infrastructure for that country.

When these kinds of cataclysmic events happen, the government of the affected country(ies) increases taxes, to try to repair the damage to buildings etc.
Since everyone in the country pays tax, everyone is affected. And the more money you earn, the more tax you pay.

Having some vital skill makes no difference.
Having massive wads of cash, (like millions or billions of dollars- or pounds, or euros-) obviously allows you to weather the economic conditions, rather better than others. But noones job is absolutely secure.

As to weather some skills are more fundamentally valuable

[t__diddy]

there's no black/white answer to that question. but it's worth considering that it's often said one of the most recession-proof businesses is entertainment/hospitality, whereas the first to be affected is clothing/fashion.
Ie, when times are tough, people give priority to going out for dinners, shows, concerts, dance parties and cut back on frivolities like new pants and shoes.
So if you can extrapolate that to mean that people derive *genuine value* from the satisfaction and fulfilment of speding time with friends and loved ones, and enjoying art or music or performance in the company of other like-minded folk, then i think the answer tends toward yes.

[willaston]

i think that's exactly the answer i was looking for.