Porn and Casinos, Bullets and Prisons

I was talking with a trusted colleague last night on Skype and we were batting back and forth what we thought would be the effect of the recession on the online business scene. I’m kind of a pessimist. Each time the credit crisis spreads to a new sector of the financial ecosystem the Fed dumps in money hoping to stanch the bleeding. Nobody in the US seems particularly alarmed that the UK had to nationalize one of its banks… the government took control of a bank. (isn’t nationalize just another word – gasp! – socialize?) The dollar continues to collapse and oil prices continue to rise. I know you think I’m just being a big commie for being concerned about this. I feel like I know enough to be scared shitless but not enough to feel at ease. And I know there will be a bailout. Industries get bailed out, individuals don’t. Those that made stupid mortgage choices will not be required to pay the piper – and the loan officers that convinced uneducated customers into loans they could never afford will never be punished. People seem so desperate to find some example of constant and ever-expanding growth. I’m all for abundance and attraction but come on. I don’t think it will ever get as bad as it did in Argentina where the entire banking system collapsed. But do you really trust the nation’s leading financiers to do the right thing for all of us or just for themselves?

This coupled with my complete and utter disgust at our Presidential election wear on me every single day. As we become willing torturers and nourish ourselves on the hateful fearmongering and war-profiteering of the smallest minds who knows how that will affect business.

I’ve said before that the entire reduction of online business cooks down to porn and casinos. I think that the entire reduction of offline industry boils down to bullets and prisons. I don’t think it matters who gets elected. No one is willing to dis-assemble the surveillance state that is being built up systematically and shifting it’s eyes from foreign nationals to citizens. The boundaires of constitutional rights continue to blur and no one seems particularly alarmed that habeas corpus no longer exists. You probably just rolled your eyes and called me a name. Or you have the defense that if you are’t doing anything wrong then you have nothing to worry aobut – well if I’m not doing anything wrong then why do you need to watch me or track my online usage or my Tivo recording dhabits or credit card purchases or geographic incidence of purchase patterns.

So the recession that most economists agree that we are in will do two things to online business: bring in more desperate people hoping to strike it rich.


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7 responses to “Porn and Casinos, Bullets and Prisons”

  1. Thomas Avatar

    I think it was not big news here because of the election and Bear Stearns…

  2. J.J. Avatar

    Andy, you are *not* alone in your scared s-lessness… If I was wearing shoes, I’d be shaking in ’em.

  3. Danny O'Bryan Avatar
    Danny O’Bryan

    Don’t worry Be happy ! As our best and brights people fail to get into politics we are left with the also rans.Bigger TVs and new vidio games will make 1984 the novel come true.The banks are just a few weeks away from having out side ecomonic powers take over the country as we sing and dance to a New American Idol. Our government has failed the people. We See that in history great societies fall when the country is colapsing because we are unable to thrive.No Jobs no gas no hope…The government will be taking us all out….

  4. Marty Marsh Avatar

    Hey Andy, you’re spot on with this post. I, too, am scared sh**less and wonder why more people don’t seem to be. I hate taking a negative view, but I wonder if we’ll ever recover as a country from this administration.

    Thanks for the great food for thought, as always.

    Marty

  5. JB Avatar

    It’s freaky. They just keep twiddling and fiddling and faffing about, and nothing is going to solve the underlying problem – it’s just TOO MUCH MONEY thrown down the toilet. I’ve been thinking for the last 4 years that a recession was the inevitable outcome of all this.

    “new vidio games”

    Don’t even kid about that – I work in video games and this morning, on a games business site, they were proclaiming that games would be recession-proof because…er…so far they hadn’t been affected by the downturn. ‘Cept the company I work for has seen some serious losses recently, and so have plenty of others. The world seems to be full of It’s Different This Timers.

  6. AE Avatar
    AE

    There will be bailouts that you are speaking of in your commentary. And there will other bailouts. One of the companies making stupid mortgage choices is bailing out about 200 of their employees. That’s only where I live and my partner works. So, I was already scared S*less before, now I ready to running off screaming to…. oh, wait, there’s really not to many other great economies right now either.

  7. mkf Avatar

    boy, did you nail it. i sit here watching the talking heads debate whether or not “the worst is over,” and i just shake my head.

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