500-WORD RANT #20
Hey, Everybody, it’s “Opportunity Season!”
As a can of economic whoop-ass begins to open on the world, people need hope, not hype.
I don’t know why I punish myself, but today I read another self improvement article by one of Medium’s favorite snake oil salesmen.
This time, I’d like to voice my hearty endorsement.
Even though I disagree with 99% of what he wrote, and feel it is opportunistic and misleading, he is right about one thing:
When human suffering, economic upheaval and panic over the latest End of Times catastrophe closes one door, another door opens, even if it only leads to fire and brimstone.
Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis project 47 million lost jobs and an unemployment rate higher than the Great Depression, but do you know who will enjoy “opportunity season?”
#1. The people with deep pockets
- People who have enough capital reserves to stay in business while everyone else goes under.
- People who have the money to buy distressed businesses, real estate in foreclosure, and property being sold in desperation.
- People who have the money to buy the hell out of a falling stock market while hedge fund managers jump out windows and people on fixed incomes decide whether they should buy food or medications with their now worthless 401Ks.
That’s what a depression really looks like, not a social media fantasy of making a living through Medium articles, newsletters, eBooks and blogger coaching, a world where this guy is the patron saint of ̶c̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶r̶t̶i̶s̶t̶s̶ entrepreneurs.
(Just a little refresher, that’s Samuel Brannan who became the richest Californian during the 1849 Gold Rush… without ever looking for gold.)
If we have unemployment above Great Depression levels, the people most likely to buy eBooks, paid newsletters, niche products, and coaching/consulting are the ones who will be out of a job.
So what is a person to do in these trying times?
First, DON’T PANIC.
Secondly, in the words of the O’Jays “got to give the people, give the people what they want.”
#2. People who can adapt to crisis
I am in no way advocating that you get up at 6:00 am to wait in line at Costco to buy toilet paper so you can sell it via Craigslist like some drug dealer.
What I am suggesting is to find “essential” employment as an Amazon driver so you have an excuse to drive around while you sell toilet paper, surgical masks, hand sanitizer, and bottled water like some drug dealer.
And while we’re talking about dealing with crisis, remember to welcome the one person in your neighborhood who can reduce panic, relieve pain, and provide comfort to the sick and vulnerable —the guy who sells weed and edibles.
Or, you could follow in the steps of the Greatest Generation…
#3. People who help family, friends, and neighbors
Damn, what a bizarre concept in these incredibly narcissistic times.
Stay safe!
