Slightly 'Less Bad'

Everything that is slightly “less bad than expected” is being taken as a positive at the moment.

We live in different times – at least for the time being. Since when is something less bad a good thing? The direction is still negative – in whatever it is.

Take for example ‘less bad’ GDP numbers. This, of course, means that the economy is still retracting, not expanding, but the pace of the retraction is less than it was in the prior period – hence ‘less bad’.

I’ll agree that many – and no thanks to the media – only a few short months ago felt that the end of the world was upon us, that economic Armageddon was at our doorstep. So, ya, when compared to this doom and gloom, ‘less bad’ is significantly more ‘positive’.

But at some point we must return to something greater than less bad. We need growth. Increase. Expansion. If we don’t, (sticking with the economic example) then we run the severe risk of a long-term trend towards a decreasing and shrinking standard of living. Less income, less goods, less consumption. Less of a future for our children.

A ‘’less bad’ economy in today’s terms is like you running your household in the red – spending more than your family income brings in. At some point something will have to give. Some sacrifice has to be made.





Saverio Manzo