Recession psychology has to be a fascinating field.  There are few greater times in history to study humans than when we are all worried about the economy.  I can’t pass a single person on the elavator, parking lot, break room, or water cooler that isn’t talking about the recession in some way.  There is nothing more powerful in stirring the emotions of the American people than making them worry about their money.

But as fascinating as it is to observe, for those living through it the process is not so fun.  You’ve got that guy that worked hard his entire life and just managed to afford a home at the top of the bubble.  Sadly he loses his job and his house, the American dream crushed him.  Then you have that fellow who paid attention in school and invested his money.  Maybe he saved up $1 million for retirement and lost 1/3 in the market turmoil.  Perhaps you’re just out of college and can’t find a job even answering phones.  You thought having a college degree would open doors, not shut them.

As The Weakonomist it’s tempting to tell these people to suck it up, deal with the facts of this recession, and move on.  But there is a real person inside The Weakonomist (his name is Philip) and that is the person most people see.  Philip actually has feelings and has seen this despair on people very close to him.  Never in my life have I witnessed so much pain.  My friend Flexo invited me to write about this pain on his website, Consumerism Commentary.  I encourage you to read this post, as it was more from Philip than it was The Weakonomist.  This is a rare opportunity to see Philip get a little serious.

Read: The Greatest Loss of This Recession

Photo: boskizzi

By The Weakonomist

The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics.

categories: economics