Did Positive Thinking Wreck the Economy? - Barbara Ehrenreich

[RVJEDI]

Her parents never bought her a pony

[thethirdq]

What ever you used worked out great for the vid! Keep them coming!

[sendarine]

Her point is valid, insofar as analysis of existing states is concerned, one needs to be 'realistic' and 'factual' about what's happening but the same cannot be applied to future events because its facts are NOT known. An argument can easily be made that if we take "positive thinking" out of the equation, we take the human ability to leapfrog, in the long run we take out creativity. On a personal note, there is NOTHING wrong with pink bears.

[GzLessonz]

Ignor faults? Lol na.. they just get away with shit bc on top of thinking optimistically which is good we have Bankers who are just and always have been corrupt.. thats he realistic pov. Ppl get confused w positive thinking and lol cults i guess now bc they look at everything black and white. You can say u dont but ur actions speak otherwise. Positive=real. Bc really we all know we can do anything if we want. Its all how you choose to approach. ACTION.

[GzLessonz]

Hmm.. shes coming from a pretty negative perspective lol..what a moron.

[clokwize]

"Have a nice day!" "what if I dont feel like having a nice day!" - George Carlin

[sai18kit]

the positive thinking is probably one of the extreme belief that the bankers support from behind, so people would ignore their faults and corruptions when they are so positive.

[Paseosinperro]

"The secret" sucks !!

[macintosh311]

no it didn't it was many scoundrels

[helmfer]

The author is completely right.

Irresponsability sometimes is the outcome of too much positive thinking.

[biofit123]

Important video.

[magmatic123]

its good to get another perspective on positive thinking. we must be real to the situation at hand especially with debt and job loss.

[HGSpaceTime]

Positive Negative Thinking = BS Human ignorance.LOL

Universe we live in operates on logic, think logically be in tune with the Universe.

[crepepariscafespring]

As intelligent as Ms. Barbara is, I have to disagree with her point on "positive thinking" I believe at some point we all will begin to go back to the roots. Through out history and this could be confirmed in studies, the power of the human mind, I mean the absolute power of influence of the human mind IS quite POWERFUL!

[NancyMillan]

You said it. 'Blindly'. Optimistic yes, blindly no.

[steveh777ify]

The World is chock-full of "positive" losers. Corporate America has largely inflicted this culture on us. Think Bank of America. Think any crap Call-Centre job. Think Amway...and look at the human collateral damage. Generally, the nastier the "job", the more "positivity" is rammed down the throats of the poor unfortunates roped into the role. The alternative is to function as a free-thinking individual and to not fall prey to mass-psychology or corporate assimilation....That's for Insects!

[Cristinahumanbody]

positive thinking is cruel?? are u serious? positive thinking can cure cancer. they did a study and gave 100 cancer patients the "CURE" for cancer and 70% got rid of their cancer.. the author is right, when a city is told over and over and over we could have tsunami's then they r thinking about it and BOOM it will happen. shit people.

if we were all negitive in this world. i would rather die, i FIRE people who r too negitive

[Svettjodd]

@Cristinahumanbody "they did a study"?

Who did? Any references? Or are you simply making this up? If 70% got rid of their cancer, this study would have been nothing less than revolutionary news.

[dutytocareforothers]

Conniving people with power and influence wrecked the economy. We cannot blame positive thinking for all terrible circumstances.

[tothemax01]

Interesting analysis. Of course, it didn't help that the federal reserve was locking interest rates at 1%, but Lehman brothers definately had an crazy over-optimistic attitude towards its business. By their logic, if everyone were simply to keep building houses, well above the populations need for housing, house prices would still stay high it would still be profitable.

[NicosMind]

"Did Positive Thinking Wreck the Economy?" In a word i can answer that. Its simple. That word is NO!!

Humans are positive creatures. If positivity creates depressions we would have continuous depressions one after another. Its not even that complicated but they wrecked the economy in purpose. Check out this small list. Main bad guy Federal Reserve who suplied the cheap credit, fractional reserve banking, debt based money, Fannie, Freddie, Ginnie guaranteeing mortgages was a big (contined)

[NicosMind]

(cont) enabler cause if these Government Sponsered Enterprises(GSEs) didnt buy up these mortgauges with the tax payer guarantee banks couldnt have done it! Rating agencies giving AAA status to junk, Department of Housing and Urban Developement, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, ACORN blocking drive ways making it impossible for banks to do business unless they lent out billions that they wouldnt have, Pro-ownership tax code, Federal Housing Admin. The Greenspan put and last but not least the Media!

[rverne8]

@NicosMind

You have forgotten one thing in your rush to paint the Fed as the Beast of the Apocalypse

Corporate pressure, groups and lobbying set up Bill Clinton & Co to push deregulation on us-we were left with a Casino mentality that allowed Rotten Shepherd's pie to be marketed as Fruit Parfaits. These are otherwise known as Collateralized debt obligations-the juicy bits at the top covered over tons of toxic debt

[NicosMind]

@rverne8 Actually ive "forgotten" a couple of things in my list but yes the repeal of Glass Steagall could be looked at as the beginning of this process but it actually started under Regan and was finished under Clinton. Coming off the gold standard, the media, Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs,plus some of the others like JP Morgan, In fact the whole banking system(Fractional reserve, debt based, usury, fiat currency)The Greenspan Put etc etc,

My comment didnt just mention the Fed!

[NicosMind]

@NicosMind Oh and your point about derivities and the repeal of Glass Steagall although it does have some validity, it would have been substancially less if, because of SEC regulations, the SEC created cartel of rating agencies who had a government created monopoly(and where therefore the governments toy in the market) hadnt given all that junk AAA ratings. If they rated it honestly they would have lost their protection and lost their government guaranteed profits!

[rverne8]

@NicosMind

You have forgotten one thing in your rush to paint the Fed as the Beast of the Apocalypse

Corporate pressure, groups and lobbying set up Bill Clinton & Co to push deregulation on us-we were left with a Casino mentality that allowed Rotten Shepherd's pie to be marketed as Fruit Parfaits. These are otherwise known as Collateralized debt obligations-the juicy bits at the top covered over tons of toxic debt.

[rverne8]

@NicosMind

@NicosMind

You have forgotten one thing in your rush to paint the Fed as the Beast of the Apocalypse

Corporate pressure, groups and lobbying set up Bill Clinton & Co to push deregulation on us-we were left with a Casino mentality that allowed Rotten Shepherd's pie to be marketed as Fruit Parfaits. These are otherwise known as Collateralized debt obligations-the juicy bits at the top covered over tons of toxic debt

[PurrGrrl]

Lol, Started controversy when I attended a Law of Attraction group &suggested that people shd help ea other! I was told I was being negative because there aren't any real problems--only challenges! If ppl think they have problems, they're being negative. I brought up all sorts of scenarios, like someone getting cancer, being a victim of war, etc.,but was told I was "negative"AND from that day on the group became a "closed" group that screened outsiders from attending it! The truth really hurts!

[AnotherGlenn]

Positive thinking on the part of the elites who wrecked the economy? I mean, they are doing it on purpose, aren't they?

[ThisMusic]

No, GREED ruined the economy. Greed is negative. This woman doesn't even understand the concept of positive thinking, so how the hell can she comment on it?

Looking through the world with rose coloured glasses and eliminating negativity are two different things, my friend.

[ZRadach]

@ThisMusic What are you basing this on? The raw numbers NEVER LIE. It is called a sub-prime crisis, meaning, people were giving loans to people without the track record of being able to pay for it; 100% basic, simple logic. It's so funny how people just try to eliminate stuff they don't like; aka, negativity, or REMOVAL, or THE LACK OF (negativity; example: -1 = the lack of 1, or, removing 1 from the whole). It's just another way to push away non-like individuals; ex: he doesn't used continued->

[ZRadach]

@ZRadach cont'd he/she doesn't use so-called "positive" words, so you get fired ([u*-1] + x = y; where x is the amount of people at your job, u = YOU = the constant "1" (because you are always only 1 person, imagine that) and y equals final result, aka reality, and those who focus on this practice "realism". So what just happened? the "positive" people added a "negative" by "promoting positivity". Why do so many people that will TELL YOU they are HORRIBLE at math use MATHEMATICAL continued->

[ZRadach]

@ZRadach cont'd mathematical terms to describe things? That would be like if your mailman prescribed you medication and was like, "well, I'm terrible with medicine and I don't know much about it; but, I heard this works and it's what everyone else is doing so... here, take this! :D " Left brain = positive emotions, right = negative; SAME SIZE; many research papers have attributed psychological disorders to atrophied use of one hemisphere, aka they are NOT BALANCED, no yin for yang continued->

[ZRadach]

@ZRadach Here's the BIG WHOPPER FOLKS, how many people are smart and successful due to positivity vs. those who work hard and stay persistent with lots of willpower? How many times have Christ, Buddha, etc. any of the people who's advice persists THOUSANDS of years (not like 5 or 6 like a "positivity movement") say: "Just be positive, you don't even have to be sensible, work hard, anything... just smile a bunch!", or how many JOEL OSTEENS who just make money preaching stuff that "sounds good"?

[ZRadach]

@ZRadach how many fortune 500 CEO's and huge businesses attribute their success to mere "positive thinking" and how many people that do promote positive thinking so hard make their money in business? well, a lot do, because their business is TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO, and sounding convincing and getting you to watch shows, buy DVD's etc, not actual retail, professionalism, finance, etc.

[ThisMusic]

@ZRadach On occasion, the raw numbers are often created to mislead people, and are not a true representation. Yes, I agree with your points - but the people giving the loans weren't doing so out of a positive mindset; they knew they were giving the loans to people who couldn't afford it, yet did it anyway. So neither positive, nor negative thinking are to blame for wrecking the economy; the greed of the people who instigated the entire loan scheme was. (Which is why the whole thing started)

[ZRadach]

@ThisMusic yes, on OCCASION they are; but in THIS occasion, we are talking about the overall economy, and entire empires whose numbers weren't fudged who went bankrupt because of seemingly excessive positivity instead of level-headedness (well, maybe I shouldn't give this guy a loan... he probably can't repay it... but it makes my quota and i want to attract success and if i think positive, then they will! This is using positivity to overcome reality, the results speak for themselves.)

[ThisMusic]

@ZRadach Wearing rose coloured glasses, in my mind, is when someone looks at the world and refuses to address any problems; instead they only see puppies and rainbows. Positive thinking, in my mind, is when someone looks at the world, sees problems, and focuses on the answer(s), rather than the problem(s) themselves. Naturally, individuals will have individual points of view. Thankyou for the compliment on the videos.

[ThisMusic]

@ZRadach The 'motivational speakers' you are talking about are, in my opinion, scammers - and not positive at all, they are brainwashing and do it out of greed. Positive thought must be an individual choice; general society's (see:media fueled 'generalization', not people in general) form of 'positive thinking' is all about getting more for oneself. That is certainly not my view on it, or of many people I personally know (1st hand evidence rather than 2nd or 3rd). Still, that's a small portion.

[ThisMusic]

@ZRadach Also, you have to work hard; you have to think in the right direction, use logic and work hard. Thought + Action + The Intent to really make things better.

In any case, we don't disagree, we just see it from different angles. Which is fine, as that's part of what makes us individuals among many.

[ZRadach]

@ThisMusic i have watched some of your videos... you are a talented musician, and i like your music... repeat, MUSIC. human beings and effective economies are based on specialization (See: blacksmiths trying to build houses leading to collapsed houses and deaths of those living in it, also See: carpenters making swords and armor that fall apart while the soldiers are marching.) Motivational speakers are GREAT for getting you revved up to work, but not for telling you HOW TO THINK. that's fascism

[ZRadach]

@ThisMusic also, care to CLARIFY the difference between eliminating negativity and seeing the world through "rose coloured glasses?" I'm about 99.99% sure you just said the same basic concept in 2 different ways. watch, i can do it to: "seeing red and seeing the COLOR red are 2 different things my friend." yeah they are 2 different sentences and you can philosophize all day but red IS a color so in that sentence color is there by definition, but not by delivery.

[Mooncelt]

I agree with her. I think that putting on rose colored glasses is often part of the problem for so many things. . . Looking at situations realistically is what we need more of. To say that we can only get through something with a positive attitude is delusional. There are two sides to everything. Weigh everything out and there is a solution in there somewhere.

[catgumart]

As much as I agree with Barbara Ehrenreich...there may be places that I would engage in some respectful dialogue...

like i agree that much of th positive thinking stuff has been everything she says...delusional/cruel etc..& I agree wallowing in the muck of apathy/negativity isn't the answer..but when is one persons negativity ok to be labeled just a delusional surrender to negativity...how can we say whent a person's non-positive/upset attitude is no longer justifiable?

[CityzenJane]

or that a person has built resilience and systems of support...

[catgumart]

Raising doubt...

posing realistic questions...

this is always frowned in

I wish people would become more like journalist(the non-partisan,objective ones)

who see things from multiple perspectives

and learn to speak out and up and ask questions that may raise doubts..

[lemsip]

Money is debt, debt is fuelled by optimism but the past decade it went overboard on a scale even greater than in the 80's. You'd have thought Governments would have learnt from the lessons of that period which lead to the 90's depression.

[onesillybytch]

There is NOTHING wrong with focusing on the positive aspects of life like love, family, things that we enjoy. Nobody ever got their bills paid by obsessing over them. Obsessing on the negative doesn't make it go away any faster or at all for that matter. She's bashing a concept that she hasn't taken the time to hear or grasp fully. She is waaaay off base on the idea of positive thinking.

[nondescrypte]

Actually there is something wrong with it, which is explained quite clearly in this video as well as in the book. It's called delusion. No one is saying you should "obsess" over bills, or not enjoy wholeheartedly the things you listed. She says quite clearly that "obsessing on the negative" can be just as harmful as deluding on the "positive" Considering you reiterated her ideas with utter inaccuracy I suggest you actually read the book before broadly dismissing well researched statements.

[MrSuperpunch019]

Why are my fellow americans so shallow?

[onesillybytch]

To each his own....

[blackiron60]

If we did see the world as it truly is, the institutions that currently govern society, especially the marketplace and its corporate power barons, would not last a day. That is why they have such a vested interest in keeping people ignorant - saying that they should blame themselves for the crimes committed against them. Now consumers, not the corporations, are being blamed for the entire recession and more and more deluded people are buying into such lies.

[cyborgsnowyowl]

I just watched the complete video it's good !

[dlucas90]

The financial terrorists in the banking system is the underlying, fraudulent force behind the majority of our economic woes.

This has happened several times before in our history. In fact Andrew Jackson has written on his tomb stone, "I beat the bank".

If you don't already know how money is created in the first place, or how central banks work, I highly recommend a Canadian educational vid. called "money as debt".

Understanding central banks is the key to understanding politics.

[KaitainCPS]

"One of the worst delusions is Hayek's fatal conceit: the idea that central planners can plan the economy"

I assume you mean, "The conceit criticized by Hayek". You make it sound like Hayek is a supporter of central planning.

[xaver54]

she is exteeeeeemly kind.

[xaver54]

i correct that

exxxxxxxxxxxxxxxtremly kind

[Loveseekingmissile]

She wants to put the blame on something other than the fact that the economy is collapsing because it is an unsustainable system and corrupt.

[love83forever]

Did the author of the secret really say that the victims of tsunami were attracting it??? What a cow!!! Just because she sold millions of the secret she has decided to bombard us with her law of attraction Bull Sh*t.

[skeletonmom]

I think the issues we have now are due to the corps AND American consumers...we all partied, spent, took large risks and suspended our critical thinking. Spending not saving was the thing to do.

Well, we had a good time of it all, now we need to start being more conservative with our spending habits and money (resources) in general.

[ZRadach]

@skeletonmom most realistic thing i have heard in my life. aka pattern, experience, and observation based comment, not theory and "advice" based with no real results yet, aka "blind faith" aka the positivity movement when it first began. (we don't know what we're talking about and we have no real basis for our information, but, it sounds AWESOME! yeah, let's do it and think about the consequences later! Sounds like the party mindset to me...

[hoodmilk]

She's a genius.

[klalkity]

She is right about positive thinking, and it may have something to do with the corporate culture that makes self-serving coverups easy to do. But she's wrong about the economy being the fault of small borrowers--it was corporate fraud, not consumer delusion.

[colibri1]

Did you not listen to even this little excerpt from her talk? She's not blaming small borrowers. She talks about Lehmann Brothers firing executives who raised doubts. Read her book. She's not the kind to blame small borrowers. As she says here, it's cruel to do so. And in the book she goes right to the top with her blame.

[klalkity]

Yes, I did, and she mentions that people keep borrowing when they shouldn't as well. If she didn't mean this she should have been clear, and if she was in the larger context then this clip is misleading, sorry.

[staceysweetcake]

Another name for total optimists is

total idiots !

[Mastikator]

More bailouts and stimulus packages. Give the rich more money and everything will be fine.

[nakedhand]

Ouch! She is totally wrong!

[freedomgonzo]

@nakedhand She is suggesting that we should be realistic, not blindly optimistic? What's totally wrong with that.

[staceysweetcake]

how you can write such ridiculous comment ?

[sarahwatts08]

ouch!!! she's right!!!

[prosvjeta]

helo!

derivatives have caused this crisis!

foratv is always pushing non-competent people to speak about the economy. when it comes to politics, economy you'll never see a lecture where harcd-core issues are adressed.

[Darkhorse21x]

There is no right or wrong, positive or negative in ANY situation. What we experience as events just are that, events. The posative or negative interpretations are what we as individuals assign to a givin stimulus input.

[freesk8]

The mortgage bubble was created by govt action. Corps responded to the incentives created by the Fed (artificially low interest rates) and congress (CRA, Fannie Mae, etc) and such govt programs as the tax deductibility of mortgage interest.

It is stupid to say that all positive thinking is bad.

Sometimes it is good, other times it's bad.

But I do agree that delusion tends to hurt people.

One of the worst delusions is Hayek's fatal conceit: the idea that central planners can plan the economy.

[Svendar]

@fresk8 : Reverse that, Govt is infiltrated by private interests...

[freesk8]

Well, you are right, of course. Govt and private interests are promiscuously intertwined.

But the cause of this is the govt's seizure of power. If congress recognized that the Constitution does not give it the power to cut special deals for special interest groups, then the campaign money would not be sucked to the politicians like air in to an evacuated bottle.

But we the people have ASKED our congresspeople to ignore the Const. We have it coming to us.

We've me the enemy, and he is us.

[MrSuperpunch019]

The Constitution is overrated.

[freesk8]

It's the only thing that stands between "We the People" and total, uncontrolled, all-powerful government.

Care to name specifics about what you don't like in the Constitution?

Are you more against the 1st or 2nd Amendments?

How 'bout the fourth and fifth?

Do you even understand the 9th and 10th?

I'll bet not.

[jesuschrustpizza]

Sounds like George W. Bush was running Countrywide.

What a mess we're in now.

Domestic financial crisis and 2-1/2 wars in the Middle East.

[fdny9682]

Cant use the talent and skillis. I'm surprised so many people are employed to begin with

[kja5]

I happen to be a realist...

We're all ****ed.

[GuppyPal]

religion is bullshit.

[tigiris2257]

opsitive thinking keeps you going, but the side effect is blindness

[motoxbuddy]

Beyond the chains of illusion

[RenegadeTimes]

They saw it comming and they knew if they succeeded they would be ultra rewarded monetarily and if they lost then the American people would be stuck with the bill. No risk -no responsibilty -no reality ...they were exempt.

That's a win-win situation for Wall St and their banker crony's.

Disgusting ~