Confessions of a Six Figure Professional Blogger

Ignore The Stock Market – Seriously

October 24, 2008 | Advice

Picture 3 It is no mystery to anybody that the economy is going through some turbulent times right now. As I type this post, the headline over on Drudge Report reads “Friday Fear” (see right). On top: “Recession alarm rings around the world”.

This pisses me off to no end.

Pure alarmist bullshit.

Deep down, you already know this, but I think everybody needs a reminder. That fact is: The media’s business is to scare the CRAP out of you. They live and breath based on ratings. The 24 hour news networks pay their bills based on people staying glued to the television sets. Matt Drudge makes more money in advertising the more people visit the Drudge Report. The best way to do that is scare the living crap out of them and make them feel as if they need to stay on top of the situation.

The media are merchants of chaos. They SELL it. And they do it because they know that people will stick to it like glue. The criteria that make up any good news story is:

  • It causes fear
  • It manufactures controversy
  • It serves an agenda

Now, tell me this: If you had a person around you who (1) always spread bad news, (2) lied to you consistently, and (3) tried to create arguments – would you even give that asshole the time of day? No, there is a higher chance you’d buckle down and open a can of whoop-ass. Or, at the very least, write them off as a fruitcake.

Let’s Look Around Here

Ignore the mainstream news. Ignore the Drudge Report and other similar sites. Let’s just, for a moment, concentrate on real life. Has it really changed all that much as of now?

Most likely no.

Speaking for myself, my business has not been impacted at all. In fact, due to some marketing things I’m doing, my business is doing just fine – if not better. When I go to a restaurant, there are still plenty of people there. When I go to the mall, the parking lots are full.

So, where the hell is all this doom and gloom?

It’s on TV! And to the extent it reaches into your own personal life, that’s the extent to which you allow the people on the TV to influence your mindset.

Ignore It All

I know it is hard to ignore the news and to ignore the stock market. Humans are practically hard-wired to stay glued to bad news.

But, just try to step outside of it and realize that, by doing that, you are nothing but a pawn in their marketing game. I’m not saying this economic “crisis” is manufactured by the press. Clearly, it isn’t. But, the press does play a role in affecting perception, and that brings on what people predict.

It is a self-fulfilling prophecy when the news says we’re in a recession, people listen, people react, AND BRING ON THE RECESSION BY THEIR OWN ACTIONS.

So, ignore it. Concentrate on your own success. Be looking at ways to expand your knowledge and your income streams. On this blog, I’m talking about just that. Around here, I’m interested in success, not the doom and gloom that others will promote. If I’m going to make money, I’d rather do it by empowering people, not the other way around.

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  • There is a lot of truth to your declarations, but I think it's a bit drastic for people to just ignore it all. The fact is, many people have been affected by the recession. You may have been lucky enough to be in an industry that wasn't affected as much, but it doesn't speak for those like myself who have been laid off after 8 years of employment, or businesses who's sales have been slashed. I agree, the media does over exaggerate things, but there is nothing wrong with being aware as long as people acknowledge that the media has a tendency to be over dramatic. My point is to keep a healthy level of consciousness, but don't freeze up because it will only hurt the market more. Don't be afraid to invest in the stock makret, just be cautious and do your research. I am looking at an investment in Mentor Capital (MNTR) because I've done my research and the company is funneling money into the breast cancer research of a biotech company in which they have a 20% interest. This stock is capable of delivering stock price gains once clinical trials are complete and the treatment is made available on the market.
  • AMEN! I can't stand the way the media perpetuates fear with sensationalism. It really is maddening. I was actually in training all of last week, and I was fortunate enough to not have the time to watch TV or watch my 401(k) tank every day.
  • Brilliant post! You managed to state in writing pretty much exactly what I've been thinking for years. I've said similar to people but they just don't seem to be able to take it in. If a single person is saying one thing in the face of the huge media organisations with their multiple-billions then the average "sheep" is going to follow the news media as the shepherd.

    I say "sheep" because that's how I see a lot of people: Sheep are pretty dumb creatures really. They have no real self-will of their own, and rather little intelligence. They just follow the rest of the sheep, who follow the shepherd. If they have no-one to follow they're lost basically.

    Many channels use this quality of people to their advantage: religion, the news media, the advertising media, the fashion moguls, politicians...The people don't think; they follow. They see a person not following and they can't understand it. They hear a single voice telling them that there's something wrong and they're totally oblivious to reason as they continue to follow the herd.

    Well said anyway David. I hope someone listens to sense for once.
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