Month: February 2019

As President Donald Trump continues to make claims on how great the economy is doing under him, it is important to fact check and compare his economic policies to other Presidents, like Obama. On the surface, people speculate that Trump is doing well. According to NPR, civilian unemployment rate has decreased, the average earnings of employees have increased, blue collar jobs have grown 3.3%, and business investments are up more than $300 billion. Many economists give credit to Donald Trump for how well off the economy is, however ‘when you hear how great the economy is doing right now, let’s just remember when this recovery started,’ former President Barack Obama stated. This brings up a valid point as many question if Donald Trump is simply “coasting on the momentum of an already strong Obama economy” or if Trump is turning things around. In the NPR article, Scott Horsley acknowledges a few opinions and reports it in a left-centered political standpoint and displays a “fairness bias” to a certain degree. Horsley concludes that although Donald Trump and his administration did make slight improvements to the economy, the economy has been following the “steady upward glide path that began under Obama.”

On the other hand, Fox News reports Donald Trump’s economic policies differently. Andy Puzder wants people to stop overlooking Trump’s strong economy and job growth. Puzder points to Trump reducing tax burdens and improving business freedom as reasons for the growing economy. Furthermore, the Trump administration points out that they have had a 3% GDP growth rate. The article then continuously acknowledges how low the unemployment rate is and how there are millions of new job openings. Fox News is known for it’s far right political stance and this article isn’t any different. Towards the end of the article, Puzder essentially glorifies Donald Trump, “In the first two years of the Trump presidency, we’ve gone from economic stagnation to economic boom. We are a freer people and a more prosperous nation with a rising economic tide that is lifting everyone’s boat. This is the power of capitalism, the most dynamic economic system mankind has ever known, when liberated from the restraints of oppressive government. Thank you, President Trump.”

After reading two articles that addressed Trump’s and Obama’s economy, it is quite clear that your perspective can be altered by the media outlet you choose to get your news from. According to Neil Postman, newspapers were better at avoiding biases than television news. The newspapers had many stories to choose from, in a sense, “everyone reads a different newspaper, for no two readers will read (or ignore) the same items.” However, at a time where newspapers have grown obsolete, many stick to one news media outlet, such as Fox News or New York Times and are blinded to other perspectives.

The Blue Feed Red Feed project is quite interesting since I could pick which issue to compare feeds, then the project would also provide a link to the actual articles. The way they collected data from Facebook over the course of six months was also interesting.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/andy-puzder-trumps-economy-has-taken-us-from-stagnation-to-boom-thats-a-story-that-needs-to-be-told

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/12/646708799/fact-check-who-gets-credit-for-the-booming-u-s-economy

In the Time Magazine article, Joel Stein highlights how this generation has become more narcissistic than past generations. He displays several statistics that help support his claims, such as “according to the National Institutes of Health; 58% more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982.” Stein continues by stating how parents have instilled self-esteem in their children, which ultimately harmed the child’s chances of maintaining a job or relationship. In addition, millennials have also developed a sense of entitlement. However, Stein also speaks on behalf of the millennials and argues, “They’re not a new species; they’ve just mutated to adapt to their environment.” Technology has become faster, more accessible, and abundant. Through the introduction of smart phones and social media, information has become widespread and connecting with people, even internationally, has been made possible. Stein continues to support millennials by quoting Scott Hess, ‘Can you imagine if the boomers had YouTube, how narcissistic they would’ve seemed?’ This indicates that with the advancement of technology in the 21st century was one, if not the main cause, of Millennial narcissism. I completely agree with Joel Stein’s representation and I personally identify with a lot of the traits he put forth. “[…] lazy, entitled, selfish and shallow,” are traits that do or did define me at some point. “They’re earnest and optimistic. They embrace the system. They are pragmatic idealists, tinkerers more than dreamers, life hackers.” These are traits that also represent me. In addition, I definitely have a sense of entitlement as my parents still pay for rent and my health insurance. The article also points out that “millenials are nice” and more accepting of differences, which I identify with as well. However, in the work force, I expect to be in that entry level position for an extended time rather than being constantly promoted in the short span of 2 years, as stated in the article. There was also another quote in the article that referred to millennials not respecting authority, which is untrue for me. Furthermore, I don’t rely on my parents for financial advice and I unquestionably do not want to be “famous,” as the article mentioned.

In the Buzzfeed article, Anne Helen Petersen speaks about how lazy millenials are. Simple and mundane tasks are often pushed aside and often never dealt with, which is something I relate to, as I almost always push assignments, no matter how undemanding they are, to the last minute. Petersen states that, systemically, millenials have a difficult time dealing with similar hardships. Petersen also reveals that millenials are between the ages of 22 and somewhere around 38. Based on this, I would not be considered a millenial. Most millenials lag behind compared to when their parents were their age, “[they] have far less saved, far less equity, far less stability, and far, far more student debt.” Most millenials are focused on school as they are more studious, skip fewer classes, attend office hours, and seek guidance from their professor. “They were, in other words, scared.” This is quite relatable as I also fear that I will not do well in class or in the outside world, so I seek help and make sure I’m on the correct track. Petersen also speculates that,”these students [believe] that their first job out of college would not only determine their career trajectory, but also their intrinsic value for the rest of their lives,” which is true for a lot of people including myself. Since my intended major is accounting, I feel that once I graduate, I’m obligated to find a job in the accounting field. And, like the article states, the job should be steady and decent paying. Petersen also points out that “We put up with companies treating us poorly because we don’t see another option. We don’t quit. We internalize that we’re not striving hard enough. And we get a second gig.” This almost directly addresses my situation when I joined a restaurant business. I wanted to quit because of how miserable I was and the way I was treated there. Maybe one of the reasons I was miserable there was because I could’ve been doing something better with my time, like an internship in my field of study. The article also addresses the complaints to millenials, “But dumb, illogical decisions are a symptom of burnout. We engage in self-destructive behaviors or take refuge in avoidance as a way to get off the treadmill of our to-do list.” This then translates to millenials being bad at work simply because they do so much work. Although I moderately agree, this can also just be an excuse for millenials. Petersen also mentions how millenials’ work habits are also affected by “financial precariousness,” but I would just work harder and longer hours if I was financial unstable.

In short, after reading these two articles, I would consider myself a millenial. On one hand, I possessed most of the “positive” traits stated in both articles, while the “negative” traits spoke a lot of truth and I could relate to them.