Consumerist Editor Loves Recession, Glad Americans are being Laid Off
Immature brats. That's the nicest thing I can say about Ben Popken, Editor of The Consumerist, and hundreds of his readers. Popken wrote an article called, "I Love the Recession Because Things That Suck Are Dying." Popken then went on to gloat about companies going out of business, naming businesses and celebrating that condo's are halting construction because the builders can't get loans to finish them.
Popken then invites his readers to share their hate for America with this line, "What excesses are you glad to see on deathwatch?"
Forgive me if I don't understand how Circuit City, who sells such over the top items as MP3 Players and Televisions, and Linens and Things, who sell bedding, are "excesses."
I also don't know how halting construction of buildings - while they are being built - is good for anyone. Take a poll of mature adults anywhere in this country and you'll find they aren't very interested in seeing a half finished building sit and rot for the rest of their lifetime, but Ben Popken finds it amusing.
Neither Popken or his readers realize that putting Americans out of work isn't good for the economy. All of our jobs are intertwined with each other's. If millions of Americans are out of work, Popken's website will have fewer visitors because there will be fewer consumers. But perhaps that's what Popken wants because the Gawker Media Network that owns The Consumerist have it up for sale. Either Popken has a death wish for his own career and wants to be fired, or he's just an immature ignorant person with a job that's over his head.
Either way, it's time for Ben Popken to resign.
Then there are his readers, who get so caught up in trying to burn the country to the ground that very few stand up and point out how wrong Popken is, but he's too busy inciting his readers to spout out hateful things.
And oh how they do it for page after page after page.
A person from Cape Cod complains about gift shops in their town and names off shops they wants to go out of business, then adds brazenly, "Hope the move back to Minneapolis goes smoothly, ladies."
Bladefist posts: "Lets not forget newspapers. I'm laughing everytime one of the highly partisan newspapers lays off another 100 people."
Mikestan posts: "I love the recession because I no longer have to deal with Wall Street douches at bars in the city."
Enjoy it while you can because those bars are likely toast after losing a large percentage of their customers, idiot. I wonder if there is a blog by former Wall Street workers gloating that people like Mikestan are about to be unemployed. I wonder how Mikestan would feel if that were the case. Would it be amusing then?
There are hundreds of posts wishing car companies and other businesses soon go under.
Only a few Consumerist readers respond with well informed, adult replies, like the reader who has a problem with Ben Popken gloating that Harrah's Casino's are closing.
Pithlit posts: "Hundreds of people are going to lose their job here in Memphis because of Harrahs closing an office here, so it's hard for me to be excited about that. It's really going to affect our local economy here, which is already suffering as it is. I'm in the market looking for a job. This is going to make it that much harder for me to find one."
Did you think of that, Ben? Did you or any of your readers ever stop to realize these are people's lives at stake? Workers who have families, who are trying to keep their homes, who aren't going to be shopping anywhere when they are unemployed. Every single job that every reader of The Consumerist has, and the jobs of The Consumerist's editors, all are being negatively affected by the recession. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and millions more will, yet Ben Popken is gloating about it, writing, "I love the recession." That he's rejoicing about people being laid off at Christmas is unforgivable. It says much more about Ben Popken, and his moral values, than it does about the flaws of capitalism. I highly doubt Popken's parents taught him to cheer and high five while Americans are laid off, but somehow that's the lesson Popken learned.
Do you not find it amusing that Popken thinks it's great that you or someone you love has lost their job? You can email your opinion to Ben Popken at Ben@Consumerist.com. Be adult.
