Setter and Associates

Your Mid Island Real Estate Agents.
Welcome to Setter and Associates Sign in | Help

Dawn & Lawrence Setter

Enough is Enough!

Dear Media,

 

I have always been a firm believer in, what we think about, talk about and put our attention to most, is what we will create for ourselves.  Everyday, morning, noon, night and before bed, we the public are being bombarded with nothing but doom and gloom in regards to the worlds economic breakdown and bailouts. I get that the news needs to be reported and if I don’t want to hear it, turn it off.  However, with this ongoing onslaught of the sky is falling the everyday person on the street is starting, if they haven’t already, to panic and worry over much of what is totally out of our hands.  We’re tired of hearing how big business and financial institutions, all for the most part in the States, with the exception of the automakers in Canada, are being bailed out, while the CEO’s get to walk away with millions. It’s incredibly depressing. If they had managed the Company properly in the first place, with creative forward thinking, rather than lining their own pockets, these Companies wouldn’t need to be bailed out. 

 

The media is an amazing and powerful tool.  You talk. People listen.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the whole story or even just one side of a story; people listen. People in general trust what you have to say, that’s why you win the awards you do, and therefore take the majority of what you as reporters have to say to heart

 

The media needs to lighten up a bit.  These stories are overwhelming.  People are afraid and when people are afraid they do stupid things.  Making it all the worse.  I work with ordinary people everyday.  I hear it in the questions they ask and see the looks on their faces. I’m not saying don’t report what needs to be told, nor am I suggesting we put on rose coloured glasses. We just don’t need to hear it, day in and day out.  The world is not all bad.  Babies are still being born, the sun still shines, and we live in an amazing Country. I could list a million things to be glad about.  I’m just asking, is it too hard to find something good to talk about? Surely not. 

 

You may or may not believe everything on this planet is energy and that we are all connected.  What we put out there is what we get back.  Like does attract like. The more the media continues to harp on the world going to hell in a hand basket, the more energy you are putting into creating more of what we don’t want.  The way I see it. The media as a group has the power to change the way the world thinks.  If nothing else, lets at least balance it out. 

 

Thank you for hearing me out. 

 

Dawn Setter 

Published Thursday, November 20, 2008 11:18 AM by Dawn & Lawrence Setter

Comment Notification

Subscribe to this post's comments using RSS

Comments

 

Kent Brown said:

Couldn't have said it better myself. Well done!

It is difficult for the educated, and near impossible for the uneducated to see past the ridiculous onslaught of doom being both reported (no problem with that) and spun (big problem with that) out of the mouths of those who form the oligopoly we call main stream media. Surely they have an obligation to those who might make rash and financially destructive decisions to ad the necessary perspective to their reporting on this economic cycle. My kingdom for some perspective from these talking heads, please. I welcome it on any topic at any time. Perspective folks please. Most of us have lived longer than this week or even this month.

Speak to us as if we have functioning memory!

Nothing goes up in a straight line. Corrections are inevitable and should be factored in to every investment decision.

How is it that these media geniuses figure you can get from 6 years of inflation and (an incredible 18 month spike in the price of oil),

to fearing deflation in a 4 month correction. You can't!

Looking forward to hearing these geniuses discussing the unprecedented threat of run-away inflation in about six months time. It never left us. Just a pause.

Cheap and available capital (prime is just about a 4 year low now I think), coupled with the publics desire to consume (cyclical) will turn the tide.

Government can't, nor does it need to spend us out of this funk. It is simply too small a player with too small a purse to affect much of anything. It is all of us collectively who hold the power to move things in a price positive direction. Banks will loosen up and generously lend again, it's what they do or they're not in business. They don't have a choice! When we feel like it, we will begin investing again. Right now we need a rest (likely a short one).

Man I enjoy a good rant! Thanks.

-Kent

November 20, 2008 11:22 AM
 

Dave G said:

Now I am impressed Dawn!!!  Well written and is what most people think.

November 20, 2008 11:23 AM
 

Bruce D said:

Other than the huge debt, we have all seen these economic times before.  The stock market is where it was in 2003.  We lived through all that.   Personally I am sick of hearing and reading about the sky falling in.  This breeds uncertainty and kills the economy.  People should be encouraged now to invest and buy things that were too costly a couple years ago.  There are great deals to be had on cars, boats, RV’s, TV’s,  oh yes,,,,real estate too.   Did anyone report on how much more affordable gas is?  No, they let that go but they sure yell about it on the way up.  Daily we were told the price of oil, now we basically have to search out that info ourselves.  The media sickens me at times.

Bruce

November 20, 2008 12:13 PM
 

Colleen said:

Well done, I agree 100% The more they put out the doom and gloom the more it will come true.  I think you should send this on all the papers also..

Thank you for having the hindsight to put this letter together.

November 20, 2008 12:14 PM
 

Linda said:

greetings from prince edward island dawn...i love your letter!!! good for you to take the time to write what so many of us are thinking. years ago, i was bemoaning the fact to my uncle that the unemployment rate was at 8% and how awful that was...his response was that actually that was really good because that meant that we had a 92%  EMPLOYMENT RATE!     how right he was and that is how i am choosing to live my life....to look at the positives and in my small way, i will try to pass that along to all i come in contact with.

i just finished writing up an offer on a mobile home for a young couple who have been saving for some time and they are thrilled that at last they can finally purchase a home.  it's all in how you look at....thanks again dawn...be well and have a great day....linda*

November 20, 2008 12:20 PM
 

Jill said:

Hi Dawn, this is an excellent letter.  The only problem with it is that you only sent it to one journalist – what about the others?  I couldn’t agree more – your sentiments are mine entirely.  Can I copy it and send it to the CBC?   Cheers, Jill

November 20, 2008 12:23 PM
 

David said:

Wow Dawn,

That is a fabulous letter. So many of us talk about all the "bad news"

we see/hear in the media and do little about it.

The first paper I read when we moved here was our local one and it had

a picture of a goat on the front.

It was wonderfully liberating to find that some editors still take the

time to celebrate rather than degenerate.

The conjecture and illusion that makes up most of the news takes away

from factual and spends most of it's time in speculative territory.

When the news uses phrases like "early reports indicate" ( ie: guessing

or hear say ) or asks questions like "when should you worry?"  or

"is it time for concern? " ( ie: leading question ) this was in fact

the way Lloyd Robertson read the news only a week ago,( he asked those

very questions )

 this indicates to me that something else is at play.

When they report about how the population that is watching should or

could feel it is no longer news but a drama based on eliciting an

emotion from the listener.

Not to mention the slant they may  report designed to make you angry or

upset about a particular situation.

Surely we can listen to our own internal indicators about how we feel.

Just the facts please.

Isn't it strange how bad news sells. I have often wondered if they have

a "bad news" scale in the reporters office and they all get together to

discuss

who has the worst news. And if your news isn't quite bad enough but

relevant ( ie: the stock market and economic downturn ) how can they

make it worse : )

The conversation may go something like this:

"Gosh Bill that's some really awful news about  ( fill in the

un-relevant to our lives tragedy here- it comes with no lesson or

warning ) "

Thanks George but if you think that's bad check out what Dan wrote

about the stock market. ( read all the caps as anchor emphasis )

" Stock market PLUNGES IN FLAMES  while in a DEATH SPIRAL  toward the

LOWEST POINT SINCE BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF TIME"

" Should you be concerned? This latest event has many people worried,

concerned, upset, suicidal, mad, crazy and even catatonic. And for an

even more in-depth look at these

"problems" we have joining us now from our "bad news made even worse

dept" is psychoanalyst  whomever to tell us how really fucked we are

and how you should be

even more worried because now our emotions are in play and when those

get involved all hell could break loose at any moment. And if not now

very very soon. And we

should tell you that no one we talked to is horny, happy or laughing.

Ha so there!

Or they simply make *** up and connections that don't exist. They

usually do that with questions (I thought they were supposed to answer

them )

( check out the covers of Macleans magazine the next time your in the

doctors office )

Here's one " Was the BIG BANG responsible for the amount of deaf people

in the world?"

Here's  another " Can Rice Crispies point to the end of the world?"

Or my favourite "When is too much SEX not enough?"

So i guess the way they look at it is " really good bad news" . What

the hell they won an award or two for "really good bad news" last year

and sold a

pant load of advertising and everyone got a raise.  Are they all

depressed or what : )

This action you have taken resonates with me in a very soulful way.

I'm sure glad the tv and radio have an "off" button.

You forgot to tell them you were going to stop watching if they

continued to report the news in this way.

And the next time your watching and they do a good piece on some good

news write them and tell them how much you enjoyed it

and perhaps they will continue to support good news.

" Be the change you want to see in the world'  Ghandi

Love to you both.

david.

PS - Lets do lunch some time soon.

November 20, 2008 12:26 PM
 

May said:

Hi Dawn,

Good for you.  At least someone took the initiative to let the News media know that we have had enough.  I'm going to write them as well.  I'm sick and tired of the doom and gloom.  I try very hard to keep my clients thinking positive, but it's very hard.  You are right.  Their reporting is scaring the hell out of people and causing panic among the people.  Loyd Robertson is just as bad.  it's almost like he sits there and gloats on the bad economic situation.

I'm going to talk with Realtors in my office and get them to write as well.

Thank you for taking a stand.

May Sutton

Royal Lepage Nanaimo Realty

November 20, 2008 12:29 PM
 

Tobbi said:

Thank you for saying it so well.  I’m glad you did.  I to believe in energy and like attracting like.  I do not read newspapers or watch tv new and even I am starting to feel the results of all this doom and gloom.

Thanks

Tobi

November 20, 2008 12:51 PM
 

Cordell said:

Dear Media

I know some of my colleagues may have written something similar to this, but here is my thoughts.  I know bad news sells better than good news but the media on the whole has most us Canadians living in fear where the vast majority do not need to, as most of them have jobs or secure pensions and will be somewhat effected by poor markets no question but they don’t have to live in fear..

I heard a quote the other day that kind of sums up my thoughts “if people think they are poor they start spending like they are poor” and that’s not healthy for our economy.

Why not start a new trend, when reporting some doom and gloom item why not follow it with a feel good item to counter the negative one. There are 1,000,000 good reasons to be a British Columbian or Canadian lets push that too.

My thoughts, thank you for your time,

Cordell Ensign

Chemainus BC

November 20, 2008 12:54 PM
 

Brian said:

Awesome letter Dawn!  Actually just had a talk with my 14 year old son about that very thing.  He got it right away.  He figured out that the economy works like a big circle.  So when we talked about how a recession my affect his family he understood that when people stop spending everyone suffers right down the line, because no profit get created.

Brian W. Ames

November 20, 2008 1:01 PM
 

Patti said:

I totally agree and will be emailing this to everyone on my list.

They keep preaching doom and gloom, but lets try to turn this around. They are telling us not to spend, that our house prices are dropping which is making people do exactly that. We can change it, I know.

Patti

November 20, 2008 2:04 PM
 

Linda said:

Here here!  Great article and great idea,  I have been writing articles instead of ads in our Real Estate paper… you’re right, the sky is not falling… life is fine.  People are waking up every day here in Winnipeg, still employed and still going on about their way.  Our phones have literally stopped ringing… for exacting the reason you are saying.

It should be interested to see what happens Jan 1.

Thanks for not sitting back and taking all the crap the media hands out!  Cheers to you and your forward thinking!

Linda

November 20, 2008 3:07 PM

Leave a Comment

(required)
(optional)
(required)
Submit