To think media overhypes the cost of living.

[Krazykat80]

Everyday you see on the news people at rock bottom. Today I saw a father boiling the kettle to give is son a bath because he couldn't afford gas etc. I understand this is a reality for some but the media makes it seem like its wide spread and everyone is really struggling. When I go into town on the weekend I still see bars ,restaurants amusement , theatre's, shops like selfridges full etc. I'm starting to think the media keeps showing us these stories to keep us from going out and protesting against rises in cost of food etc. I say this because today I saw a lot of people in clothes not fit for the pouring rain soaking wet and felt guilty for being dry in my waterproof jacket with my shopping and felt grateful even those I don't have loads. I said I feel guilty and he said yes that's why the media keeps showing you it so you think I should be thankful I'm not in that position instead of going out like some countries on the streets and telling the government to do something about it and it Stops riots because of the rich getting richer out of this crisis Oil companies even Jeff amazon dude feels guilty and wants to give his money he stole off people by not paying them properly etc. I walk around tesco and people's baskets are still full. Am I just a conspiracy knob about the media really overhypering it to keep us quiet ansdobenident.

Then you would constantly be protesting and writing to your MP. Very naive to believe this sort of thing has only been happening in the last few months, it just wasn't newsworthy before.

Yes. I have been doing those things since I left school. That is what responsible people do. This is not new, no, it was terrifying enough in 2008, bad enough before that, and has been worsening. The trouble is, it's often the people most affected who are least able to protest or to do much about it, so it's important that those who can do as much as possible.

@Qwayserdeyas

i rather think the OP thinks they should be pushing an empty trolly around the supermarket to prove their poverty.

Well yes, the well off are well insulated from the crisis, so they are still living it up like it’s 1999. For the rest of us, we are mostly sitting at home in the cold and dark rationing food, heat and light. Can’t go anywhere, can’t afford to. It costs money for my mobility scooter. I can’t just walk somewhere. But I do have my wifi and my pad, it’s my window onto the world and is keeping my spirits up.

Or that the MPs even care. My MP is worse than useless. I’ve asked for help twice now and he did the opposite of helping the first time and this time I’m being ignored. I email into nothing, I call and the receptionist always says “there’s no one here to take your call” no matter the day or time within their supposed business hours.

A brave post OP!

But I agree with you.

Whenever I see these snippets on the news about families who have to sew their on porridge, I’m watching thinking “Well you have a full face of good quality make up, highlights in your hair, you have 3 kids so must be entitled to benefits in a indisputably good welfare system, and you claim you’re all surviving in cold tins of beans - would you not be best spending your time reaching out to services who can help rather than the local news station?”

Im not saying people aren’t struggling, they obviously are, but our media outlets are piss poor and sensationalise absolutely everything . Meaning we never see the true reflection of our society but instead a hyped up good-for-TV version with extreme stories. Because it would be considered boring if you went to someone’s home and filmed them saying they put jumpers on and shop at Lidl now

Also I think there’s scaremongering from the media about businesses - I can’t get a table for 6 before Christmas anywhere and also can’t get my hair done as everywhere is fully booked. People are definitely having to cut back but not to the scary extremes we are told. I am also yet to find anywhere that charges £20 for a pint

Cost of living crisis has barely started yet.

JFC when you have to go back that far in history to make a point, you're not making a point at all!!

I know you said "mostly" but most of the ones I know on minimal wage aren't sitting in the dark or rationing food. Keeping an eye maybe but not rationing. Sorry to read that you have had to do this. It isn't right.

Ask builders, people who sell stuff that is professional or not necessary (like cars, computer hardware) etc. They'll tell you how much less their turnover is. What are you expecting? That people will stop eating? My shopping basket is full too, but I haven't been to fucking restaurant since March. Not everyone boils the kettle to take a bath, but most of us feels the pinch.

@LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet I agree with you and OP I agree with you to to an extent and I am heartily sick of it. The BBC is one of the worst offenders IMO.

Since covid I've come to the conclusion that the media is an untrustworthy shit click-bait machine designed to garner as much worry/discontent etc as possible. They do this by constant sensationalism and shock tactics.

It was exactly the same with covid...all the headlines about young, healthy people dying/becoming seriously unwell when the vast, vast majority got ill, recovered and then carried on as normal.

I know there are lots of people struggling and having worked in the NHS decades ago I also know there always have been. I've seen it first hand. However, I take anything with a whiff of sensationalism with a pinch of salt and ignore it.

I'm not saying people struggling shouldn't have their stories told but every time I turn on the news there is someone complaining they have to walk because they can't afford petrol or they have to survive on a diet of twigs and mud.

It's just the latest media frenzy and I suspect it's getting so much airtime because covid and flu have so far failed to deliver this winter.

@Snnowflake but no one HAS to watch the news daily. (Or read it on the internet etc).

Exactly, it's not even begun to bite. Power bills are only now starting to double/treble what they were a year ago. Same with mortgages, etc. Prices will continue to rise. Quite simply, we're not there yet with all the increases in costs that are in the pipeline.

People are still piling their expenses onto credit cards etc,. but minimum payments will start to rise on higher balances and higher interest, so even those living on the never-never will start to feel it. Not to mention, many will start hitting their credit limits and won't be able to keep borrowing for basic living/personal costs.

A lot of people are living in ignorant bliss because they've not yet seen the worst of the increases. In a few months time, things will be VERY different for a lot more people.

I'm old enough to remember the 1990 recession. So many people and businesses thought they'd weathered it, but certainly in our region, it hit our area very badly after it officially ended and other parts of the country were showing growth again. I lost more business clients in 1992 and 1993 than I did during the supposed "height" of the recession in 1989/90/91. That's the thing, really, it's often the "knock on" effects after the worst of it that does the most damage for some people. That's either the "wave" effect as the recession, business closures and job losses move across the country, or simply people initially using savings and maxing out their credit cards/loans and then coming to an adrupt halt when the money flow runs out.

Yep this is it. I’d debate whether it deserves the title news anymore - or online content generation.

We’ve got to the point, particularly post Covid, that if people aren’t reacting online it’s not working.

@BloodyHellKen

It's just the latest media frenzy and I suspect it's getting so much airtime because covid and flu have so far failed to deliver this winter.

The mainstream media is inherently lazy. They just blindly copy what other channels/newspapers are reporting and put all efforts into what's "trending" at the moment, so the majority of "news" simply isn't reported. It's all about where they have their reporters/camera crew - if they have their news crews in a particular place, working on a particular story, etc., then nothing else gets a look in.

When we were in the midst of covid, all attentions were on that, and little else was reported on. Same with cost of living crisis. Same with Ukraine. In the past, it happened with the Rwanda war, the US presidential elections, etc etc. They're obsessive about particular topics because it's easier for them, easier for reporters to concentrate on one thing at a time, etc. Even easier when probably 90% of the news is just "copy and paste" from other channels and media outlets, with a little superfluous extra thrown in to make it look like unique reporting!

@Krazykat80 I find it hard to believe you actually believe what you are posting as the answer is blindingly obvious as others have pointed out. It brings your motives and others who post similar threats (a lot recently) sharply into question. It seems to me these threads are similar to the one I posted on rece,tly where the poster was saying would it be fair if people on benefits got an increase in line with inflation whereas workers would not.

I can only conclude this is more of the same of a deliberate attempt to continue trying to divide us all. We’ve seen so much of it - Brexit, lockdown, masks, vaccinations. A lot of people are worse to these tactics now though. I am so sorry for all those on here who are struggling and end up with posts like this to rub it in their faces 💐

I probably should report this for trolling and I know I will get accused of troll hunting and possibly deleted but I am not going to as I think it is important threads like this stand so that people can see the manipulation that people are trying to do and have been doing for ages on various topics. This is not a time to be divided any further than we already have been.

Great post @Volterra

@Chaucer53

I think that's several things combined.

people with much more income are more likely to have savings, locked down mortgages etc & not yet really notices the increases so much. They're more likely to annual memberships already paid for - like the poster the other day whose DH was really having to cut down on his golf games because he 'pays to play' whereas many of his golf buddies were not as their annual membership means they aren't paying per game, so can play as often as they like. Same with Gym Memberships. People who can afford an annual membership won't feel it until next year.

So while they have money they'll keep spending it (and we all need them to!!)

then there the people shopping for Christmas Presents. Whether they can 'afford' to or not. Many will prioritise 'giving the kids a good Christmas (ie lots of presents) over prioritising bills/decent food etc. So they're all at the shops.

The news does make people panic, but that doesn't mean it's not true.

Good point. Plus the need to be on all the time to compete with SM means there’s a lot more noise to create and it’s an easier road is to get a narrative and repeat ad nauseam.

I suspect the media hype is because journalists who I'm presuming live in the same dimension as the rest of us are seeing food prices rocket when they go shopping. They are also probably worried about putting the heating on due to the fact it's now exorbitant and wondering how on earth they are going to remortgage next year. If this was some sort of disaster movie we are in still in the first five minutes where they are setting the scene.

Maybe some of those people are window shopping? I know I am spending more time out of house so I dont have to heat it given it costs £1.30 an hour. Back in the office full time aswell which saves £1 on electricity just wfh from home. Thats £1 I can put towards heating my house in the evening. Also making full use of the gym membership and spending more time in gym and swimming.

Yeah

If it wasn't known already I'd have thought we'd have learned during Covid that the media overhype everything. They don't get clicks via moderate and sensible headlines, so each outlet competes for the most shrieking article

That's not to deny the real issues of course, simply to say they're not improved by this kind of approach

media overhype everything

I think the media seriously underhypes climate change.