It is hard to deny the radical effects the economy has taken on the normal lifestyle of the average American citizen. Families now buy their groceries in bulk and go for generic producers rather the name brands. Teachers limit the amount of supplies used in classroom activities. Millions of people in the workforce are now jobless and the search for employment has never been so high. The economic characteristics of this year have even effected the youth population, as teenagers have reduced their trips to the mall, refusing to buy expensive things, unless absolutely necessary, in order to help facilitate their household’s economic performance. On a more personal level, teenagers in the workforce and the amount of hours spent laboring at a job has seemed to increase dramatically in the past few months- perhaps due to the lack of influx of money for the inconsequential things teenagers often buy.
       Just yesterday I heard a classmate talk about her struggle to find a suitable occupation in order to gain some extra spending cash. I have heard this statement and similar conversations from numerous other people and it hit me, much like a cement truck hitting a brick wall, that even I am not safe from this economic turmoil. With Easter around the corner, my employer called requesting if I could work a few hours over the weekend. Eagerly wanting the extra cash, I said yes but did note the lack of hours that were offered to me. With that, I began wondering how the rest of my summer cash flow would go. Would I be receiving the same hours as last summer and therefore the same paycheck, or would both decrease evidently due to the economic struggle?      With those monetary concerns fresh on my mind, I, perhaps a little over anxious, I began to research the tuition of a few colleges that I hope to apply to in the fall. Some of the prices blew my mind and forced my mouth wide open into a shocked state. With the way the economy is digressing, my concerns now lie with whether or not I can afford one semester of college compared to my carefree worries of last year where I had confidently known that money was not going to be a major deterrent. With my own worries realized and the influence of others’ concerns around me, my future interests, such as college and summer hours, seem to be dictated by this economic recession.
       Often I wonder if I should even go out to the movies because the money that would be spent on tickets and popcorn could be saved up for future endeavors. Tony Benn stated that “people would do well to ask themselves how many of their ambitions and aspirations derive from the type of economic system they inhabit and the insecurity and exhaustion it creates, and question the sense and purpose of a society where control of a large portion of life is abdicated under contract in the labor market, and where immense creativity and potential is stifled by the need to do difficult and repetitive tasks in order to earn a wage.” I would have never imagined that such a radical change in the economy would radically change my goals for the future.