Five Recession-Related Phrases That Should Be Canned

Attention recessionistas and "mini-Madoff" victims. Want to know the first step towards recovering from the recession?

Stop using these empty phrases to describe this period of empty wallets:

• "New Normal" At the Brookings Institute, the "new normal" refers to a change in consumerism as Americans adjust to a thriftier lifestyle while over at McKinsey, the phrase means we are living through a fundamental "restructuring of the economic order." However, until lines form around bread instead of Apple's new "must-have" gizmo, I'll have a tough time believing that this "normal" is going to be all that different from the last "normal."
• "Shovel Ready" Just asking: How many of these public projects were sound long-term investments and how many involved work on roads that didn't even need to be repaired?
• "Not in this economy" I first heard this cop-out phrase when I was screening job candidates at a company with which I am thankfully no longer associated. When I asked how we should respond to inquiries from applicants we had already interviewed, someone scoffed "We don't owe them anything. Not in this economy!"
• "Staycation" As if your friends and family haven't heard enough about your economic woes, you can take a "staycation" to remind everyone at home that you still don't have the funds to drive out of town.
• "Recession-Proof" What do dental assistants, online dating sites, designer jean retailers, and Texan cities like Austin and Dallas have in common? Apparently, they are all "recession-proof," according to our finest economic sages.

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