Call it what it is

I've been reading mostly economic news sites, since they have a more facts-based approach to informing me than the more mainstream writers.  However, one stock phrase irritates me because it's not accurate and implies that we're all victims of outside forces.  That phrase is "economic downturn."

This is not an economic downturn, an event that just sort of sneaked up on us.  This is economic suicide.  The American economy, prior to the rise of irrational fear of Covid-19, was healthy and booming.  Then the news readers managed to turn the herd towards the cliff and thundered over it, smashing to bits on the bottom.

Our economic suicide is completely and totally self-inflicted and once it became clear that suicide was a great anti-Trumpian weapon, the media reloaded and began shooting the survivors.  Trying to fix the causes of an economic downturn won't work on an economic suicide.  

Instead, we should take inspiration from that genius Third Eye Blind hit song, "Jumper" -

Put the past away.
I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend.
You could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in.

We live in a media-manipulated set of lies that we should indeed put away.