From 1934 to 1977 one of the nation’s favorite cartoons was Li’l Abner, created by Al Capp.  There were a number of characters in the series but the one I remember most was one who always had a cloud over his head, spreading gloom and doom wherever he went.  He was Joe Btfsplk… and he can be found everywhere.

There has been no time in this generation when he was as present as he is today.  Gloom and doom is the focus of our television News, the radio and the daily newspapers and from everyone you meet on the street.  Negativity is rapid as the darkest news is spread … and there are times it is difficult to see a speck of sunlight through the threat of the clouds of doom. 

Joe Btfsplk is everywhere.

The price of gas is high as are the groceries and rents. Budgets are being cut for our children’s education and the elderly.  Businesses are closing, causing more employees to seek other jobs. The economy is in the toilet and thousands of homes are in foreclosure.  The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are not only killing and wounding our military men and women but the cost to protect and feed the people in other countries surmounts an unheard of price tag … Everyone is looking for someone to blame for all of this misery. Since our government will not accept the responsibility, there is always Joe Btfsplk, the guy with the cloud over his head wherever he goes.  Blame him.  There is nothing you can do about any of it.

When we turn the pages of the newspaper we come to another section of interest; The World of Entertainment.  Nightclubs are crowded with young people spending hundreds of dollars a night and restaurants are jammed. Guest rooms in the new hotels have rates of over $400 a night and the cost of an hour’s concert from the nose-bleed balcony is over $100 to sold-out shows. Events, theaters, showrooms, sports, gambling and conventions flourish. Cars are being advertised on television constantly and displayed on full pages of every newspaper and magazine … and few dealers, if any, are going out of business.  The cost of advertising is extreme but everyone will tell you that it pays to advertise. 

Joe Btfsplk is nowhere to be found here to spread his gloom and doom. 

He’s a cartoon and Al Capp created characters who would survive. Will there be a “fix” and a turn-around?  Eventually…this too shall pass …and the survivors will be those who had a positive outlook, who planned their lives, their careers… and finances carefully towards the day the world would be secure again.

In the entertainment industry, gloom and doom is not your way of life and Joe Btfsplk is not your friend so do not invite him into your homes. Promote yourself and your talent and do what you have to do to be where you will be known.  Think positive and forbid anyone who is negative to destroy your dreams and ambitions.  Attitude is everything… Be prepared for opportunities around every corner waiting for you.  … and stay away from Joe Btfsplk.