Is there such a thing as a "good" recession? Even the high quality commentariat was divided on this one, with some believing that no longer will we be judged primarily by what we earn, and that this "will refashion us for the better", or that "as times get worse, we get better".
At the same time, others argued the opposite - i.e. that recessions "do not make people finer, more spiritual human beings. They destroy lives" and that "affluenza trumps penury" every time.
At times this bickering felt like a classic relativist stand-off; so much really depends on how individuals feel.