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I was watching my son play video games on a beautiful afternoon and told him to go outside and find something to do. he acted like he was going to keel over and die. How do you think the generation of today would fare if something similar to the great depression were to befall them in this era of 'comfort and ease'?
That's a good question. I think that there is a huge economic recession were to hit us that affected life across the spectrum, America would be far worse off than it was during the 1930s. Today the mentality has become one where the government provides for us when we are down and out. If the government does not have a particular program serving some need, or if there is a possibility that it will be cut, complaints can be heard, and at times they seem to be deafening. However, government would not be able to rescue the masses today if they needed it. This burden would be too great and would cause the nation's economy to collapse, inviting foreign invasion.
I grew up moving around a lot, all over the west, mid west and the south. We even did the whole fruit tramp thing for a while. My dad did what he could to make money, we struggled a lot. I even went to school from campgrounds and motels. But I know I didnt have it as hard as my dad did or even his father. It makes me wonder how kids would fare today if suddenly they had to live like our Granparents. And you make a good point about leaning on the gov. to much, what happens when its not there?
I guess what I was trying to say before was that it seems as if today's poor in America is “wealthier” than the poor of days past. Today people might be considered “poor” but still use cell phones, cable TV, etc. The poor of today also has access to funds for things like education, government helping programs, etc. (even if they don't always use these). At least this is my perception of the matter. During the Great Depression, I don't think the poor had such a safety net to rely on. In fact, government spending and involvement grew as a result of FDR's attempts to remedy the poverty of that era.
I agree with you, our poor are wealtheir then our parents and grandparents were. And thats why I was wondering how they would deal with a situation similer to what preceeding generations had to deal with.
I think that part of the reason for the distinction is electricity. Think about it – up until 1950 or so, many homes likely did not have electricity and/or many electrical appliances. Today we have many of them and our activities revolve around them (such as right now when I'm at the computer). But for the thousands of years of history before this, mankind had to find other ways of finding leisure or learning or do work or waste time.
Sure, progress has made life much easier then in the past. Lets just hope we've progressed to the point where we wont have to struggle like some have had to do. Though I can only speak for this country, for there are many who struggle to the point of dying. We ain't out of the woods yet.
This generation (mine included….I'm 32) are no where near as prepared or capable of enduring the hardships felt by those during the Great Depression. It takes a stronger mental preparedness to deal with abject poverty. My Great-Grandmother Ethel worked three jobs during World War II, but before she struggled like everyone else during the Depression years. That time period scarred her for life as she religiously scrimped and saved even in her later years when she was quite independently wealthy. She washed aluminum foil to reuse, saved McDonald's cups and soap chips. She would even pour sugar on soured milk rather than pour it out. (That bugged me, but she would get angry if you told her to throw it out). She wore the same four or five sets of dresses she had for over forty years when she could have gone out and afforded the best apparel money could buy. She felt guilty spending money and she lived as if another Depression was around the corner. If I didn't understand what the Depression was all about from my historical studies, I don't think I would have understood from where she was coming from. I noticed that many from her generation acted similarly. She was born in 1905 and died in 1998.
Donnie, that's an interesting account of your great grandmother. I wonder if our European ancestors (the common folk, not the bourgeoise) acted in a similar manner. It's not a good sign when we take luxury for granted. It lead to apathy, an attitude of carelessness and indestructibility, and a “me me” disposition which demands entitlements under the name of “rights”. I sometimes wonder what the Romans were like in attitude during the years before their downfall began.
