I agree with those who are saying we are nowhere near the GD. People may be cutting a bit on luxuries but very few people can even fathom cutting back to the degree that was done in the GD (yet).

One major problem I see is that we the average people have lost so many basic skills. How many average people can actually grow food (and I don’t mean a half dozen tomato plants, I mean wheat to make flour)? How many know how to repair a bike or farm equipment? How many can make clothing out of sacks? Etc. Also, how many people are used to long days of manual labour? Something like 63% of Americans are overweight!

If the safety net that we are all used to suddenly disappeared, I fear a lot of people would be so shocked they would sit till they died.

@Rhea – I’m with you on this one.

Thanks for the article!

I’ll have to check this out!

It’s true that there were people who had jobs; in fact, through every age there were people who owned a lot and basically didn’t get severely affected by the economic climate of the day. My family members owned a lot of land and other property (businesses) and had political influence in their area of the country and not only kept on going to college at that time, but started at least one college before the depression and kept it going throughout. I guess it came down to what kind of resources people had going into the depression.

It’s especially interesting to realize that while many people are struggling others are making huge gains right now and doing well.

Also, I feel that a lot of people joke about the recession and cutting back but many aren’t actually making any changes. It will be interesting to see how history tells the story of what’s going on right now.

For tips, visit http://www.storycorps.net

What is going on now (regardless of “statistics”) is nothing compared to what went on during that time… yet…

The thing about a depression is, that people are so disillusioned by propaganda that they often feel as if destitute times just can’t happen in this “GREAT” country. And when it happens, it causes DEPRESSION (hence the name).

But to those who are prepared, you can take advantage of a bad economy and come out ahead.

My mother said they once spent ten days with nothing to eat but oranges and pancakes.

She used to say the “good old days” weren’t. So far things haven’t gone that far. Let’s hope they never do!

My grandparents thoughtfully gifted their grandchildren with copies of their memoirs 15 years ago. These are fascinating to read and provide great detail about the times. My grandma grew up on a small farm in N Dakota and graduated valedictorian from her small high school. Plans for college were dashed as the GD followed on the heels of her graduation. Her family stayed afloat through bartering farm products.

She moved to Minot and worked at a dime store and a diner for free meals + tips and put herself through classes at the business school there. This woman never had a bad day in the 40+ years I knew her, but she writes of her worst day being spent in her boarding room crying alone on Thanksgiving during the GD. She had no money to get home or pay for the board dinner (the diner which fed her closed for the holiday).

My grandfather had to leave his second year of college in Billings, MT, because of the GD, and took a job bagging groceries. To this day he refuses to eat cornbread – “Johnny Cake” – since he ate so much of it during that time.

Both write of seeing the “cardboard cities” homeless camps in which hundreds of families lived and the “hobos” who rode the rails. They also have amazing stories about the Pandemic Spanish Flu, but that’s for another blog.

My grandma constantly practiced her typing, took a phone call at the biz school one weekend while practicing, and found herself employed by the Div. Mgr. of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This was 1931, and she made $120 per week after one year. Most married men made about $90 per week during this time. After their marriage, she supported my grandpa while he went back to college at Creighton U.

During the years after grandpa started working as an accountant the couple paid cash for EVERYTHING. They saved up 6 years to buy their first home outright.

The confidence factor and work ethic played a huge role in the lives of these young people. Both took low-paying jobs, lived frugally, and NEVER GAVE UP during the GD. They have countless stories about those around them who still survived, but under poverty-stricken conditions.

They went on to found a successful Accounting and Finance firm which my father owns today. I know this comment is lengthy, but I thought it important to share anecdotal first-hand accounts of the GD. Their formula — If you keep your chin up and stay wise with your $ you can ride this out.

I really like the movie Cinderella Man, for a glimpse at Great Depression life.

I’m not sure how historically accurate it is, but I figure it should be okay since it’s based on a true story. Plus it’s a great movie anyway.

My father lived through the depression and I’m working on his page.

Hard Times for a look at the depression; Working for a look at how all kinds of people feel about their jobs and life; Great Divide for a look at race relations in America.

It’s a sociology degree at a low, low cost!

I just recently listened to an audiobook set in Chicago during World War II. I knew that families made sacrifices, but I had no idea to what extent … that adults had to do their part volunteering one day a week for activities like the Red Cross or acting as spotters (in case, the mainland of the U.S. was attacked in the way Pearl Harbor was). The extreme rationing on food that took place, all the tough, dirty jobs (building airplanes) that there were to support the war that they’d hire an average person to do, the screening of letters between soldiers and their families, etc. were enlightening to say the least.

I think there are many suffering and to them this is a Great Depression. It’s like that old saying, well, unemployment is only X%, but if you are the one unemployed, the national/state/local figures don’t matter, to you it’s 100%. But, of course, it all does come into play because the X% folks have fewer jobs available to change their 100% unemployment.

Shirley