America is in an economic tailspin. Why does life feel so normal?

[Anonymous]

All the economic metrics show us at Great Depression levels yet life seems so normal. I know DC is always more insulated from economic downturns but stories from my relatives in other cities bely a sense or normalcy. Why is that? My grandparents had depression era stories of long bread lines, wearing tattered clothes, shantytowns popping up in cities, etc. Are we just too early in this cycle to see the worst effects?

[Anonymous]

Stimulus checks
Printing more money
We are too early into the crisis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the economic metrics show us at Great Depression levels yet life seems so normal. I know DC is always more insulated from economic downturns but stories from my relatives in other cities bely a sense or normalcy. Why is that? My grandparents had depression era stories of long bread lines, wearing tattered clothes, shantytowns popping up in cities, etc. Are we just too early in this cycle to see the worst effects?

The increased unemployment $$ from the Feds has helped quite a bit. But that ends this week. So, we may see those shanty towns and bread lines soon.

[Anonymous]

Possibly, but I also don't think we are at Great Depression levels. There is too much money circulating in the economy right now. Also, I recently read a diary of a man who lived during the great depression and his journal entries were largely mundane - it wasn't until people looked back that they were able to see with clarity how bad it truly was.

[Anonymous]

The Great Depression didn’t touch everyone. I kept asking my grandparents what it was like and all they said was they took in borders.

[Anonymous]

It is very strange. The city where I live was first to suffer, last to recover in the great recession. My job is stable for now, but I do worry about longterm unemployment in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the economic metrics show us at Great Depression levels yet life seems so normal. I know DC is always more insulated from economic downturns but stories from my relatives in other cities bely a sense or normalcy. Why is that? My grandparents had depression era stories of long bread lines, wearing tattered clothes, shantytowns popping up in cities, etc. Are we just too early in this cycle to see the worst effects?

Get outside your bubble.

The soup kitchen lines where I live in this area have always stretched a block or more. And there are car lines that are hours long.

I can see shantytown in the wooded areas around here. They have been here for years. Once the evictions start next month, you’ll see more families sleeping in cars and on the streets.

I saw a family trying to take clothing out of a donation box last week. They were looking for shoes for a boy a bit younger than my own. The mom said that when Payless closed, shoes became too expensive. I gave her $40 and she started crying. I grew up with too tight shoes due to poverty and it’s something that still breaks my heart.

[Anonymous]

Wasn't this the whole reason you all moved to Montgomery County in the first place?

Outside of "Help! Looking for family friendly and good schools for $1.3m," stimulus and unemployment helped but things are getting dire. When I get stuck in traffic now I assume it's a food distribution, and I live in a wealthy area by any reasonable standard (PG).

[Anonymous]

Government jobs

Guaranteed paychecks

[Anonymous]

Yeah, we live in a desirable neighborhood that has a lot of socio-economic diversity on the border of DC, and the lines for food support at the local schools multiple times per week are massive. Just massive. It's encouraging to see such robust support, but devastating to see the need is so great.

In neighborhoods without socio-economic diversity and homogenous community, you won't see this as much because there is no life raft being thrown out 3x/week, or at least not as visibly or as fully.

More negative effects will surface. And it won't be pretty. What a disgrace of an administration that has perpetuated such an ugly divide, and exacerbated so many negatives. It didn't have to be this way.

[Anonymous]

The Great Depression was hard times for many, but many more also weren't affected beyond perhaps some losses in the market or more common, bank failures. Life went on.

Everything around me does seem busy and practically back to pre COVID levels in terms of traffic and shopping. Who knows what it really means. We are absolutely going to have a recession but most Americans will get through it without any real hardship or losses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, we live in a desirable neighborhood that has a lot of socio-economic diversity on the border of DC, and the lines for food support at the local schools multiple times per week are massive. Just massive. It's encouraging to see such robust support, but devastating to see the need is so great.

In neighborhoods without socio-economic diversity and homogenous community, you won't see this as much because there is no life raft being thrown out 3x/week, or at least not as visibly or as fully.

More negative effects will surface. And it won't be pretty. What a disgrace of an administration that has perpetuated such an ugly divide, and exacerbated so many negatives. It didn't have to be this way.

At least this administration wants to get people back to work while the Democrats forced through the shutdowns and are led by people hiding in their basements and urging folks to stay home from their fancy $20 million mansion and to order expensive premium grade ice cream. You know, the "party of working people."

I love it when the ugly partisanship of one side blames the other side for perpetuating such an ugly divide

[Anonymous]

Because you are rich. Rich people have not resources to ride out hard times. Famine, war, economic collapses, etc. But the time it hits you there will be no one left to advocate for you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, we live in a desirable neighborhood that has a lot of socio-economic diversity on the border of DC, and the lines for food support at the local schools multiple times per week are massive. Just massive. It's encouraging to see such robust support, but devastating to see the need is so great.

In neighborhoods without socio-economic diversity and homogenous community, you won't see this as much because there is no life raft being thrown out 3x/week, or at least not as visibly or as fully.

More negative effects will surface. And it won't be pretty. What a disgrace of an administration that has perpetuated such an ugly divide, and exacerbated so many negatives. It didn't have to be this way.

At least this administration wants to get people back to work while the Democrats forced through the shutdowns and are led by people hiding in their basements and urging folks to stay home from their fancy $20 million mansion and to order expensive premium grade ice cream. You know, the "party of working people."

I love it when the ugly partisanship of one side blames the other side for perpetuating such an ugly divide

Oh, stop the nonsense. Of course Democrats want citizens back to work but not at the risk of their lives. Look what’s happening in Florida and Georgia.

150,000 Americans have died. 150,000 funerals and countless losses and heartbreak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All the economic metrics show us at Great Depression levels yet life seems so normal. I know DC is always more insulated from economic downturns but stories from my relatives in other cities bely a sense or normalcy. Why is that? My grandparents had depression era stories of long bread lines, wearing tattered clothes, shantytowns popping up in cities, etc. Are we just too early in this cycle to see the worst effects?

Get outside your bubble.

The soup kitchen lines where I live in this area have always stretched a block or more. And there are car lines that are hours long.

I can see shantytown in the wooded areas around here. They have been here for years. Once the evictions start next month, you’ll see more families sleeping in cars and on the streets.

I saw a family trying to take clothing out of a donation box last week. They were looking for shoes for a boy a bit younger than my own. The mom said that when Payless closed, shoes became too expensive. I gave her $40 and she started crying. I grew up with too tight shoes due to poverty and it’s something that still breaks my heart.

Honestly, pp doesn't have to go too far outside her bubble to see the impact of the pandemic. I was house hunting not too long ago, and I came upon a long trail of cars waiting to get into a soup kitchen near Briggs Chaney Rd. The traffic to get in was so backed up that they had cops out directing traffic. This was in May.