How the Recession Changed Us
Folks,
I just found this article that was published in the February 2011 issue of the Atlantic.
How the Recession Changed Us
Officially, the Great Recession lasted from December 2007 to June 2009. A mere 18 months-about average, as recessions go. Yet if the trauma this time feels deep and lasting, that may be because, as the figures on these pages show, so many disruptions have upended national life at once.
Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, nearly every state faces a budget shortfall, and hundreds of banks have shut their doors. The young are unemployed, living at home, and playing video games. The ranks of third-party candidates have swollen, militias have proliferated, and national leaders of both parties have seen their support decline. Of course, times of flux are often times of anxiety and unrest. But as the economy begins its slow and stuttering recovery, the vast changes wrought by this recession will continue to reverberate for many years-in ways predictable and otherwise.
The piece, as you can see from the above, is rather brief in text. The graphic though, is where the meat is. And it's rather indigestible meat. It's one of those graph charts that contrast certain indicators over the past couple of years. The visual results are compelling - in a very depressing way.
It's worth a look.
And who ever announced that the US has turned the corner economically and that the latest recession is "over" and done with.. well... they're full of shit.
Madoc
I just found this article that was published in the February 2011 issue of the Atlantic.
How the Recession Changed Us
Officially, the Great Recession lasted from December 2007 to June 2009. A mere 18 months-about average, as recessions go. Yet if the trauma this time feels deep and lasting, that may be because, as the figures on these pages show, so many disruptions have upended national life at once.
Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, nearly every state faces a budget shortfall, and hundreds of banks have shut their doors. The young are unemployed, living at home, and playing video games. The ranks of third-party candidates have swollen, militias have proliferated, and national leaders of both parties have seen their support decline. Of course, times of flux are often times of anxiety and unrest. But as the economy begins its slow and stuttering recovery, the vast changes wrought by this recession will continue to reverberate for many years-in ways predictable and otherwise.
The piece, as you can see from the above, is rather brief in text. The graphic though, is where the meat is. And it's rather indigestible meat. It's one of those graph charts that contrast certain indicators over the past couple of years. The visual results are compelling - in a very depressing way.
It's worth a look.
And who ever announced that the US has turned the corner economically and that the latest recession is "over" and done with.. well... they're full of shit.
Madoc