| Has Americans’ living standard declined due to the financial crisis? | |
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| Jan 23, 2009 00:57 |   |
| guestchine | The financial crisis has hit USA economy severely. Are Americans worried about their future? American media report that USA has the worst economy since the Great Depression in 1929. How about Americans’ living standard now? How about American’s spiritual and cultural life? I know that the Oscar Academy Awards was initiated in 1929, when a lot of Americans were jobless and had nothing to do, they went to movies very often. Their spiritual and cultural life was not affected by the crisis. How about this time? Do u Americans still enjoy your entertainment activities? Do you feel gloomy about your country’s economy? Are you worried about your living? |
| Jan 23, 2009 03:54 | #1 |
 | Guest, I assume a Chinese saying can address your concern. "瘦死的骆驼比马大" Even a died thin camel looks larger than a horse". The gaunt camel is still larger than a horse. |
| Jan 23, 2009 05:37 | #2 |
| Interesting question with probably a number of answers. Yes, people are worried, as to be expected. And one good thing coming out of this is the awareness that living on credit is dangerous. So people are spending less and trying to save and conserve. Most people I talk to are very positive about the future, recognizing that we are in a bit of a mess. But the thinking seems to be that Americans are resourceful and hardworking (in general), and that we can get through this. Some economists believe that the USA can emerge from this mess stronger than before. Other people preach doom and gloom, since the news media loves that stuff. But all in all, people seem committed to fixing the mess. Some worries exist that big government spending (like FDR did for the Depression) will lead to more national debt, and that it would be better for the government to try to cut back additional spending. But this would fuel unemployment and make things worse. Obama seems to want to carry out his expensive campaign promises, and this could work against any real recovery. All in all, from what I can see, people are concerned and reacting positively. Some of the greed and stupidity that caused the mess will result in more government oversight and control, which many economists see as a bad thing in the long run. Dragonball had an interesting viewpoint. Even with the current economic problems, Americans in general still have a very high standard of living. My question to Dragonball is: would that be a one hump or two hump camel? |
| Jan 23, 2009 20:42 | #3 |
| "And one good thing coming out of this is the awareness that living on credit is dangerous." American people have realized the danger of living on credit. The credit-consumption is catching on in China. Young Chinese, like many of my peers, are living on credit. Every month we are in heavy debt. |
| Jan 23, 2009 23:05 | #4 |
| One credit card company (maybe more) is charging an APR (average percentage rate) of 29%. The mafia didn't have it this good. The sad part is that young people are sucked into this by mass mailings and promotional stunts. |
| Jan 24, 2009 02:51 | #5 |
| GUEST6531 | In America, everyone is well-fed. There is no beggar or pover people in USA. All Americans are weighty by Chinese standard. |
| Jan 24, 2009 08:25 | #6 |
| Americans may be more weighty than Chinese but it's probably because of a fast food diet.( I.E.) the Chinese are healthier. There are no beggars or people of poverty in the U.S.? Are you reading this information or seeing it with your own eyes? Let me take you on a trip, my friend. |
| Jan 28, 2009 19:23 | #7 |
| Some have the same standard of living. Some do not. If they have a job, nothing will change. They will still have their homes and 2-3 cars in their garages. They will still have their big flat screen TVs and other tech gadgets. They still have RVs and Harley Davidsons. They still go on cruises every year. The best way to know is to come visit America. |
| Jan 28, 2009 23:57 | #8 |
| Good economy, bad economy there is a large group of lazy people that prefer not to work that is why we have around 20.000.000 million illegal aliens or illegal immigrants working in America as we speak. By the way I wasn’t there: but reading about history, we are about 10 years light from the great depression experience that our elders witnessed. And yes there are beggars, drug addicts and mentally screw ups in the USA streets; not more than in the other western nations, and less than many underdeveloped nations, to the dismay of many; in the USA if you want a job you can have a job. I have not seen any one or heard of any individual becoming extinct because of hunger. And yes fat people is there all over around me, where ever I go I can see them. I will keep all of you informed if a radical change happen, and I start to see people looking like our brothers and sisters from the African continent; again until now everybody is fat, the street people included. |
| Jan 31, 2009 20:36 | #9 |
| Quote: >> In America, everyone is well-fed. There is no beggar or pover people in USA. All Americans are weighty by Chinese standard. << A typical generalization! Poverty exists everywhere around the globe though the causes of poverty vary from one to another. BTW, poverty is a relative term. |
| Feb 1, 2009 05:26 | #10 |
| True. I have seen homeless people in Japan, particularly around the Ueno subway station. They are very clean even though they sleep on cardboards. Weird thing is, they wear new Nike shoes that stingy me won’t buy for myself. :P There are homeless people in America as well. I do not know about all the services that are available to them but there are shelters available for homeless people and all kinds of assistance such as food stamps, free health care and other assistance to get them back on their feet. However, there are some people who will not avail of these due to pride or could be that they do not know that these programs exist while some people abuse them. |
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