This week’s first roundup link (below) is a real keeper. From the Denver Post:
These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. The photographs are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color.
I studied each of the photographs for quite a while, and found myself going through a range of emotions. Some are sad, troubling even. Though times are tough for many, few can relate to the despair of rural America in the Depression era. And while seeing such despair does make me sad, it also makes me feel great pride in the perseverance of the American people.
We’ll get through this, as we have previous recessions, depressions, double-dips, downturns, wars, and other calamities. We will endure. We will innovate. We will adjust. We will persevere.
The Frugal Roundup
Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943. A friend of mine shared the link to these 70 stunning photos with the idea I could share them here. (@Denver Post)
Lessons From My Frugal Father. I hope to leave a financial legacy like this to my children. (@Wise Bread)
How To Survive Financial Betrayal. Neal from Wealth Pilgrim has some great tips on handling those awkward financial mistakes that we all make at some point in our lives. (@Five Cent Nickel)
Do Credit Cards Take From the Poor and Give to the Rich? Here is an interesting piece on how fees and rewards on credit cards take from the less fortunate. (@Get Rich Slowly)
If You Don’t Ask, The Answer Is No. I’ve been asking a lot more questions lately and I am starting to see some better than expected results. (@Man Vs Debt)
Best of the Rest
- 18 Great Reads That Changed My Life
- How To Develop Good Habits
- 5 Ways Social Media Can Cost You Money
- Save Money By Teaming Up With Your Neighbors
- How To Find Coupon Codes Online
- Rent Textbooks to Save Money
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The photos were awesome…. but some things don’t change at all…
The kids digging spuds could have been my kids just 20 years ago
Or my grandkids last summer
I figure if nothing else, I’ve passed along to my grandkids how easy it is to grow potatoes to live off of
Those photos are impressive. I was thinking of writing up a post with my reactions to the photos. I don’t want to step on any ideas that you had, though. were you planning on creating a post from the photos?
Not specifically. Feel free to write up a post, and please share with us here. I’d be interested to read your reactions.
Thanks for sharing the photos! Pretty powerful images.
I saw your tweet about the photos yesterday. I was struck by the detail brought out in the color that usually gets washed out in the black and white. It surprised me how dirty and run-down everything was. Then I was captured by the eyes of the people – even the young looked tired. It made me remember how blessed we are, even in this recession…and to look back to my roots – back to the family that survived that era and passed on their legacy to me.
thank you for the reminder on pushing through during this tough time. We teach our students about how much Opportunity exists at this time and when it comes to online business, there is no better time for people to start than now. We offer courses that teach people how to make money online. Thanks again for the reminder- appreciate your insights, Cheers
But… why are people describing the buildings and photos as dirty and run-down? This is how most of America has actually looked for years, even during the peak of the so-called boom.
If you’ve ever been to Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Amarillo, Great Falls, or any of the small towns in Texas or Colorado, you’ll see buildings just like these in regular use. Drive through upstate New York and you’ll see nearly identical buildings. The only difference is that these buildings are newer and cleaner. They’re being maintained. There isn’t the usual garbage and litter lying around, the weeds and grass are obviously being cut, and the dust and grime is being swept up.
When I look at these pictures, I see winners. These are people who *beat* a major depression, who not only survived but went on to create the greatest economic boom the world has ever seen. They might be down, but they’re not out. They are making do with what they’ve got, and doing what it takes to survive. They are also valuing and taking care of what they have: unless the children are playing in the dirt or the adults are doing work that makes them dirty, the people are clean and so are their clothes. Notice the focus and determination in their expressions. That’s completely missing in the average modern American. You don’t see a lot of obesity or slovenly attire. Although some of the clothing is worn it generally fits. These people have grit.
If you tried to take similar photos today, you’d be seeing a lot of clothing that has been deliberately destroyed. You’d see muffin top crowding over designer jeans, vacant expressions, and of course filthy streets and windows. The pictures of the modern tenements would feature far more weeds, graffiti, and broken windows. Back then, people pulled the weeds and washed the windows in their homes and places of work because they wanted to live and work in clean surroundings. These days, unless someone is paying them to pull the weeds or to wash the windows, they would rather be surrounded by filth because it’s Someone Else’s Job to clean up after them. If the city doesn’t send someone to pull weeds from the sidewalk, they don’t get pulled.
Unlike the people in these pictures, most modern Americans simply do not have the emotional fortitude to dig our way out of a depression. Very few of us are even in reasonable physical shape, and something like a third of us are so obese that actual physical labor (such as digging a ditch) is impossible or even dangerous. Collectively, we’re unwilling and/or unable to just get out and do something about an unacceptable situation, especially if it involves physical exertion. We’d rather sit on our super-sized McPosteriors, whining about how it’s Not My Job, and how someone more powerful (the landlord, or our boss, or our government) ought to be doing this, that, or the other thing.
We are so used to being catered to and parented, many of us have lost the ability to look after ourselves. We’re so far removed from physical self-sufficiency that we’re horrified by pictures of what it actually looks like. If enough of us have become that soft, weak, and incompetent, perhaps the decades of foam-padding have produced a nation of weaklings.
Until we start looking and acting like the people in these pictures, there will be no recovery.
Your last two paragraphs say it all!
Amen!
A note off subject what do you do when the Census comes to your door and the person you live with feeds them wrong information in regards to you.
Do you not say anything (which is what I choose to do) do you try to get it corrected later or do you chime in and state how things really are making the person who is answering the questions look wrong or as a liar. Does it really matter ? After all are they not just to be counting heads and a few little wrong answers regarding date of birth etc will it hurt?
Nice pictures. I was struck by the fact that I did not see obese people. I don’t think it is because it was during the depression – I think it was just that the people ate the right foods and not the fast foods which are around every corner theses days.
I checked out the link about Renting School Books and it really is such a great idea. I wish that was available when I was going to college! I spent a fortune on books when I went to college!
Gives new meaning to “be thankful for what you have.” We each have our own journey.