UFC and the Recession

I haven’t had much time for discretionary reading recently, but if I had the time, I’d probably read up on the the Great Depression.  I think the Bush policies have pushed us into an economy that pretty accurately resembles that time, and I think there will be a greater amount of financial pain before the economy gets better.  People have already started to kill themselves for financial reasons, and it’s unfortunately going to get worse.  Our next president, whoever it may be, will have a big job ahead of him.

Anyway, I was watching the UFC yesterday.  They had some decent fights–with the best being Sherk/Griffin and the knockout by Dos Santos.  It was a good diversion.  However, I began to wonder afterwards about what people did for leisure as the economy crashed and the country spiralled out of control during the late 1920′s and early 30′s.  Back in those days, they didn’t have the internet, nor did they have the other high tech electronic distractions.  Back then, I would assume, people were far less informed as to how the markets were controlled and what was going on in the world.  Was there an even greater sense of helplessness?  Or was the helplessness aided by the fact that people still trusted the government before Vietnam?

I’d be interested in knowing:

a) What did the world look like then to the average American in 1929?

b) What would a Depression look like in an age where computers and TV are a necessity for most middle class Americans?  Would we eventually turn on, tune in, and drop out?  There’s lots of talk about the increasing gap between rich and poor, but what does a transition from middle class to poor look like?

(Image from http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/10/26/dana-white-on-anderson-silva-at-ufc-90-he-had-a-bad-night-we/)

No related posts.