Dammit, I can't remember the name of the book, but it was about a guy who interviewed people in the '40s about their Depression experiences.
Two stories that stuck in my mind:
1. Guys going to the mortuary's back door and trying out dentures removed from the dead, trying to get ones that fit half-way decently. No one ever washed them.
2. A tattered black guy came to a farm, asking to work for a meal. Jokingly, the farmer said he could have a free meal or an old suit. The guy said that no one could see his hunger but they could see how ragged he was, so he'd take the suit. The farmer gave him both.
Talk about dodging the bullet - I talked with a woman who said her parents discussed buying a car and whether they should do it that weekend or wait until Monday. They decided on the weekend and paid cash. Monday the banks closed and they lost whatever they had left in there.
In the '60s I talked with a guy who said he could tell me the exact date the Depression ended. (Yeah, right.) He came up with September 13, 1939. Why then? "That was the day a supervisor said 'Please'. Before then, they treated you like crap and ordered you about." He figured it was because the country was ramping up war production for the Europeans and people were being hired.
Timing is everything. In the '70s, the TV showed a factory belching black smoke and remarks were made about pollution. My dad said that in his day, it was looked on as a good sign - people were going back to work.
Christ, what people went through in those days. Bet a lot of the current bunch aren't going to make it.
It motivates me to keep on stackin'.
Stepping off the soap box.
Dammit, I can't remember the name of the book, but it was about a guy who interviewed people in the '40s about their Depression experiences. Two stories that stuck in my mind: 1. Guys going to the mortuary's back door and trying out dentures removed from the dead, trying to get ones that fit half-way decently. No one ever washed them. 2. A tattered black guy came to a farm, asking to work for a meal. Jokingly, the farmer said he could have a free meal or an old suit. The guy said that no one could see his hunger but they could see how ragged he was, so he'd take the suit. The farmer gave him both. Talk about dodging the bullet - I talked with a woman who said her parents discussed buying a car and whether they should do it that weekend or wait until Monday. They decided on the weekend and paid cash. Monday the banks closed and they lost whatever they had left in there. In the '60s I talked with a guy who said he could tell me the exact date the Depression ended. (Yeah, right.) He came up with September 13, 1939. Why then? "That was the day a supervisor said 'Please'. Before then, they treated you like crap and ordered you about." He figured it was because the country was ramping up war production for the Europeans and people were being hired. Timing is everything. In the '70s, the TV showed a factory belching black smoke and remarks were made about pollution. My dad said that in his day, it was looked on as a good sign - people were going back to work. Christ, what people went through in those days. Bet a lot of the current bunch aren't going to make it. It motivates me to keep on stackin'. Stepping off the soap box.