Great Depression vs 2008 Recession

Across the two photos we can clearly see the
economic and social impact it has had on the American
people, What surprised me about the first photo which
was taken during the Great Depression is the sheer amount
of people queuing up for food handouts. It just shows how
desperate these people were that they cannot afford basic food
supplies and are forced to stand in such a long line for a basic
human need. Especially as the people seem to be well dressed,
therefore there are people that are in a much worse position that possibly
resorted to homelessness rather than wait in such a long line. Also in some cases people were very proud and saw food banks as charity, so would rather struggle by themselves rather than accept aid.

When comparing the two photos in some respects are surprisingly quite different. We can clearly see how the people are struggling during the harsh economic times. However the more recent photo of the 2008 recession shows a different side of the situation, we can see a group of men sat in a busy street homeless with people simply passing them by. The two photos show Americans in a charitable manner compared to ignorance. Even though they may not be in the best position themselves they seem to completely ignore the homeless men who are significantly less fortunate than them. However this could just be a change in the times as during the Great Depression there was a sense of unity amongst people because they were all new to the country therefore were more willing to help each other. In contrast in modern terms there is help available for the homeless but they are associated with negative stereotypes so people are less willing to help them.

Due to the colour in the most recent photograph we can see that it is predominantly African American men who are finding it the most difficult. However it is important to note that we can't distinguish which ethnicities or groups of people are in the top photo I would assume that they are of European descent. With all that in mind both photos embody different aspects of the effects of the recession. Both of the photos were taken in New York so we can visibly see how the times have changed but the issues of poverty still remain.