The only winners here are jaded cynics like us who can make jokes about stories like these. And car companies. And rich people.
janespoon asks: This study showed a 54% decline in Asian American households. (A 53%, decline in African American households, Hispanic households a 66% decline, and white households by 16%). Is the Asian/Asian American household drop within a shouting distance??
» SFB says: While the drop was also severe, their household totals are much higher than those of blacks and Latinos. From the study: “[Asians’] net worth fell from $168,103 in 2005 to $78,066 in 2009, a drop of 54%.” When we noted “within shouting distance,” it was to emphasize that on pure number-related value (still roughly within $30,000 of whites, despite the steep decline — and in fact, they fell below whites after being above them in the previous study), the difference wasn’t by an overwhelming order of magnitude. While a severe difference, it was still relatively close. — Ernie @ SFB
“How can I go into the street and protest? I can barely survive.” While some go out to protest in Egypt, others stay at work. They have to. They can’t afford to stop working. The L.A. Times notes the disparity that’s keeping some away from the protests changing the character of the 80-million-strong nation, in a pretty fascinating piece about a guy named Milad Zari, a baker who’s still at work because he makes a paltry $90 a month working 14-hour days. Zari’s been at work in his position for two decades, not asking questions about his future. And so are a lot of others. Many don’t have the luxury to protest and are stuck making bread instead. Remember that the people protesting are giving up a lot to be out there, and for every person protesting, there are numerous others like Zari, who simply can’t. source
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