Trends and Entertainment

Video: Let the Good Times Roll…

Unemployment is up,
says the Department of Labor…
… with nearly 200,000 more claims
for unemployment last month.

Americans whose income is below the
poverty line has risen to 2 million…
… compared to 1.6 million in 1979.

Economists say that the
economic inequality…
… is at its worst level since
the days of the Great Depression.

Homelessness is at an all-time high.

The deficit now stands
at an astounding $221 billion.
–New Jack City, 1991

When New Jack City was released in 1991, times were indeed tough—New York City hadn’t yet seen Rudy Giuliani unleash his police force to clean up the streets; the dot-com and real estate booms hadn’t propelled Manhattan to epic heights of prosperity. But if the facade is better now, the times are tougher, at least by the measures above. First-time unemployment claims last month? Nearly double the “month” in New Jack City: 530,000 in September. Americans with income below the poverty line totals 47.4 million by at least one estimate. As for economic inequality—well, that’s an old story by now. Homelessness is only getting worse. And the national debt stands at $12 trillion.

Tags: economy, film, Great Depression