mom'sfolly :
Since the depression keeps getting brought up, I thought I'd ask what people's families did during the depression.
My parents were children during the depression, my dad was born in 1923 (1924 if you ask his cousins) and my mom in 1932.
Mom's parents: grandma was a nurse who helped other people for free, grandpa managed a saw mill (Lived in Everett, WA)
HEY! My grandpa lived in Everett WA during those times and up though his death a few years ago on the property he bought in Everett in like the 40's or so if I remember right. It was during the times where Asians were not legally allowed to purchase property as an individual, so it had to be bought as a partnership. Grandpa was born in 1920. Did electronics work, had an egg farm that sold to restaurants and so on, and had 4 kids. Maybe your parents remember my family some where along the way. Think Grandma was born in 1910 or so. She was older than grandpa by a good number of years and went to pharmacy school at the U of Washington where she was refused her degree because she was either a woman or Asian or both. My dad was born in like 42. He started school as the only Asian student that went to the Everett Single room school house and was refused a student bank account for being Asian in the late 40's too. He went out and fixed TV's starting in I think 1958 or so and still does it to this day. He paid for his school at the U of WA that way and by working hard has made my life easy by paying my school in that same way. I still live on the property he bought way back then except the place is now in the middle of the city instead of against a two lane route 99. Well I guess I'm gong to grad school out of state, so I half way still live there.
They got though it by being optimistic, and just working on along. Maybe they were never spoiled like most of us now a days. I almost never hear them complaining about the times then, and still don't hear my dad complaining about times now, even though he's past retirement, still works by choice (enjoys work), and isn't portraying gloom and doom on all of us . He tells me it is a cycle and it can never be always up or always down.
I'd have to say my mom's side had it just as hard as the rest, as she grew up in communist china. They only had their grandparents murdered because they were "wealthy" and uncles beaten because of a family picture with Santa meant they were traitors. They grew up where it always seemed down and white bread was a luxury treat item that is a basic food group in many places.
I dunno, I'm 22, so young and stupid. I say suck it up, keep on working, do what you can, and don't expect government hand outs. The greedy, dishonest, and lazy often seem to get up in the world, hand outs, and support. If they can live with themselves that way, so be it. I can't so I just keep on working. But what do I know? I've never had hard times, been in debt, short on cash, or dangling by a thread in life. Just still optimistic. That said, back to work.
