The Great Depression
 

A recent Youtube addition. Quite long.
I found it interesting where all the photos in the Library of Congress came from.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIGIDEC-bZM

Warning:
It now seems this might be AI generated content. Absorb at your own risk. All care, no responsibility taken.

Re: The Great Depression
 

I have re-found "The Waltons" of which Dad's truck (1929 Express) is of particular interest.

I remember the show from back when it was broadcast (1973-79) but I was in college and didn't really have time or opportunity to watch regularly then.

I'm measuring out the episodes which are available from a few sources online.

It's a little "goody-goody" in the telling but I believe it does fairly represent a time and place in American culture - a time which perhaps we would do well to recover. Not that I want a world war on the horizon.

Or maybe that would be better?

Based on the pleasant watching I went out and bought Hamner's "Spencer's Mountain" upon which The Waltons is supposedly based and am now about 2/3rds the way through it. Based on but there is a wide variance in details. In Walton's Papa "Owns" his home and cuts wood to ilk out a living. In Spencer's Mountain Papa rents his home from "The Company" and works at the company mill - and is building his own home on the mountain.

Spencer's Mountain varies in goody-goody. It also pictures a time and family considerably at the edge of "civilization" with company electric power, but no radio. Papa has a truck but their financial condition almost precludes being able to put gasoline in it. Unlike the TV show, Spencer's Mountain was a very "hand to mouth" existence. One might imagine John Walton's family might think of the Clay Spencer Family as "those poor people" and invite them to stay for dinner?

The dialogue in Spencer's Mountain is a little off-putting. Those of respect for education don't generally slur or mispronounce their words. It may be Hamner attempting to effect a southern dialect?

IMHO, Hamner's "Waltons" is a more entertaining diversion than the book. Characters in the book are primarily motivated by "survival" whereas the TV shows a "variety" of motivations. With a better display of the contest between good and evil. And more like real life.

Joe K

Re: The Great Depression
 

What do you know about the creators of this video?

I could find nothing about this FD Finance organization.

It is not always easy to tell, but I think this video was created by AI from a mix of old and new photos. The new photos can be turned into B&W and made to look old. There are several factual errors that scream AI-generated material. "President Edgar Hoover"? Really? That is classic AI error where they mash together to different things into one (AI is easily confused).

The overall tone of the video has an anti-American, anti-capitalism tone. I'm concerned that FD Financial may be a bad actor pushing a negative agenda.

Re: The Great Depression
 

President Edgar Hoover"?

Or as radio announcer Harry von Zell so famously said during a live broadcast in 1931 on the occasion of Hoover's birthday celebration: "Hoobert Heever". Von Zell never lived that slip of the tongue down.
Marshall

Re: The Great Depression
 

Jim, thanks for the observation.

I'm relieved to think that I was not the only one who saw thru the lines and picked up on that:p

AI is spooky stuff and as they get it 'down' and perfect it. it will be quite dangerous. Nothing will be as it seems, and 'who' controls this will be the Master....

Re: The Great Depression
 

Well then not going to waste my time on the u-tube video ! Thanks Jim !

Re: The Great Depression
 

Well, you can't expect me to be an expert on American history!

We only got British history when I was at school. I did ask, why don't we learn Australian history?
The answer "there is none".
That answer was also wrong. So you can't just blame AI for history wrongness..

Re: The Great Depression
 

No, I don't expect you to pick up on that subtle detail. I wish YouTube would do a better job of flagging the AI-generated stuff, then people could decide if they want to watch it or not.

There is an entire category of YouTube videos now that are made up, inflammatory "stories", often with some celebrity person as the subject, but also with some random made up person as the subject. They are complete made up stories about how someone was taken advantage of and underestimated by someone else (the courts, the police, some other random official) and how they prevailed, showing everyone else how prepared they were, how proud they were, etc. It appears that the primary motivation of the people making this junk is to get "views" so that they get paid by YouTube. YouTube gets paid by advertisers for having eyeballs there to hawk their stuff to. Crazy.

Re: The Great Depression
 

Read John Steinbecks grapes of wrath. eye opening.

Re: The Great Depression
 

Most people think that "The great depression" was only in the USA, while it was actually worldwide.