RE: Quarantine Diaries: Day 337

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Um, maybe most Americans have a history of financial trouble?

I'd think so. The link speaks of 60% having bankruptcy, eviction, bad debt or unpaid tax. Those are easy boxes to tick off when there's been a severe recession in living memory. I'm almost surprised it isn't way higher than that.

In 2019 Forbes reported from the U.S. Financial Health Pulse Report:

43 million Americans or 17% are struggling with most if not all aspects of their financial lives. Meanwhile, 135 million or 54% are struggling with some aspect of their financial lives and 73 million or 29% of people are spending, saving, borrowing and planning. All told more than 70% are having some type of financial problem. (Emphasis mine.)

So I think your observation is spot on. 60% doesn't make the rioters distinctly more financially stressed than Americans in general. They were distinct in other ways.

Broadly speaking though, the financial stress highlighted by both studies is probably a driving force behind civil unrest from all bands of the political spectrum.

Someone once said that when young men are unemployed they have two options: look for work or look for trouble. If suitable work is impossible to find, that only leaves looking for trouble.



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