Many Australian families have stories past down through the years about life during the Great Depression.
By now some of these stories have acquired a glossy surface demonstrating the family's valiant survival and humour in the face of adversity.
However, it doesn't take much to peek below and see memories of the fear, distrust and intense dislike which existed between those without jobs or income and the agents of those that had both.
If one delves deeper one often finds examples of verbal and physical violence.
Threats, beatings; to the constant refrain of get out, get out or move on, move on.
I'm not suggesting that the world is on the brink of another world-wide depression as I write, but I am wondering how a modern affluent society used to only relative poverty since the Great Depression will cope with a prolonged global recession.
If Australia were to enter a long period of high unemployment, will our answer at an individual level be the type of violence seen in the growing number of multiple murders since the beginning of 2008 in America and elsewhere?
Or will Australian society weather the global financial crisis relatively intact?
Will our old egalitarian myths sustain us?
Photograph from The Age
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