• hark@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    To be fair, this was in a recession during the great depression. The unemployment rate was 19% in June 1938.

    • Soullioness
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      10 months ago

      To add to this, a new car in 1938 was $860 according to this, but essential information was left out. What that actually converted to in today’s money $18,709.33 which is a lot less than what I’m paying today but only by about half. I don’t disagree with wanting to get back to this point or better. But the picture seems to assume the reader already knows this?

      • _NoName_@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        More important, some quick googling says that the average per-capita income for 1938 was $515 (new york per-capita was $822, Mississippi was $205), which another search says was just under $11k. That car would cost an atomic family close to 2 years’ wages.

      • cole@lemdro.id
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        10 months ago

        my Corolla was less than $18k so I don’t even think that’s unreasonable