“Poverty makes some people insane,” writes Michael Gold, as quoted in an inspiring review of Depression Era art in a recent issue of The New Yorker.
I wonder if some modern cultures are more adept at dealing with poverty than others. For example, Mexico. India. China. And if they are, what are the characteristics of a culture that affords dignity in the face of deprivation?
(Dominant religious narratives of fatalism; predetermination with and without signs of grace. Hard social stratification. Wonderful parties.)