The Great Depression

The first movie I remember seeing in a theatre was Annie, and I loved it. I remember going with my mom and her friend, and being thrilled at joining them on a women's outing. I remember loving the movie so much that I named my stuffed dog Sandy and listened to the soundtrack for weeks. Maybe years. I remember going to the play at our local dinner theatre for my birthday, where they brought me a cake and the whole house sang to me. What a good movie.

One of the striking things about the movie is the time period. Set during the Great Depression, Annie is a poor orphan sent to live with one of New York's wealthiest men. Although I bought the movie entirely, I believed it based on the characterization that Mr. Warbucks began the movie as a selfish and utterly thoughtless man. How else could a person move through that time period and remain rich? How could a caring person hoard all of their riches when so many around them starved, struggled and died?

Although in my current life, I am far removed from the daily news, I have a general understanding that the United States financial markets are facing a crisis seconded only to the stock market crash in 1929. Not only do I pass poverty on a daily basis in Shanghai, but I now know that my home faces a financial crisis as well. The impact reaches me in vague ways. Our house is currently on the market, but faces pitifully few buyers. Friends who work for GM worry that they have no option but to remain in China - returning home means returning to a division facing massive layoffs and budget crunches.

Its a comfortable time to be an expat in China, living well in a fast growing economy. But as I hear the news and learn how people around me live, I can't help but make the same turns as Daddy Warbucks, beginning to consider the ridiculous wealth we bear in the face of people with so little.