--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Great Depression was going on, so…" description: "\"The Great Depression was going on, so that the station and the streets teemed with homeless people, just as they do today. The newspapers were full of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/kurt-vonnegut-41_changed_the-great-depression-was-going-on-so-tha_2894795.jpg" --- # The Great Depression was going on, so that the station and… ![“The Great Depression was going on, so that the station and the streets teemed with homeless people, just as they do today. The newspapers were full of stories of worker layoffs and farm foreclosures and bank failures, just as they are today. All that has changed, in my opinion, is that, thanks to…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/kurt-vonnegut-41_changed_the-great-depression-was-going-on-so-tha_2894795.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/kurt-vonnegut-41_changed_the-great-depression-was-going-on-so-tha_2894795.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/kurt-vonnegut-41_changed_the-great-depression-was-going-on-so-tha_2894795.jpg) > “The Great Depression was going on, so that the station and the streets teemed with homeless people, just as they do today. The newspapers were full of stories of worker layoffs and farm foreclosures and bank failures, just as they are today. All that has changed, in my opinion, is that, thanks to television, we can hide a Great Depression. We may even be hiding a Third World War.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Media can mask societal crises, making them seem less urgent. **In simple terms:** Media hides real problems. Key Takeaway Stay aware of hidden crises. Themes media influence historical cycles social perception Mood critical analytical Type observational historical When to use this quote - political discourse - economic policy - public health awareness Key Concepts critical theory information control Questions to Reflect On - What modern crises might we be overlooking? - How does media shape our perception of danger? A Different Perspective Media can also inform; not just conceal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Foreclosure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreclosure/) [Great depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-depression/) [Homeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeless/) [Homeless people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeless-people/) [Layoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/layoff/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Third world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-world/) [Third world war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-world-war/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War of the worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-of-the-worlds/) [Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) ## Related quotes > [all that has changed, in my opinion, is that, thanks to television, we can hide a great depression. we may even be hiding a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/all-that-has-changed-in-my-opinion-is-that-thanks-to-television-we/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I would rather there's somebody who is just a wee bit down in the dumps believing that they've got depression and going to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/limmy/i-would-rather-there-s-somebody-who-is-just-a-wee-bit-down-in-the/) [Limmy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/limmy/) > [I have all these rules for avoiding depression. One is going outside in the morning. I don't keep breakfast in the house, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-miner/i-have-all-these-rules-for-avoiding-depression-one-is-going-outside/) [Rachel Miner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-miner/) > [I know it sounds hokey but I think, ultimately, on television you can't hide who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-urich/i-know-it-sounds-hokey-but-i-think-ultimately-on-television-you-can-t/) [Robert Urich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-urich/) > [My parents used to fight a lot, and I think they fought a lot at night, and they would turn the television up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/my-parents-used-to-fight-a-lot-and-i-think-they-fought-a-lot-at-night/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [American strategists have calculated the proportion of civilians killed in this century's major wars. In the First World War, 5 percent of those killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-ward/american-strategists-have-calculated-the-proportion-of-civilians/) [Colin Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-ward/) > [I'm not worried about the Third World War. That's the Third World's Problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carr/i-m-not-worried-about-the-third-world-war-that-s-the-third-world-s/) [Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/) > [Each of us is free to move our consciousness through that infinite pattern of possibilities as we please. 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It is not going to happen, because of you, because of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-third-world-war-is-not-going-to-happen-i-predict-it-it-is-not/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [In the simplest of terms, what we are doing in Korea is this: We are trying to prevent a third world war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/in-the-simplest-of-terms-what-we-are-doing-in-korea-is-this-we-are/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [We are trying to prevent a third world war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/we-are-trying-to-prevent-a-third-world-war/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [“I remain basically a socialist. It is more relevant today because capitalism has reached its apex. It will begin to slide down or will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-taruc/i-remain-basically-a-socialist-it-is-more-relevant-today-because/) [Luis Taruc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-taruc/) > [Naturally, if the Americans had fired a shot, if the Seventh Fleet had done something more than sit there in the Bay of Bengal...yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/naturally-if-the-americans-had-fired-a-shot-if-the-seventh-fleet-had/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. 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Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. 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