some countries are going to bounce back from coronavirus. americans are gonna struggle. we're probably not ready for how hard it'll be.

and here's exactly why, in 2,000 charts
(jk it's just like 20 very clear charts)

so America is trying to rebuild at a time when everyday Americans are struggling more than ever

think about your income: compared to GDP, it's actually trailing. by a lot. but for the rich? it's climbed 420 percent!

here's a fun question: are you making more than your parents did at the same age?

for people born in 1940, they'd have a 90% of beating mom and dad in the income race. ask someone born in 1980, it's a coin toss:

meanwhile, as we know (and somehow continuously accept), executive pay has skyrocketed:

what about wealth?

if you're rich, you're doing great. everyone else? doing worse compared to 2007:

OK so maybe it's obvious the rich have vast amounts of wealth. they're rich!

but they also accumulate... years of life!

rich people live longer — and the gap is growing. some lower-income groups actually have a *shorter* life expectancy than they used to have:

life expectancy in the US is also slumping overall compared to many other rich countries

could a reason for that be... our broken healthcare system?

people with lower incomes and people without high school educations are the least likely to have health insurance:

let's keep going

college degrees are a HUGE dividing line in America. if you don't have a college degree, you're way more likely to die from "deaths of despair" like suicide or drugs. and you'll probably drink more:

you're also more likely to smoke, which causes more health issues... which, of course, you can't afford to treat since you might not even have health insurance:

behind some of that despair might be this: a smaller share of men are working today than in the past.

this includes factory workers who can't find high-paying jobs.

and their support networks/advocates — namely unions — have seen plummeting membership:

so that's work. that's school. how's it looking at home?

in what i consider the "American imagination," marriage is the bedrock of family life. but nearly 1/4 of American kids grow up in single-parent homes, more than any other country:

that also cuts across educational lines. If don't have a degree, you're less likely to be married, and the trend is worsening:

so a degree is key to success, right? more people are going to college overall, so that's good!

but there's been no real change for lower-income kids:

i wonder why... $$$$

no, coronavirus didn't create America's inequality. but it's becoming SUPER clear right now that inequality is going to make climbing out of this economic collapse and health crisis extremely, extremely difficult for Americans

it's time for new ideas. it's time for big change!

check out this story: https://nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/10/opinion/coronavirus-us-economy-inequality.html

then check out our new series THE AMERICA WE NEED. bc lordy do we need a new one.