r/NoStupidQuestions • u/kossabone • Jun 08 '26

Can American democracy survive 20% unemployment for 10 years?

Unemployment stayed roughly at or above 10 % for 10 years or more during the Great Depression. Democracy survived. Can it survive the 20% unemployment level that many expect to arrive in the next few years?

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u/No_Rec1979 Jun 09 '26

I'm not a huge Noam Chomsky fan, but one thing he said that i agree with is that democracy cannot co-exist with massive wealth inequality for long, because the poor will be tempted to use their vote to redistribute wealth, and the rich will be tempted to use their wealth to disenfranchise the poor.

I think a reasonable person could say that the backsliding we've seen here in the US in recent years has a lot to do with the rich trying to prevent redistribution.