A Melancholy-era photograph of a girl protesting unaffordable hire and housing inequality went viral as we speak, as viewers drew bitter comparisons between the Nineteen Thirties and the current day.

The picture exhibits a Black girl sporting an indication that claims, "Our boss owns 77 homes. We won't pay hire." It was shared on the Reddit discussion board "Antiwork" as we speak the place it has amassed 24,000 votes in six hours. The caption says, "Issues by no means received higher, and so they most likely will not for a very long time."

The unique copy is held by the Library of Congress, which dated the photograph to "between 1930 and 1940" and mentioned the situation of the picture is unknown.

Viral Depression Photo Draws Comparisons to Today
This Melancholy-era photograph of a girl protesting unaffordable hire and housing inequality goes viral, as viewers draw bitter comparisons between the Nineteen Thirties and the current day.Library of Congress/Unknown

Redditors bemoaned the familiarity of the girl's protest, throughout a interval when hire costs are taking pictures up nationwide and record-high house costs have put homeownership out of attain for a lot of non-wealthy customers, significantly Black Individuals, based on the Nationwide Affiliation of Realtors (NAR).

"Really it is getting worse," one consumer commented. "Now the boss owns 770 homes."

One other viewer mentioned sarcastically, "Properly if you happen to would solely work somewhat bit tougher possibly your boss would get to personal 78 homes. Did you ever consider that? Cease being lazy."

Most customers agreed that the U.S. housing and rental markets have been traditionally rigged in opposition to the typical American.

"We mainly stay within the closing 5 minutes of each sport of the Monopoly board sport," one viewer mentioned. "One individual owns the whole lot and also you're barely clinging on, but they determine to only completely crush you into wreck."

The typical month-to-month rental itemizing in the USA rose 14.1 % in 2021 to succeed in $1,877 in December, based on actual property agency Redfin. Some cities noticed a lot bigger leaps; hire in Austin surged 40 % in a single yr. Miami, New York Metropolis, Newark and different cities all had rents rise 34 % or extra. Only one metro space within the nation noticed its December 2021 rents decline from a yr earlier: Kansas Metropolis, Missouri.

In the meantime, the housing market has turn into extremely aggressive, with the median house sale value swelling virtually 17 % to $346,900 on the finish of 2021—$50,200 greater than a yr earlier, based on the NAR. Along with that, the stock of houses accessible sank to an all-time low.

In consequence, many potential homebuyers have been locked out of the market and wealthier renters—who even have extra flexibility to stay wherever within the new work-from-home atmosphere—are driving up hire costs in lots of areas.

Cancel rent protest
Rents are taking pictures up nationwide and record-high house costs have put house possession out of attain for a lot of non-wealthy customers, significantly Black Individuals. Right here, tenant rights activists maintain up a "Cancel Hire" register New York Metropolis in 2021.Andrew Lichtenstein / Contributor/Corbis Information