The 2008 crash produced economic devastation without comparable cultural rupture.

Evidence

Today we understand the profundity of how the economic crisis affected people around the globe. Economic policy journalist Annie Lowrey argued that the downturn left America “more unequal, less vibrant, less productive, poorer, and sicker.” In the short term, however, cultural life showed surprising resilience. There was no Weimar Republic hyperinflation or Grapes of Wrath Dust Bowl devastation. Music, TV, film, and books continued to arrive on schedule, as if the crisis were a mere flesh wound. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 209

Categorization

• XREF: Contrast against Depression-era and Weimar cultural upheaval in the reader’s frame — supports the argument that eras need historical distance to acquire a signature.