The Government Shutdown in the streets of NY

The interesting thing about the latest instance of United States politics is how much it seems to be of great import in the media, and how little it seems to impact the lay man in the street. From our foreigner vantage point, we understand that almost a million people has been left without work by the US government shutdown, and that this is not a nice thing. But then again this is a nation that is so retrograde (to the eyes of any European) in terms of social welfare and service that this does not really tarnish its already bad reputation... So in a kind of apocalyptic disillusionment we observe this political SNAFU and tell ourselves that "well, this is going to pass, as most things do".

A young man with a good
heart and poor spelling

The more rationally empathic side of us then renders us attentive to the psychological state of mothers that cannot feed their children because of the state-financed infant nutrition programs that are closed until further notice, or the people who can't join their family because they can't get a passport, or the sick who cannot take part in innovative medical treatments because all testing has been postponed until the government opens again. But this happens in a country where poverty is accepted as part of the urban landscape, and tens of thousands of people die every year because they don't have health insurance (incidentally the very reason the shutdown happened). Reading the news does not help either, as they focus mostly on the political bickering and scandals more than the underlying effects on the populace, giving tidbits of information that only reinforce the image of a dysfunctional democracy.

A homeless man digs into the trash for food while New York walks by

But in the streets the status quo does not seem to have been greatly affected. The people are garrulous, exceedingly nice and helpful as usual, and our walks by the Hudson river show a relaxed population that knows how to enjoy the lingering summer sun in the early autumnal colours.

New Yorkers strolling along the Riverside Park piers