The Way We Live Now: Relatively better if we are not black, or trying to get divorced. Yes, this recession has exposed some ugly inequalities in our society. But Goldman Sachs is doing great! That's something we can all celebrate.

It's bad to be unemployed here in New York, and it's really bad to be unemployed and black here in New York. Although the upside, self-esteem-wise is that you are not alone: in the last year, unemployment rose four times faster among black people than among white people here. And: "By the end of March, there were about 80,000 more unemployed blacks than whites, according to the report, even though there are roughly 1.5 million more whites than blacks here."

It's bad to be getting divorced. But it's really bad to want to be getting divorced, and not be able to, because you're too broke. It's happening more and more these days! Which results in plenty of people living in hellish limbo:

The "kids are OK with it." says Ms. Brewster, a 39-year-old freelance writer and stay-at-home mother. "They just know that mommy lives upstairs and daddy lives in the basement."

Urrrgh. Sadness. Despair. People trapped in desperate situations with no way out. Take heart, poor, oppressed, miserable denizens of American dead ends: Goldman Sachs just made $2 billion. Its compensation is back up to $600K, average! So turn that frown upside down, unemployed daddy in the basement. If Goldman is winning, we're all winning*.

*Only a figure of speech. Cash value of figure of speech is 1/1000th of a cent.