Source: China Radio and Television Corporation International Online
International Online Article: The U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) has seen its highest gain in recent months, with June rising at its 41-year high. A number of foreign media have focused on the plight of the American people under the soaring price increase and dissatisfaction with the management of the Biden administration. According to reports, a regular french fries in a New York restaurant can cost up to $15, which New Yorkers say is "quite absurd".
Screenshot of the New York Times article
On August 8, local time, the New York Times published an opinion article titled "$15 Fries and $18 Sandwich: Inflation Hits New York". As food prices soar at their fastest pace in decades, it's increasingly expensive for people living in New York to fill their stomachs.
According to the author of the article, this summer should have been full of lively holidays and festivals, but New Yorkers were frightened by the price tags of goods everywhere. In addition to soaring housing rents and the cost of travel by taxi, the most painful consequence of high inflation for ordinary people is the increase in food prices. Annual increases in food prices in the New York area reached their highest level since 1981 in May, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The author emphasizes that diet is the most basic need of social life, so the bad effects of inflation are particularly evident in this regard.
The article pointed out that not only the price of food and beverage products has risen, but the hunger problem in the city has also become more serious. According to City Harvest, a New York-based nonprofit, the number of children turning to food banks earlier this year was 55 percent higher than before the pandemic.
The authors also tracked interviews with five New Yorkers to record their personal feelings about food price growth in their daily lives. One local coffee shop owner lamented that he had to raise the list price of all his products to cope with rising costs: "A large percentage of my shop's regular customers are construction workers who raise prices by more than 50 cents and they may never come again, which is too expensive for them." Another interviewee said that since food prices have risen, he often skips breakfast to save money.
The article reads that Patrick Dunn, a sophomore medical student at college, is still temporarily living in his parents' home because he can't afford the expensive rent of the house. Dunn said in an interview that people do not want to blame the businessmen of the catering industry too much, because they are also taking on high expenses, everyone empathizes with this, but they have to be angry and frustrated by the price increase. Ms. Casey Lee, 30, described her experience ordering at a cocktail bar in New York's Times Square, where she thought the price of a fries for $15 and a potato chip with guacamole for $19 (about 128 yuan) was ridiculous.
Screenshot of a report by spectrum news network Spectrum News
Spectrum News reported on Aug. 8 titled "College Students Adjust Their Summer Plans During Inflation," saying that a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte was revising her summer vacation plan to ensure she had enough money on her bank card to pay for other bills and tuition. Ratimer, who is about to enter her junior year, said she felt the effects of inflation across the board, especially at grocery stores and gas stations.
Because of the high price of oil, she gave up weekly visits to relatives in favor of phone calls and texting. To make sure he had enough money to pay his bills and tuition, Latimer worked ten hours a day during his summer vacation. While she was one of many students who received financial aid, Ratimer stressed that in this period of high inflation, the $5,500 a year stipend was far from enough to sustain her life in Charlotte. According to the University of North Carolina system, Charlotte's North Carolina state ranks among the top five in the country on affordability metrics.
Screenshot of the WWD report, the authoritative media of the fashion industry
WWD, an authoritative media outlet in the fashion industry, published an article titled "Inflation Disrupts Retailers' Holiday Plans" on August 2, saying that new research by Digital River shows that more than one-third of U.S. consumers believe that their holiday shopping season consumer spending will decrease due to inflation.
The article pointed out that the biggest impact on consumption is including holidays and special periods of holidays. In the study, 67 percent of respondents said they had reduced spending on non-essential items, including holiday shopping and leisure travel, in the past six months. The article mentions that during inflationary periods, consumers actively seek to maintain financial budgets by reducing spending. The report quoted Rodgers, chief revenue officer of Digital River, as saying: "We have seen how inflation shackles our economy: Consumers tell us that they are reducing spending across the board, especially on special occasions, including holiday shopping and vacations." ”
Overseas netizens have also angrily criticized the US government on social media platforms, accusing its failed economic management measures of leading to a crisis in people's livelihood in the United States and adversely affecting other countries and regions in the world.
If we can't afford to heat our houses, if we can't afford food, if we can't afford water, then we can't survive. If we can't even survive, we certainly won't eat the one they peddled to us to "stimulate the economy"! #缺席的政府
Where is our government? What does our government intend to do to help us emerge from a crisis in our lives? We need answers!!
#虚伪的自由派
You can't afford food, you can't afford to refuel, but don't worry, Democrats are going to improve the climate.
Keep this in mind – printing more money leads to inflation. Not only the United States, but the rest of the world has also suffered from your (U.S. government)'s mistakes.
Honestly, this is out of control, especially for small countries that rely on the dollar. Worse still, our government pretends not to see it. For example, I have already taken a big hit, and at this moment, I am more concerned about the solution, because I think it is far from the end. For an unfortunate person like me, what should be the way forward? How can we get through this stage? I'm slowly losing my mind. (Shi Heyi, Wang Luping)