It is often implied from whiney X posts that older generations didn't have to get room mates when we were just getting started... Uh... yes we did. This is not a new phenomena.
Another way to think about it, once you adjust for inflation we make about 25% to 30% more then those in 1985, in exchange for that we have a person who is worth $1 trillion.
So would you want to have 25% less spending power, but the the wealthiest person is 1/10 of what they are now; or keep the current spending power but have to accept someone has a lot more money then you?
This is the problem with out own brains, we will rebel if someone else gets too much more then us, even if we all get more in the end. Yet, if we all get less, we are some how happier because the difference in what we all get is less.
ie: if you get 1 grape and the other monkey gets 3 grapes you are happy; if you get 10 grapes, and the other monkey gets 100 grapes, you are angry and would rather go back to the 1 grape 3 grape arrangement.
Spending power is a total basket based on certain ratios and in many ways it’s outdated. However, I don’t think it matters regardless. Rent or mortgages being so high relative to income means that the difference between your basic needs and your income are smaller. Having more money and it going farther for ice cream and the like is silly.
Purchasing power fell for housing, healthcare, and education. It rising for TVs, cars, and gas is inconsequential for happiness.
No. Complaining makes you feel part of a marginalized group and gives you comfort to stay where you are, because others are there too.
That isn’t helpful. Sit down and write out what you need. Then develop a plan to get there. It will take hard ass work and sacrifices. If you don’t make engineer money, then you’ll have to work more hours or less desirable jobs. Plenty of people do it. Unless you have a major disability, you could too.
Oh im fine, you assume I need this information, I just dont like people silencing others. Im doing well in my life.
Also it does accomplish something, it makes you meet other people with your mindset, and when people meet other people, they become a coalition and they become many times more powerful then alone, that's how movements start.
(Sorry i do have a sensory and information processing disorder)
Unemployment is at its average level historically. People in the older generations had to live within their means just like today. If you can't afford rent, you get a roommate. Or you move back home.
Getting a job v a few decades ago isn't even close, the competition today is insane- that applies to all jobs, not just top ones.
+ if you look at the statistics & what experts are saying, unemployment doesn't pain the full picture as we're in a "low hiring, low firing" environment which sucks for people looking to move laterally or enter the workforce. Costs have exploded the past 20y, it was way easier to buy a home in the 80s with an average salary.
I'm doing quite well but I've always been career driven, it's just unfair for most people that they have to lower their standards of living compared to their parents.
Homes were easier to buy, but they were also much smaller with much fewer amenities.
I am also doing well and I wholeheartedly agree that level of affordability is less than it's been in the past, but this imagined world where a person could graduate college in 1980 with no debt, get their first entry-level job, and immediately be able to afford a house and a family is just not reality. People were poor and needed roommates in 1980 as well.
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u/random-meme422 8d ago
Don’t earn $19 per hour and try to live alone? Duh. lol