I am being absolutely serious here with the Weimar Republic comparison. Because people are fucking miserable and it’s fucking terrifying.
A hundred years ago, broke people in big cities would go to fascist rallies because they were free, and because sometimes the organizers gave out free food and beer, and because people had nothing better to do.
And they stayed because hate feels good when you’re hurting and simple violent solutions appeal to the angry monkey parts of our brains.
And the fewer community connections you have - the more the economy strips your life down to work and sleep, or to job hunting and sleep, or to scrounging in the gutter to survive and sleep, and the less you go out and socialize with actual human beings - the more appealing the fascist illusion of unity, of being part of a powerful group, becomes.
And the only difference today is that the fascist rallies are beamed directly into your home.
That’s great. Yay. Why do I need 3 jobs to live here then?
Oh is it possibly because the prices are higher here too? And most of that wealth is held by a very few people?
It’s almost like you should also look at cost of living and purchasing power and work hours required to meet basic needs.
Do you need 3 jobs though?
Yes. In the US if you’re part time you will need multiple jobs.
If you can only get part time work, probably. In the UK here and never had money problems if I have had full time work, minimum wage is plenty if you have reliable full time work. Part time or irregular employment could be much harder though.
I’m talking about income relative to prices. The west has it better than everyone else now or ever before except recent history. I know complaining is fashionable but be real. You’re not a serf who can never afford meat or has to work 10 hours 6 days a week even if you do have 3 (part-time) jobs.
Except you do have to work 60 hours a week if you’re working class. And you’ll still need food aid.
That’s such a braindead take. The wealthy are bleeding us dry and you’re response is “could be worse.” A handful of people hold the same amount of wealth as 50% of the poorest Americans, and that gap is only widening, it’s not getting smaller. This is a serious problem for everyone whose not extremely wealthy, and you’re over here acting like its not an issue. How’s that boot taste?
I didn’t say it’s not an issue, but we need perspective. Instead of complaining about the elbow poking us in the ribs right now how about we talk about the branch we’re sitting on breaking and the pit of lava below? Or why we are in this situation to begin with? Not just the elbow but everything else?
You’ve got it backwards though. We’re talking about the lava while you’re over here talking about elbows.
Some relatively minor and arguably temporary economic hardship that still leaves us at an advantage compared to almost anyone else doesn’t seem like a big deal compared to humans no longer being the dominant species and either going extinct or becoming slaves
Incredibly naive to think this is minor and temporary. The forces driving this are what is leading to us going extinct or becoming slaves.
It is observably relatively minor, as already explained. It is arguably temporary and definitely is temporary if we become extinct.
Get your head out of your ass and wipe the shit from your eyes. You are being fooled.
Yeah, the U.S. isn’t falling below the world just falling back in line with it. A family with 1 income supporting a stay at home wife and 2 kids was never going to last forever.
Cool, but Dual Income No Kid couples are struggling. That’s not in line with the living standard in developing countries much less what people claim the west is like.
What? Everyone is struggling right now. I’m talking about in the 50’s and 60’s where 1 man working could afford a house, a stay at home wife, and 2 kids. The standard of living in general has been falling for the U.S.