4 ms·
Walmart and suburbia have leveled American living standards. Now any old slob can own a house and fill it with the same sorts of things as their richer compatri
by iskander 17y ago
Walmart and suburbia have leveled American living standards. Now any old slob can own a house and fill it with the same sorts of things as their richer compatriots (though it will be made in China rather than Germany). Things didn't used to be this way-- and people complaining about the change are often rich enough to not need Walmart to maintain their lifestyle.
- GFischer 17y agoAnd we in the third world think that someone who owns a car, a house and lots of china-made products is filthy rich. (seriously, over here owning a car is a huge measure of wealth, even if it is a 1994 clunker like mine)
- thwarted 17y agoIs quantity of crap you don't actually need (admittedly, Walmart sells a lot of necessities but the phrasing "own a house and fill it with the same sorts of things" doesn't scream "required for living a good, comfortable life"), how living standards are measured? This is sad.
- pw0ncakes 17y agoAmerican object lesson, post Reagan Era: if you throw enough trinkets at the poor, they forget about their miserable lives for a while and consider themselves middle-class, despite their humiliatingly boring jobs and inability to advance in life. You don't even have to increase wages; that's what credit cards are for. Bonus points if you can drive them tens of thousands of dollars into student debt pursuing degrees that don't get them anywhere.
- iskander 17y agoWhat exactly is "required" for living a good comfortable life? It's easy to set the standard as long as it either doesn't apply to you or cuts out things you don't personally like.