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America is indeed one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but that wealth is not spread evenly across the country. Most of the wealth is concentrated on

America is indeed one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but that wealth is not spread evenly across the country. Most of the wealth is concentrated on the coasts, with incredibly skews towards NY/SF. See: http://labs.time.com/story/how-many-rich-people-live-near-you/ http://labs.time.com/story/how-many-rich-people-live-near-yo... Many of us in tech, esp those in NY/SF tend to live in a bubble of wealth, or at least comfort -- that is not the case for all our fellow citizens. Much of the country is not that rich at all, especially once you get to central parts of the country where industry has fled leaving people with odd jobs and insufficient healthcare. The opoid crisis centers around parts of America which are the hardest hit financially: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/23/health/heroin-opioid-drug-overdose-deaths-visual-guide/index.html http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/23/health/heroin-opioid-drug-... Finally, there is also something about expectations. For my generation, we grew up hearing "work hard, study hard, and you will live a good life, own a home, enjoy the life your father and grandfather lived." Except that formula does not work anymore -- industries which worked for our parents got offshored and we're now competing internationally. An entire generation still holds the expectations of an American lifestyle, buying a home with our 8-5 factory job, having barbecues in our backyard, playing "Where the Boys Are" but that expectation is no longer valid for all, leading to unmet psychological contract an entire generation expected to live.

quuquuquu 9y ago
Indeed!! If you look at Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Handbook, you'll find that in 2015, average wealth per american adult was 350k (on par with Norway and New Zealand), but MEDIAN wealth was just 50k, on par with Malta, Slovenia, Spain, and Israel!! Furthermore, almost a third of Americans have less than 10k in net worth. This is not even enough to survive a year of unemployment without cutting back on essential expenses. And what's worse, "nearly 1/3rd of Americans" is not a small number- it's 100m people!!!
at-fates-hands 9y ago
>> America is indeed one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but that wealth is not spread evenly across the country. This is the blessing and curse of capitalism. You have winners and you have losers. In strong economic times, the rising tides will lift all boats and everybody benefits. When the shit hits the fan, those who are prepared, suffer less. Those with no safety net will suffer more, but there's plenty of government assistance to help those people when they hit hard times. You can cry however much you want to, but the opportunity is out there. You can take online free courses, you can get scholarships and get your college paid for. You can go to a technical college and be employed in a trade in two years if not sooner. The best thing is that ITS UP TO YOU to make it happen. You can sit around and watch everybody and life pass you by, or you can put in the effort, change things up and find a different route than your parents did to be successful. Success is out there my friend, but nobody is going to just hand it to you.
- papaf 9y ago
  You can cry however much you want to, but the opportunity is out there. There are numbers on this and they don't back up your argument at all. The US has some of worst economic mobility of developed countries [1]. Its almost as bad as the UK which has an archaic class system. You're perpetuating a myth. Also, this idea that people are "crying" about it is a myth. People are angry. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_mobility_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_mobility_in_the_...
  - celias 9y ago
    WNYC did a five part series on poverty myths, including the myth of rags to riches for most people - http://www.wnyc.org/series/busted-americas-poverty-myths http://www.wnyc.org/series/busted-americas-poverty-myths

quuquuquu 9y ago

Indeed!! If you look at Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Handbook, you'll find that in 2015, average wealth per american adult was 350k (on par with Norway and New Zealand), but MEDIAN wealth was just 50k, on par with Malta, Slovenia, Spain, and Israel!! Furthermore, almost a third of Americans have less than 10k in net worth. This is not even enough to survive a year of unemployment without cutting back on essential expenses. And what's worse, "nearly 1/3rd of Americans" is not a small number- it's 100m people!!!

at-fates-hands 9y ago

>> America is indeed one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but that wealth is not spread evenly across the country. This is the blessing and curse of capitalism. You have winners and you have losers. In strong economic times, the rising tides will lift all boats and everybody benefits. When the shit hits the fan, those who are prepared, suffer less. Those with no safety net will suffer more, but there's plenty of government assistance to help those people when they hit hard times. You can cry however much you want to, but the opportunity is out there. You can take online free courses, you can get scholarships and get your college paid for. You can go to a technical college and be employed in a trade in two years if not sooner. The best thing is that ITS UP TO YOU to make it happen. You can sit around and watch everybody and life pass you by, or you can put in the effort, change things up and find a different route than your parents did to be successful. Success is out there my friend, but nobody is going to just hand it to you.

papaf 9y ago
You can cry however much you want to, but the opportunity is out there. There are numbers on this and they don't back up your argument at all. The US has some of worst economic mobility of developed countries [1]. Its almost as bad as the UK which has an archaic class system. You're perpetuating a myth. Also, this idea that people are "crying" about it is a myth. People are angry. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_mobility_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_mobility_in_the_...
- celias 9y ago
  WNYC did a five part series on poverty myths, including the myth of rags to riches for most people - http://www.wnyc.org/series/busted-americas-poverty-myths http://www.wnyc.org/series/busted-americas-poverty-myths