3 ms·

Indian Millennial here. Lived in the US(for work) for around 4 years and returned to India. So I know a little about what I'm talking about. I am yet to unders

by kamaal 8y ago

Indian Millennial here. Lived in the US(for work) for around 4 years and returned to India. So I know a little about what I'm talking about. I am yet to understand why US millennials have all these troubles, or is it just perceived by them as such? Because frankly, comparatively speaking food is not expensive in the US. Even on minimum wage you can eat the best, healthy food there is. Infrastructure is just a whole country Disneyland. Opportunities are higher than all of human history including the present combined. Schooling is free. You can afford a good car for minimal monthly payments. You get pure drinking water, and more importantly unlike the third world countries, you get to breathe the purest air possible. Its not hard to exercise and maintain good health either. Gaining any skill or knowledge has never been more easier, than it is today. I understand if you had a unfortunate health complication beyond your control, or you are disabled at birth. But for healthy people, there isn't much you can complain about. Sorry for sounding rude here. This sounds a lot more like decadence, than any real problem.

dragonwriter 8y ago
> Lived in the US(for work) for around 4 years and returned to India. So I know a little about what I'm talking about. The US is a huge country; living in it for 4 years for work — unless that work is, I dunno, leading a large cross-regional socioeconomic study — will leave you knowing pretty close to nothing about it related to the issues you discuss. > I am yet to understand why US millennials have all these troubles Because radical shifts in US tax policy over the past several decades have changed the arc of financial prospects for the non-elite much faster than cultural expectations have adapted. > Even on minimum wage you can eat the best, healthy food there is No, you can't. On minimum wage you can't even afford minimal (as in, not so substandard as to be condemned and illegal for habitation) shelter in much of the country, much less shelter + “the best, healthy” unprepared food + food storage and prep equipment, or shelter + “the best, healthy” prepared food. > Infrastructure is just a whole country Disneyland. It's really not, you need to see more of the country if you think it is. (Unless by “Disneyland” you mean “glitzy facade that's hollow underneath”, which is closer to true, but even there much of the country lacks even the facade.) > Opportunities are higher than all of human history including the present combined. That's not even abstractly possible, much less true. > Schooling is free. But often absymally bad. > You can afford a good car for minimal monthly payments. Median used car price in the US is just under $20,000; median auto loan interest is 4.20% (for used cars probably higher, because the most credit-worthy people are more likely to buy new cars.) On a 60 month loan with zero down, that's 50+ hours at federal minimum wage to make the monthly payment. > You get pure drinking water, No, you don't, in many cases, though awareness of this (except for Flint, MI, which is not unique in its toxic lead levels though perhaps unique in the manner by which that occurred) is poor.
- kamaal 8y ago
  I understand where you are coming from. I lived in Bay Area, CA. Chances are I saw the best parts of the US. And yes I travelled mostly to Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey where the top knowledge work people live. My point is US citizens are still well off than all of humanity together(Though I give it to you, certain parts of Europe are equal if not better). Rice, Lentils, Meat and Vegetables are not expensive in the US. Learning to cook today is getting a smart phone, and a having an internet connection. Running doesn't take much money to do. So you can eat healthy and live healthy. Education is bad in some places and yet way better than what you get in other countries. Learning how to save or personal finance is basically knowing basic arithmetic. And yes, a nation wide freeway system is great transit infrastructure. Nissan Versa is cheap. And learning anything today is the cost of internet bandwidth. And US is still largely a very free country. Where there are tons of opportunities for anyone who wants to show up and try. Most of what I'm writing is bootstrap level resources you need to start, And these are not hard to do with wages delivering Pizzas at dominoes. It largely feels like Millennials in US need some reality check. If you can't succeed in a country as awesome as the US. Chances are you won't survive weeks in other countries.

by kamaal 8y ago

dragonwriter 8y ago

> Lived in the US(for work) for around 4 years and returned to India. So I know a little about what I'm talking about. The US is a huge country; living in it for 4 years for work — unless that work is, I dunno, leading a large cross-regional socioeconomic study — will leave you knowing pretty close to nothing about it related to the issues you discuss. > I am yet to understand why US millennials have all these troubles Because radical shifts in US tax policy over the past several decades have changed the arc of financial prospects for the non-elite much faster than cultural expectations have adapted. > Even on minimum wage you can eat the best, healthy food there is No, you can't. On minimum wage you can't even afford minimal (as in, not so substandard as to be condemned and illegal for habitation) shelter in much of the country, much less shelter + “the best, healthy” unprepared food + food storage and prep equipment, or shelter + “the best, healthy” prepared food. > Infrastructure is just a whole country Disneyland. It's really not, you need to see more of the country if you think it is. (Unless by “Disneyland” you mean “glitzy facade that's hollow underneath”, which is closer to true, but even there much of the country lacks even the facade.) > Opportunities are higher than all of human history including the present combined. That's not even abstractly possible, much less true. > Schooling is free. But often absymally bad. > You can afford a good car for minimal monthly payments. Median used car price in the US is just under $20,000; median auto loan interest is 4.20% (for used cars probably higher, because the most credit-worthy people are more likely to buy new cars.) On a 60 month loan with zero down, that's 50+ hours at federal minimum wage to make the monthly payment. > You get pure drinking water, No, you don't, in many cases, though awareness of this (except for Flint, MI, which is not unique in its toxic lead levels though perhaps unique in the manner by which that occurred) is poor.

kamaal 8y ago
I understand where you are coming from. I lived in Bay Area, CA. Chances are I saw the best parts of the US. And yes I travelled mostly to Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey where the top knowledge work people live. My point is US citizens are still well off than all of humanity together(Though I give it to you, certain parts of Europe are equal if not better). Rice, Lentils, Meat and Vegetables are not expensive in the US. Learning to cook today is getting a smart phone, and a having an internet connection. Running doesn't take much money to do. So you can eat healthy and live healthy. Education is bad in some places and yet way better than what you get in other countries. Learning how to save or personal finance is basically knowing basic arithmetic. And yes, a nation wide freeway system is great transit infrastructure. Nissan Versa is cheap. And learning anything today is the cost of internet bandwidth. And US is still largely a very free country. Where there are tons of opportunities for anyone who wants to show up and try. Most of what I'm writing is bootstrap level resources you need to start, And these are not hard to do with wages delivering Pizzas at dominoes. It largely feels like Millennials in US need some reality check. If you can't succeed in a country as awesome as the US. Chances are you won't survive weeks in other countries.