5 ms·

100k is not enough for your typical American dream, which a _lot_ of people feel entitled to

by glouwbug 7y ago

vsareto 7y ago
What is the typical american dream and why is there a typical version and an atypical version?
- glouwbug 7y ago
  The typical american dream has always been a detached home with a car and 2 kids. At 100k a year I'd break even.
  - hanniabu 7y ago
    And then the kids go to college or someone in the family has a medical issue and boom, you're in debt for at least the next decade.
- notfromhere 7y ago
  home ownership, two kids, college education, and regular travel, all while being financially comfortable and saving for retirement are what the hallmarks of the american middle class dream used to be. A 100k household income doesn't afford you that anymore.
  - thaumasiotes 7y ago
    "Regular travel"? This is not a historically aware definition of "the American dream". Regular travel isn't even a goal of most people today.
    - notfromhere 7y ago
      Vacationing is def a part of the American dream, whether its a road trip or air travel
      - cylinder 7y ago
        Is that why the US has no legally mandated annual leave laws?
        notfromhere 7y ago
        the things americans want aren't the things americans gets.
    - tdfx 7y ago
      > Regular travel isn't even a goal of most people today. I see you've been boycotting Instagram for at least the last half a decade.
- bigYahnz 7y ago
  Asking what the typical american dream is a bit hyperbolic, no? For the same reason we seem to be worried about vaping but also want to make sure children get their puberty blockers and can chop off their penises before they could legally have sex or consume a beer. For the same reason why being a stay at home mother is similar to slavery, but wasting your life away at some joke of an HR job while you're just a slave to your boss is empowering. For the same reason new companies who are supposed to be taken seriously play video of a shooting range in Kentucky and try to make the public think that it is a foreign country where our stinky old racist president is allowing untold slaughter to take place. For the same reason the guy who won and aware with Rosa Parks and Muhammad Ali is supposed to be the biggest racist of them all while he tells his supporters, who are also the most racist people to have ever lived, that he would like record immigration if done legally.
- benburleson 7y ago
  The classic American Dream is: * A stable job (that pays "enough" and isn't too stressful) * Own a home * (optionally) Raise a family * Enjoy weekends free, as well as vacations (and the ability to afford them) At least that is my interpretation. If there are atypical American Dreams, I'm curious what those might include.
  - root_axis 7y ago
    100k is about $5900 a month after taxes and modest 401k contribution. Let's subtract some typical expenses (erring on the more expensive side) $200 - water + electricity $100 - high speed internet $160 - decent wireless plan $250 - employer subsidized health insurance $150 - car insurance $50 - netflix, spotify, hulu $700 - groceries $800 - go out to dinner twice a week (or some other activity) $350 - car payment + gas $1000 - savings $1500 - median monthly mortgage payment in the USA. $200 - home insurance. That still leaves 400 a month while also managing to save and invest in 401k. Seems like a decent salary and way of life. Not rich by any means, but certainly comfortable. The median mortgage payment in the USA is about 1500, but let's call it 1800
    - cmendel 7y ago
      That food bill is sky high, holy shit. My households food bill is 300-400 a month and we never eat out. 12k a year makes a difference.
tachyonbeam 7y ago
I would have said a lot of people want, rather than a lot of people "feel entitled to". It's debatable what people are "entitled to", but we live in an age where it would be well within our technological reach to build comfortable homes for everyone. It would however be politically impractical to reallocate land and resources to make that happen, because the people who currently own most of the resources feel entitled to keeping them.

100k is not enough for your typical American dream, which a _lot_ of people feel entitled to

vsareto 7y ago

What is the typical american dream and why is there a typical version and an atypical version?

glouwbug 7y ago
The typical american dream has always been a detached home with a car and 2 kids. At 100k a year I'd break even.
- hanniabu 7y ago
  And then the kids go to college or someone in the family has a medical issue and boom, you're in debt for at least the next decade.
notfromhere 7y ago
home ownership, two kids, college education, and regular travel, all while being financially comfortable and saving for retirement are what the hallmarks of the american middle class dream used to be. A 100k household income doesn't afford you that anymore.
- thaumasiotes 7y ago
  "Regular travel"? This is not a historically aware definition of "the American dream". Regular travel isn't even a goal of most people today.
  - notfromhere 7y ago
    Vacationing is def a part of the American dream, whether its a road trip or air travel
    - cylinder 7y ago
      Is that why the US has no legally mandated annual leave laws?
      - notfromhere 7y ago
        the things americans want aren't the things americans gets.
  - tdfx 7y ago
    > Regular travel isn't even a goal of most people today. I see you've been boycotting Instagram for at least the last half a decade.
bigYahnz 7y ago
Asking what the typical american dream is a bit hyperbolic, no? For the same reason we seem to be worried about vaping but also want to make sure children get their puberty blockers and can chop off their penises before they could legally have sex or consume a beer. For the same reason why being a stay at home mother is similar to slavery, but wasting your life away at some joke of an HR job while you're just a slave to your boss is empowering. For the same reason new companies who are supposed to be taken seriously play video of a shooting range in Kentucky and try to make the public think that it is a foreign country where our stinky old racist president is allowing untold slaughter to take place. For the same reason the guy who won and aware with Rosa Parks and Muhammad Ali is supposed to be the biggest racist of them all while he tells his supporters, who are also the most racist people to have ever lived, that he would like record immigration if done legally.
benburleson 7y ago
The classic American Dream is: * A stable job (that pays "enough" and isn't too stressful) * Own a home * (optionally) Raise a family * Enjoy weekends free, as well as vacations (and the ability to afford them) At least that is my interpretation. If there are atypical American Dreams, I'm curious what those might include.
- root_axis 7y ago
  100k is about $5900 a month after taxes and modest 401k contribution. Let's subtract some typical expenses (erring on the more expensive side) $200 - water + electricity $100 - high speed internet $160 - decent wireless plan $250 - employer subsidized health insurance $150 - car insurance $50 - netflix, spotify, hulu $700 - groceries $800 - go out to dinner twice a week (or some other activity) $350 - car payment + gas $1000 - savings $1500 - median monthly mortgage payment in the USA. $200 - home insurance. That still leaves 400 a month while also managing to save and invest in 401k. Seems like a decent salary and way of life. Not rich by any means, but certainly comfortable. The median mortgage payment in the USA is about 1500, but let's call it 1800
  - cmendel 7y ago
    That food bill is sky high, holy shit. My households food bill is 300-400 a month and we never eat out. 12k a year makes a difference.

tachyonbeam 7y ago

I would have said a lot of people want, rather than a lot of people "feel entitled to". It's debatable what people are "entitled to", but we live in an age where it would be well within our technological reach to build comfortable homes for everyone. It would however be politically impractical to reallocate land and resources to make that happen, because the people who currently own most of the resources feel entitled to keeping them.