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Because our society has an unhealthy obsession with wealth and status, and we’ve convinced ourselves that the only way to be happy in life is to amass both. Th

Because our society has an unhealthy obsession with wealth and status, and we’ve convinced ourselves that the only way to be happy in life is to amass both. The irony is that some of the wealthiest people I’ve met seem the least happy and settled. It’s so strange. The concept of having “enough” is fundamentally incompatible with the hyper-growth startup, social-media driven society that we’re creating. Because having enough means that you’re giving up on the rat race, at least to a degree.

wiz21c 7y ago
At my age, for me, >>> giving up on the rat race means I end up in a tough position. Either I leave the race, knowing that I'll have hard time to finance another race (kids, etc.); either I stay in, but then it means doing things I don't like. middle class man's dilemma.
- save_ferris 7y ago
  I completely agree. Instead of pointing out and criticizing the leaders of our society for their role in widening wealth inequality, we’ve happily created this fiction where we can all hop on the gravy train and become millionaires too.
  - icelancer 7y ago
    This is not much of a fiction for a significant percentage of people reading Hacker News.
    - save_ferris 7y ago
      So what’s your point? That may be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that the median household income in 2018 was 32k.[0] There’s not a single county in the US where a minimum wage income covers the cost of a two-bedroom apartment.[1] Economically, we’re entering a new gilded age where legislative decisions increasingly favor the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. 0: https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2018 https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2018 1: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-06-20/minimum-wage-workers-still-cant-afford-housing-report-shows https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-06-20/...
      - orangecat 7y ago
        the median household income in 2018 was 32k. Individual, not household. And that appears to cover all "wage earners", including cases like college students working part time. Median household income is $63k according to https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/09/us-median-household-income-not-significantly-different-from-2017.html https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/09/us-median-hou...
      - huntie 7y ago
        >not a single county... I'm going to call bullshit on that. Federal minimum wage is over $1000 per month at full time and I've seen 2br in my county for $550+utilities. I don't disagree with your general point but that report did a piss-poor job. I suspect they only looked in urban areas.
      - icelancer 7y ago
        >> There’s not a single county in the US where a minimum wage income covers the cost of a two-bedroom apartment.[1] This is only true if you define paying for said apartment using the 30% of your income rule of thumb, which on top of a two bedroom apartment on minimum wage for a single earner is REALLY stretching reality. Federal minimum wage covers it if you increase 30% upwards easily in a lot of counties.
arez 7y ago
thanks, yes, that's kinda how I feel. Your comment somehow made me feel better, at least I know I'm in a rat race and that takes pressure off of me. Even when I'm staying in, it's better to have the view from the outside once in a while to get grounded and make sure one does not go mad
icelancer 7y ago
>> Because our society has an unhealthy obsession with wealth and status This unhealthy obsession was in large part what drove the United States to what it eventually became in 2019 over just a few hundred years. This is probably an unpopular sentiment, but what makes us bad is often what makes us good. It is not like this obsession has no upside.
- worldsayshi 7y ago
  Yes. This. I mean, I very much hate/love this entrepreneurial cultural dogma. I simultaneously think it might be one of the few ways that an individual can make a significant impact on society (still with a very small probability) and at the same time I feel it's also the root of our big societal problems. Then again, the problems with endless growth that doesn't control for bad side effects might run deeper than entrepreneurial capitalism. Can't make up my mind about this. It makes society run so much faster. But can't guarantee that it runs in the right direction. And so many signs say it's not.
- cambalache 7y ago
  90% of the things that make America great(heh), have nothing to do with the obsession with wealth and status,this is just a story some sectors (WallStreet, Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Washington politicians) like to tell themselves.

wiz21c 7y ago

At my age, for me, >>> giving up on the rat race means I end up in a tough position. Either I leave the race, knowing that I'll have hard time to finance another race (kids, etc.); either I stay in, but then it means doing things I don't like. middle class man's dilemma.

save_ferris 7y ago
I completely agree. Instead of pointing out and criticizing the leaders of our society for their role in widening wealth inequality, we’ve happily created this fiction where we can all hop on the gravy train and become millionaires too.
- icelancer 7y ago
  This is not much of a fiction for a significant percentage of people reading Hacker News.
  - save_ferris 7y ago
    So what’s your point? That may be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that the median household income in 2018 was 32k.[0] There’s not a single county in the US where a minimum wage income covers the cost of a two-bedroom apartment.[1] Economically, we’re entering a new gilded age where legislative decisions increasingly favor the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. 0: https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2018 https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2018 1: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-06-20/minimum-wage-workers-still-cant-afford-housing-report-shows https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-06-20/...
    - orangecat 7y ago
      the median household income in 2018 was 32k. Individual, not household. And that appears to cover all "wage earners", including cases like college students working part time. Median household income is $63k according to https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/09/us-median-household-income-not-significantly-different-from-2017.html https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/09/us-median-hou...
    - huntie 7y ago
      >not a single county... I'm going to call bullshit on that. Federal minimum wage is over $1000 per month at full time and I've seen 2br in my county for $550+utilities. I don't disagree with your general point but that report did a piss-poor job. I suspect they only looked in urban areas.
    - icelancer 7y ago
      >> There’s not a single county in the US where a minimum wage income covers the cost of a two-bedroom apartment.[1] This is only true if you define paying for said apartment using the 30% of your income rule of thumb, which on top of a two bedroom apartment on minimum wage for a single earner is REALLY stretching reality. Federal minimum wage covers it if you increase 30% upwards easily in a lot of counties.

arez 7y ago

thanks, yes, that's kinda how I feel. Your comment somehow made me feel better, at least I know I'm in a rat race and that takes pressure off of me. Even when I'm staying in, it's better to have the view from the outside once in a while to get grounded and make sure one does not go mad

icelancer 7y ago

>> Because our society has an unhealthy obsession with wealth and status This unhealthy obsession was in large part what drove the United States to what it eventually became in 2019 over just a few hundred years. This is probably an unpopular sentiment, but what makes us bad is often what makes us good. It is not like this obsession has no upside.

worldsayshi 7y ago
Yes. This. I mean, I very much hate/love this entrepreneurial cultural dogma. I simultaneously think it might be one of the few ways that an individual can make a significant impact on society (still with a very small probability) and at the same time I feel it's also the root of our big societal problems. Then again, the problems with endless growth that doesn't control for bad side effects might run deeper than entrepreneurial capitalism. Can't make up my mind about this. It makes society run so much faster. But can't guarantee that it runs in the right direction. And so many signs say it's not.
cambalache 7y ago
90% of the things that make America great(heh), have nothing to do with the obsession with wealth and status,this is just a story some sectors (WallStreet, Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Washington politicians) like to tell themselves.