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A tip of the hat and congratulations to this gentleman on his retirement, but this is the part of his (and the American) story that is no more: > ... he took t
by danans 7y ago
A tip of the hat and congratulations to this gentleman on his retirement, but this is the part of his (and the American) story that is no more:
> ... he took the job at 19 because his mother knew the hotel’s general manager and they needed a doorman for the summer.
> He’s up for spending more time with his wife, Cindy, a hospitality executive whom he chatted up at a cable car stop about a quarter-century ago, and their four grandchildren.
... by which I mean: a comfortable retirement at 62, grandchildren either nearby or he can afford to visit them, all for an unskilled laborer.
Even if we can't or shouldn't go back to that time (which had plenty of other problems), it's notable to mark the passing of that era of opportunity that was available - albeit only to a subset of people - and think about where we place the bar today for the opportunity to establish a comfortable but modest life.
- jpollock 7y agoHis spouse is an executive who is still working. He is not retiring on his income alone.
- danans 7y agoPerhaps. We'll never know in his particular instance how much of his ability to retire comfortably is based on his own employment vs his spouse's. All we know is that she is a "hospitality executive", whatever that means. More generally, the time when an unskilled laborer could comfortably retire early - which did exist - has passed. It is worth reflecting on that time for both its positives and negatives.
- heyoni 7y agoHe’s got 46 beefeater costumes that cost $3000 each and would probably sell for a lot more as memorabilia...at least he can pay off his student loans.