3 ms·

Your list is three angles of the same problem, which is financial insecurity. I'd say it's actually just two things: financial insecurity and climate change.

by smt88 3y ago

Your list is three angles of the same problem, which is financial insecurity. I'd say it's actually just two things: financial insecurity and climate change. Both feel hopeless and both make them feel like there is no future no matter what they do.

hotpotamus 3y ago
As a millennial, I'm pretty sure I've only seen those problems get worse; I wonder if it feels like there is no hope because there is in fact no hope.
- foxyv 3y ago
  I think it's important that we all identify these issues so that, when we have the power to enact change, that we do so. Eventually Millennials will be in the driver seat. Same as the Baby Boomers and eventually Generation Z after us. Just because there is no hope now, doesn't mean an opportunity won't eventually fall into our laps. There is already a lot of change underway in our cities to address these issues because they MUST address them to survive. It will happen, hopefully in time for our children to experience a better society than we did.
itsoktocry 3y ago
>financial insecurity I think financial expectations are warped, too. Look at the viral TikTok video from a few weeks ago, where a recent marketing graduate was wondering why she wasn't making $100k right out of school. Or I recently saw a Twitter discussion where someone said, "Sure you can raise a family on a $100k, but you'll have to do it in 1000sqft. Who wants to do that?". We, I am, and I'm as happy as I've ever been. Financial inequality has completely skewed what is seen as "normal". We need to fix both that perception, and the actual inequality.
- smt88 3y ago
  It's perfectly realistic to want more than 1,000 sqft to raise a family because we live in a country where all previous living generations were able to do that for far less than $100k. It's not the absolute quality of life that's infuriating. It's seeing how previous generations plundered the country and then pulled up the drawbridge behind them.
  - nradov 3y ago
    There is no factual basis for your claim. The average size for a new house in 1950 was 1000 ft^2. People made it work, and many of the children who grew up in those houses are still living today. Somehow though people's expectations have inflated and they now feel entitled to a larger home, or like a failure if they can't afford one. As for previous generations, the Boomers are steadily dying off or moving into retirement communities. Lots of homes are coming on the market, although you might have to be flexible on location if you want to buy one.
    - smt88 3y ago
      > There is no factual basis for your claim. Go ahead and cite yours, then. Medium home size in the US has never been under 1,000 sqft. In 1960, it was ~1,500 sqft[1]. 1. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/programs-surveys/ahs/working-papers/Housing-by-Year-Built.pdf https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/programs-surveys/a...
- foxyv 3y ago
  Keep in mind that $100k in 2023 is about $50k in 1995. This doesn't take into account that housing inflation has been significantly higher that CPI.
foxyv 3y ago
You are certainly right! However, I find that addressing a problem as vague as financial insecurity leads to non-solutions being proposed that kick the ball down the road a little and make the problem worse. By identifying the systemic issues that cause the financial insecurity we can address them properly. We have solutions to wage suppression, car dependency and housing costs. We just need the political will to implement them.

by smt88 3y ago

hotpotamus 3y ago

As a millennial, I'm pretty sure I've only seen those problems get worse; I wonder if it feels like there is no hope because there is in fact no hope.

foxyv 3y ago
I think it's important that we all identify these issues so that, when we have the power to enact change, that we do so. Eventually Millennials will be in the driver seat. Same as the Baby Boomers and eventually Generation Z after us. Just because there is no hope now, doesn't mean an opportunity won't eventually fall into our laps. There is already a lot of change underway in our cities to address these issues because they MUST address them to survive. It will happen, hopefully in time for our children to experience a better society than we did.

itsoktocry 3y ago

>financial insecurity I think financial expectations are warped, too. Look at the viral TikTok video from a few weeks ago, where a recent marketing graduate was wondering why she wasn't making $100k right out of school. Or I recently saw a Twitter discussion where someone said, "Sure you can raise a family on a $100k, but you'll have to do it in 1000sqft. Who wants to do that?". We, I am, and I'm as happy as I've ever been. Financial inequality has completely skewed what is seen as "normal". We need to fix both that perception, and the actual inequality.

smt88 3y ago
It's perfectly realistic to want more than 1,000 sqft to raise a family because we live in a country where all previous living generations were able to do that for far less than $100k. It's not the absolute quality of life that's infuriating. It's seeing how previous generations plundered the country and then pulled up the drawbridge behind them.
- nradov 3y ago
  There is no factual basis for your claim. The average size for a new house in 1950 was 1000 ft^2. People made it work, and many of the children who grew up in those houses are still living today. Somehow though people's expectations have inflated and they now feel entitled to a larger home, or like a failure if they can't afford one. As for previous generations, the Boomers are steadily dying off or moving into retirement communities. Lots of homes are coming on the market, although you might have to be flexible on location if you want to buy one.
  - smt88 3y ago
    > There is no factual basis for your claim. Go ahead and cite yours, then. Medium home size in the US has never been under 1,000 sqft. In 1960, it was ~1,500 sqft[1]. 1. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/programs-surveys/ahs/working-papers/Housing-by-Year-Built.pdf https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/programs-surveys/a...
foxyv 3y ago
Keep in mind that $100k in 2023 is about $50k in 1995. This doesn't take into account that housing inflation has been significantly higher that CPI.

foxyv 3y ago

You are certainly right! However, I find that addressing a problem as vague as financial insecurity leads to non-solutions being proposed that kick the ball down the road a little and make the problem worse. By identifying the systemic issues that cause the financial insecurity we can address them properly. We have solutions to wage suppression, car dependency and housing costs. We just need the political will to implement them.