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Underrated comment. You hear constantly about how people in the USA who went through the Great Depression became lifelong hoarders, etc. The idea that folks w

Underrated comment. You hear constantly about how people in the USA who went through the Great Depression became lifelong hoarders, etc. The idea that folks who went through a massive global pandemic (which, unlike the Spanish Flu, was liberally reported on in the media) wouldn't realize that their life is short and act accordingly is... funny.

coffeebeqn 3y ago
I mean the next 20 decades weren’t great for Europe after the Spanish flu. Hope it’s not that
- Aloha 3y ago
  America had a boom then, and arguably so did europe in culture at least certainly. That said, much of europes economic generation, was the flower of whole nations youths being stolen by flanders fields - either literally in death or psychologically. Nevermind the social and political upheavals seen in around half of europe from WWI - Britain which escaped more unfazed than most of europe from physical damage, still had a mix of cataclysmic change and steady social progress (unwinding of the values and cultural norms of the victorian/edwardian era) - and also suffered vast amounts of deaths. National identities were formed too, Australia, Canada and New Zealand all or in part formed their national identities out of the cataclysm of WW I. This doesn't even account for the new nations formed all over Europe, The Middle East, and Africa because of The Great War.
Aloha 3y ago
I have heard so many people say "life is short, why wait?" in the last 18 months, maybe before that - I've seen people quit jobs, relocate, buy houses - do all sorts of things they wanted to do that made them feel more fulfilled, or just happier. I've even made choices of my own with a very big eye on mortality. We might have been waiting before, but as I said elsewhere in thread, I've experienced three once in a lifetime type events since a turned 18 - why should I wait? I want to live the life I want to live. Pandemic for me tamped down any FOMO I might have, but did not tamp down the YOLO - because of that, why wait?, do the things you want now, while you can, bring joy and warmth into your life, experience new things - because you never know when the bottom might fall out again.
- unethical_ban 3y ago
  Didn't read the article, only this thread. It's a lack of hope. There is no signal in sight that housing will go back to the affordability it had five years ago. The fed and corporations are making inflation worse, and while the government spending of the pandemic seemed wise to keep the circulation flowing while we were on pause, it does seem to have screwed the little guy with no house or stocks. So if this is as good as it gets, why save or have hope? People getting by will just keep getting by. At least that's my take.
  - Aloha 3y ago
    I see some of that, but I don't think it's all that, there is a lot of YOLO too.
  - jpetso 3y ago
    Inflation isn't great for people with stocks, and high interest rates are the main thing that can apply downward pressure to housing prices. People with lots of debt have it rough right now. The little guy with no house or stocks, but no debt, however, has more of a chance to catch up when hard-earned assets depreciate via inflation and high interest.
    - Aloha 3y ago
      Inflation is actually pretty good if you have debt, the debt is in fixed dollars, your wage will likely go up.
      - red-iron-pine 3y ago
        the average US wage hasn't kept up with inflation since, like, the 1970s.
        Aloha 3y ago
        Doesn't matter it still goes up, the mortgage note you owe 75000 2003 dollars would cost you 126000 now. Because while it's true in 2003 you made 35000, and now you make about 60000, you're still slightly ahead.
Whoppertime 3y ago
If the great depression lead to hoarders what will Covid lead to? Lifelong TP Hoarders?
- rpgwaiter 3y ago
  I haven't interacted with another human being face-to-face without a good n95 on since 2019, so probably stuff like that

coffeebeqn 3y ago

I mean the next 20 decades weren’t great for Europe after the Spanish flu. Hope it’s not that

Aloha 3y ago
America had a boom then, and arguably so did europe in culture at least certainly. That said, much of europes economic generation, was the flower of whole nations youths being stolen by flanders fields - either literally in death or psychologically. Nevermind the social and political upheavals seen in around half of europe from WWI - Britain which escaped more unfazed than most of europe from physical damage, still had a mix of cataclysmic change and steady social progress (unwinding of the values and cultural norms of the victorian/edwardian era) - and also suffered vast amounts of deaths. National identities were formed too, Australia, Canada and New Zealand all or in part formed their national identities out of the cataclysm of WW I. This doesn't even account for the new nations formed all over Europe, The Middle East, and Africa because of The Great War.

Aloha 3y ago

I have heard so many people say "life is short, why wait?" in the last 18 months, maybe before that - I've seen people quit jobs, relocate, buy houses - do all sorts of things they wanted to do that made them feel more fulfilled, or just happier. I've even made choices of my own with a very big eye on mortality. We might have been waiting before, but as I said elsewhere in thread, I've experienced three once in a lifetime type events since a turned 18 - why should I wait? I want to live the life I want to live. Pandemic for me tamped down any FOMO I might have, but did not tamp down the YOLO - because of that, why wait?, do the things you want now, while you can, bring joy and warmth into your life, experience new things - because you never know when the bottom might fall out again.

unethical_ban 3y ago
Didn't read the article, only this thread. It's a lack of hope. There is no signal in sight that housing will go back to the affordability it had five years ago. The fed and corporations are making inflation worse, and while the government spending of the pandemic seemed wise to keep the circulation flowing while we were on pause, it does seem to have screwed the little guy with no house or stocks. So if this is as good as it gets, why save or have hope? People getting by will just keep getting by. At least that's my take.
- Aloha 3y ago
  I see some of that, but I don't think it's all that, there is a lot of YOLO too.
- jpetso 3y ago
  Inflation isn't great for people with stocks, and high interest rates are the main thing that can apply downward pressure to housing prices. People with lots of debt have it rough right now. The little guy with no house or stocks, but no debt, however, has more of a chance to catch up when hard-earned assets depreciate via inflation and high interest.
  - Aloha 3y ago
    Inflation is actually pretty good if you have debt, the debt is in fixed dollars, your wage will likely go up.
    - red-iron-pine 3y ago
      the average US wage hasn't kept up with inflation since, like, the 1970s.
      - Aloha 3y ago
        Doesn't matter it still goes up, the mortgage note you owe 75000 2003 dollars would cost you 126000 now. Because while it's true in 2003 you made 35000, and now you make about 60000, you're still slightly ahead.

Whoppertime 3y ago

If the great depression lead to hoarders what will Covid lead to? Lifelong TP Hoarders?

rpgwaiter 3y ago
I haven't interacted with another human being face-to-face without a good n95 on since 2019, so probably stuff like that