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With stories like these, it's easy to blame the guy and say he should've known better than to get into debt. To an extent I agree, however there's probably a bi

With stories like these, it's easy to blame the guy and say he should've known better than to get into debt. To an extent I agree, however there's probably a bigger picture takeaway. There is a mismatch between what people expect/want based on what ideas are sold to them by society, and what is financially possible. You could make the argument that in the past, the wage to living cost ratio was high enough that you wouldn't have to bust your ass so much to just barely get by. Could he have lived more financially optimally? Yes (you always can). But is it that crazy to get an education and then expect a decent life after? The guy works 60 hours a week yet cannot afford housing, proper food, a family, nor any life pleasures. Is that reasonable? Is this really the best society we can come up with?

grugagag 2y ago
You can tell something is wrong at a systemic level by looking at the rise in people in this situation.
sbarre 2y ago
I think this also highlights the lack of financial literacy and education that people get at a young age. So much hindsight clarity in that article. I know when I was in high school and in early adulthood I didn't understand much about personal finance. There should be multiple classes in high school and college/uni that teach you about this stuff.
- thunky 2y ago
  > There should be multiple classes in high school and college/uni that teach you about this stuff. And parents should be teaching their kids about money.
  - sbarre 2y ago
    Not all parents are good about money.. My parents taught me things about money that turned out to be terrible advice... This is like saying "parents should teach their kids to drive".. There's a reason driving schools exist. Kids should be getting a professional curriculum and accurate information about personal finance at school.
    - thunky 2y ago
      > Not all parents are good about money And not all kids are good at school. Parents are in a great position to really reach the kid by making the lessons real with actual consequences and rewards. The can give their kids financial advice where a school can only give information. A finance class where kids have to memorize how bonds work to pass a test is just not the same.
      - sbarre 2y ago
        Sure yeah, you can always find edge cases and arguments against a general position. I wrote a 3-line post, not an essay. Let's try again... Generally speaking kids should be learning about finance at school, not from their parents, because generally speaking most schools will do a better job than parents in teaching generally accepted financial best practices. There will be exceptions to this. Better?
        thunky 2y ago
        I still disagree but that's ok.
    - BrandoElFollito 2y ago
      > parents should teach their kids to drive This is how it works in France, you can teach your kids to drive from IIRC age 15. This is a frightening experience for the parent in the front seat and the rest of the passengers. The drivers on the road in front of you are blissfully unaware, the ones behind see a specific sign and keep healthy distances :)

grugagag 2y ago

You can tell something is wrong at a systemic level by looking at the rise in people in this situation.

sbarre 2y ago

I think this also highlights the lack of financial literacy and education that people get at a young age. So much hindsight clarity in that article. I know when I was in high school and in early adulthood I didn't understand much about personal finance. There should be multiple classes in high school and college/uni that teach you about this stuff.

thunky 2y ago
> There should be multiple classes in high school and college/uni that teach you about this stuff. And parents should be teaching their kids about money.
- sbarre 2y ago
  Not all parents are good about money.. My parents taught me things about money that turned out to be terrible advice... This is like saying "parents should teach their kids to drive".. There's a reason driving schools exist. Kids should be getting a professional curriculum and accurate information about personal finance at school.
  - thunky 2y ago
    > Not all parents are good about money And not all kids are good at school. Parents are in a great position to really reach the kid by making the lessons real with actual consequences and rewards. The can give their kids financial advice where a school can only give information. A finance class where kids have to memorize how bonds work to pass a test is just not the same.
    - sbarre 2y ago
      Sure yeah, you can always find edge cases and arguments against a general position. I wrote a 3-line post, not an essay. Let's try again... Generally speaking kids should be learning about finance at school, not from their parents, because generally speaking most schools will do a better job than parents in teaching generally accepted financial best practices. There will be exceptions to this. Better?
      - thunky 2y ago
        I still disagree but that's ok.
  - BrandoElFollito 2y ago
    > parents should teach their kids to drive This is how it works in France, you can teach your kids to drive from IIRC age 15. This is a frightening experience for the parent in the front seat and the rest of the passengers. The drivers on the road in front of you are blissfully unaware, the ones behind see a specific sign and keep healthy distances :)