Worth noting is that some HN users ARE rich, or will be rich some day. Still most of us aren't / won't ever be, but even then a majority are (hopefully) at leas

Worth noting is that some HN users ARE rich, or will be rich some day. Still most of us aren't / won't ever be, but even then a majority are (hopefully) at least being well paid. While his tone is a bit dreary, I don't think he's wrong. Being rich is part of the American dream for many, which you can see from how popular lotteries are. But for the most part, people aren't going to make the leap to riches in their lifetime, and those that do often fall right back. There are definitely forces at play to help keep it that way, some of which he outlined. (I find the life insurance thing to be hard to believe because, of how creepy it is). But its no coincidence the middle class has eroded while the divide has widened. Still, I've got a computer that works, a room, some heat, cats and a piano; and I don't have to pinch pennies to feed myself. It's not wrong for me to want better for myself, but it's not wrong for me to be happy for what I have either. But equally true, as he identified, is that I can't do a lot to help my mom out and am just getting by in a lot of ways myself. So for me, getting rich would mean being able to take care of her and give her some independence and take away a lot of the stress.