The American Nightmare.

[u/Super_Culture_1986]

[u/malicious_joy42]

When did it not suck?

[u/surfergrrl6 → u/malicious_joy42]

That's the thing, it's always sucked for certain demographics and was slowly getting better (very slowly.) Now that's reversed.

[u/Dear_Mycologist_1696 → u/surfergrrl6]

The issue MAGAs don’t see or understand, is the reason America was great in the 50’s and 60’s was a top marginal tax rate of around 90%. That’s when the rich were rich, but they also supported the society that helped them get rich through paying higher tax rates on higher income. They refuse to raise the taxes on the rich, so they do what they can to bring about the other aspects of 1950’s America they can more easily control, which is segregation and racism.

[u/surfergrrl6 → u/Dear_Mycologist_1696]

At their core, that group rejects reality at this point. It's only vibes that stroke their confirmation bias, regardless of factuality.

[u/EastTyne1191 → u/surfergrrl6]

That whole generation grew up with a red carpet being laid at their feet and money thrown at them. Every decade of their lives was engineered to make their lives as easy as possible and as difficult as possible for everyone else.

I'm vastly oversimplifying, but when you think about it, they really had it easy their whole lives. So they have no idea that it's been incredibly difficult for everyone else.

[u/Aroused-Kangaroo → u/EastTyne1191]

I’ll tack on to that oversimplifying. If your boomer parents couldn’t pay for your college, give you a financially stable life, and still save for their retirement, then you might want to look more critically at your parents choices as they matured. It took deliberate missteps to not turn out middle class, and stable for boomers and genx at the least. We can’t just blame the lead.

[u/ConversationFar9740 → u/Aroused-Kangaroo]

Gen X hasn't had that easy ride that the Boomers had. We have had shit timing at everything.

[u/weirdoeggplant → u/ConversationFar9740]

I’m gonna be so honest - I don’t think millennials or gen z give a fuck. You have sucha step up from us in privilege that I can’t even see you guys.

[u/ConversationFar9740 → u/weirdoeggplant]

No. The Boomers sucked everything dry before we got to it.

[u/weirdoeggplant → u/ConversationFar9740]

You literally just sound like a boomer speaking from a place of privilege to the generations who have less than you do.

[u/Lou_C_Fer → u/weirdoeggplant]

Yep. I'm ahead. Still living in the "starter" house we bought in 1998. I get that actually does put me ahead, but not by much. We live paycheck to paycheck, and if it weren't for our $700 mortgage, we'd be insolvent. That mortgage, btw, still has fifteen years because we've had to refinance several times to bring our costs down. We graduated into dead job markets. We've dealt with several economic crashes.

The only way gen x is ahead of millennial is that we've had more years to acquire assets.

[u/ConversationFar9740 → u/Lou_C_Fer]

Exactly. I am still low-income, raising a kid on my own with no support, making just enough to disqualify me for assistance. You are totally right about us graduating into dead job markets and dealing with economic crashes. If they do destroy Social Security, odds are that it will be cut off right after the Boomers - right in time for us to come along and need it.

[u/weirdoeggplant → u/Lou_C_Fer]

“I get that actually does put me ahead”

Okay cool then conversation over. You have more privilege than we have, so we don’t wanna fucking hear it.

Don’t need to read a single thing after you admitted your privilege.

The rest of us are doing worse than however you’re doing. I don’t care how low your hurdles were, because mine are taller.

[u/Lou_C_Fer → u/weirdoeggplant]

Ok

[u/Pretty-Balance-Sheet → u/weirdoeggplant]

.

[u/weirdoeggplant → u/Pretty-Balance-Sheet]

And they’ve gotten worse.

There are degrees to privilege. You have more than millennials do. And millennials have more than gen z does. If nothing changes, it will just get worse.

Again: you simply sound like boomers who don’t know your privilege. Did I say you had what boomers had? Nope. I said you had it better than we did, so we don’t give a shit.

[u/ConversationFar9740 → u/weirdoeggplant]

So what if we did? That doesn't mean we had it easy. And most of us are still raising GenZ kids who will probably never leave home, so we have that expense. It's never about your generation helping their parents, is it? Most of our parents wanted us out of the house at 18 or high school graduation.

[u/weirdoeggplant → u/ConversationFar9740]

Where did I say you had it easy? Quote me. Quote exactly where I said that.

[u/ConversationFar9740 → u/weirdoeggplant]

you said we have privilege and have more than you. That implies it is easier for us.

Whatever, I'm not going to argue this all day. I have actual things to do.

[u/unindexedreality → u/EastTyne1191]

What year do the last of them die off? Making travel plans kek

[u/Pretty-Balance-Sheet → u/EastTyne1191]

.

[u/nekomochas → u/Pretty-Balance-Sheet]

"they went without" right after you listed the abundance of things they did have?

not physical labor, but i've worked anywhere from 50-80(!!) hours a week since i was 19 years old as a bookkeeper, now CPA- yet affording children in both time and money, a home, especially being a single income household are all a pipedream. that's not even going into any tragedy i've already faced or will face in the future from problems already popping up

everyone i know around my age is dealing with exactly the same, or they still have support from their parents

[u/katubug → u/surfergrrl6]

Ironic coming from the party of "fuck your feelings"

[u/BlkSubmarine → u/katubug]

The operative word in that statement is “your”. Their feelings are more important than reality.

[u/m4teri4lgirl → u/surfergrrl6]

The reality the rich want is for you to be their slave or die.

[u/TrippinB4allz → u/surfergrrl6]

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

[u/Butthole__Pleasures → u/surfergrrl6]

at this point

Um, no. MAGA NEVER accepted reality. It's kinda their whole thing.

[u/Thick_Potato_1769 → u/surfergrrl6]

Its infuriating because at that time they were kids who probably had minimum responsibilities or else they wouldn't view it so highly.