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Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

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Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#281

Post by t-writescode »

paulddraper wrote: post #273
yaacov wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t know this dude, and if you know he’s just scamming the system I’ll take your word for it, but when I’ve experienced serious physical pain I’ve found video games much more helpful than OTC painkillers.

I'm not his doctor, and I don't know either. But is that one thing going to stop him from ever working/living a productive life?

Yes, if the jobs he can get pay him less than the medical care and stipend he gets for free every month.

If you lose disability by starting to work, suddenly life becomes a lot more expensive and you can't afford things.

The Welfare Gap is real.

Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#282

Post by depressedx »

david-gpu wrote: post #263
hardwaregeek wrote: post #223

Video game addiction is a real problem. I spent my freshman year of college rooming with man-children who played video games non-stop. They didn't explore the city, they didn't meet new people, they just played video games in the dark, screaming into their headsets and eating their takeout at their desk. People can certainly have a healthy, fruitful relationship to video games but since then I haven't felt the need t…

Not a psychologist, but I would guess that playing games at all times is more a symptom than a cause. A symptom of depression? A coping mechanism for chronic anxiety? A happy well adjusted person does not try so hard to escape reality or responsibilities. Demeaning them by calling them man-children is not going to help them in the slightest.

Depression is often characterised by a struggle in finding the motivation / desire to do something you love: if they love video games and can play them 12 hours a day, it's very possible they simply... don't care about the outside world. A job, family, exploring the world, these are all things some people just don't like. They don't have to have mental illness in order to spend their lives doing one thing!

Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#283

Post by supertrope »

MattGaiser wrote: post #206

I have a very multicultural background, but the dominant cultural view, at least when it comes to money, is Chinese. For us, living at home is not failure. Moving out without planning to start a family if you live in the same city as your parents is considered wasting money. You instead use it as an opportunity to save a pile of money and invest. How much of this is just cultural change? It isn't failure to launch. I…

I grew up in a school district with median household income >$100k. Several schools had blue ribbon awards from the federal department of education. There were still families where kids were given 30 days notice to move out upon turning 18. Some families were under so much financial pressure the parents wanted the kids to drop out of high school at 16 and work.

Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#284

Post by bozzcl »

mynameisash wrote: post #120
Romulus968 wrote: post #54

I'm in the labor force, but live at home. I can absolutely afford to purchase a home. Why don't I? Because I'm not spending $250,000+ on 1400sq ft. These types of articles make it seem like some huge mystery as to why society is the way it is today. It's no mystery. Houses cost to much and employers don't pay enough.

When my wife and I bought our house (Seattle area) six years ago, I was uneasy about spending $300k, and my family in the Midwest was aghast that we paid asking price. Anyone in this area would now laugh at my previous situation; I certainly do. We briefly considered buying a slightly larger house in the area, but everything is going for about $800k now. If I were just entering the job and housing market today here i…

I've been wanting to buy a house around Seattle for a while, but the asking prices are so ridiculous for what you get... it's just not worth it. Personally, I'm gonna continue renting for a while to see if the remote work situation opens new opportunities or brings prices down.

That being said, I learned recently that for the same prices you would pay here you can get a castle in Europe... so I made that my retirement goal.

Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#285

Post by vmception »

grogenaut wrote: post #151

I'm trying to get my son and his girlfriend to live at home for a few years post graduation. He wants to move out into a place in seattle. She's a bit more about saving money. The math is that they'd have all loans paid off and a 200k down payment about 4 years out of college if they live with us, and they'd have loans paid off if in 4 years and Important side note: they're both major home bodies so they wouldn't tak…

false dilemma.

many parents contribute to their children's first downpayment, if you can't or aren't interested then just leave the discussion.

they don't have consensus on wanting to live with you while you believe they have the skillsets to save $200,000 in 4 years. who gives af if there is a theoretical savings optimization possible, that's not your problem stop acting like it is.

you are going to have an empty nest, you'd be better off admitting thats what you are avoiding instead of acting like your concern is their savings potential, which is just coincidence. sure, I could be way off, but the constant is that you already gave them the support system to integrate into society, this seems largely successful so don't worry about those choices.

let the homebody go have the option of trying IPAs at all the microbreweries in walking distance. not your problem.

Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#286

Post by echelon »

hardwaregeek wrote: post #223

Video game addiction is a real problem. I spent my freshman year of college rooming with man-children who played video games non-stop. They didn't explore the city, they didn't meet new people, they just played video games in the dark, screaming into their headsets and eating their takeout at their desk. People can certainly have a healthy, fruitful relationship to video games but since then I haven't felt the need t…

I know people are different and I'm not wired the same way, but I have trouble understanding how people can play games for more than a few hours a week.

Games like Pac Man and Tetris are algorithmic workloads. It's not much different than driving a semi or forklift, except you're not paid by a company for the work you do. It puts human brains closer to acting and performing as algorithmic worker bee agents.

Modern AAA titles are the same thing, just with more degrees of freedom.

I understand that there are dopamine triggers, but game engines subject players to the same repetitive thing over and over until the game ends. Kill this thing, collect 12 pelts, etc. There aren't very many variations on this theme, either. I can't grapple with how this squares with the limited time we have in life.

I think the best argument from my perspective is that Animal Crossing has you literally working to pay off a fake mortgage to buy digital items you don't need. You shouldn't stress out over a game.

I've enjoyed games for their mood, setting, music, and narrative, but gameplay itself is work. I'd rather just have a movie or narrative story. I already work too much.

Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#287

Post by zabzonk »

depressedx wrote: post #282
david-gpu wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not a psychologist, but I would guess that playing games at all times is more a symptom than a cause. A symptom of depression? A coping mechanism for chronic anxiety? A happy well adjusted person does not try so hard to escape reality or responsibilities. Demeaning them by calling them man-children is not going to help them in the slightest.

Depression is often characterised by a struggle in finding the motivation / desire to do something you love: if they love video games and can play them 12 hours a day, it's very possible they simply... don't care about the outside world. A job, family, exploring the world, these are all things some people just don't like. They don't have to have mental illness in order to spend their lives doing one thing!

> They don't have to have mental illness in order to spend their lives doing one thing!

I'd argue that doing one thing for the rest of your life is a classic definition of mental illness.

Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#288

Post by UncleOxidant »

amin wrote: post #262
UncleOxidant wrote: post #113

I've got two nephews aged 34 and 32 who still live at home and play video games all the time and rarely leave their rooms. Neither has ever had a job that lasted more than a month or so. Neither ever learned to drive even though they live in a town with little or no public transit. They haven't had any education beyond high school. They seem wholly unprepared to navigate life without their parents. It's a slow motion…

Did they grow up with their biological father?

Not after they were around 6 and 8. Their mom remarried when they were in their teens. So yeah, probably that's part of the problem. But their biological father was also quite lazy and never had a job for very long (part of the reason she left him, that and he did a good bit of gaslighting) so it's not like he was a great example for them to follow (In fact, last I heard he was living with his parents and he's well into his 50s).

Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#289

Post by christkv »

echelon wrote: post #286
hardwaregeek wrote: post #223

Video game addiction is a real problem. I spent my freshman year of college rooming with man-children who played video games non-stop. They didn't explore the city, they didn't meet new people, they just played video games in the dark, screaming into their headsets and eating their takeout at their desk. People can certainly have a healthy, fruitful relationship to video games but since then I haven't felt the need t…

I know people are different and I'm not wired the same way, but I have trouble understanding how people can play games for more than a few hours a week. Games like Pac Man and Tetris are algorithmic workloads. It's not much different than driving a semi or forklift, except you're not paid by a company for the work you do. It puts human brains closer to acting and performing as algorithmic worker bee agents. Modern AA…

Most games are power fantasies as well as narratives. You get to role play as a overpowered avatar.

Re: Fewer young men are in the labor force, more are living at home

#290

Post by zabzonk »

echelon wrote: post #286
hardwaregeek wrote: post #223

Video game addiction is a real problem. I spent my freshman year of college rooming with man-children who played video games non-stop. They didn't explore the city, they didn't meet new people, they just played video games in the dark, screaming into their headsets and eating their takeout at their desk. People can certainly have a healthy, fruitful relationship to video games but since then I haven't felt the need t…

I know people are different and I'm not wired the same way, but I have trouble understanding how people can play games for more than a few hours a week. Games like Pac Man and Tetris are algorithmic workloads. It's not much different than driving a semi or forklift, except you're not paid by a company for the work you do. It puts human brains closer to acting and performing as algorithmic worker bee agents. Modern AA…

> I'd rather just have a movie or narrative

Open world games _are_ the equivalent of movies or narratives. think Skyrim, for example.

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