If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad? • Hacker News Board

Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#91

Post by david927 » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

some_random wrote: post #50

dv_dt wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it's a key indicator, even PPP adjusted income metrics are insufficient to compare happiness. e.g even if PPP may adjust for some aspects of outsized US health care costs, the risk and unreliability of access and affordability of US healthcare is not reflected in median income values.

Yeah I totally agree that income and happiness are not interchangeable, I'm just really tired of people lying about objective facts.

Every single court case is two sides bringing forward only "objective facts" by definition. It's not that one side brings lies and the other facts. They both bring objective facts.

So why does it always end with the judgement falling on one side? Because facts do not a complete case make.

Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#92

Post by kcb » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

comrade1234 wrote: post #6

I feel like wealthy americans live like poor Europeans - they live far outside the city in crowded suburbs, no amenities walking distance so they have to drive everywhere, having to commute an hour to their job, eating bad manufactured food... I'm American but moved to Europe years ago. It may be even better being poor here because at least you might live in a village and you'll have healthcare and your government wo…

This reads a lot like "the way I choose to live is the best and everyone else is sad." Anyone in a dense suburb is getting all the fresh food they want from a choice of 6 different grocery stores. And it's silly to complain about suburbs being crowded in comparison to cities.

Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#93

Post by mbfg » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:45 PM UTC

The top 10% of American families own close to 70% of america's wealth. So if "America" is rich. Those are the folks who are rich. 90% of Americans are not rich.

Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#94

Post by subsideuropa » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

reducesuffering wrote: post #89

conductr wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an American, I don’t think of the suburbs when I think of rich people. I think of what’s left of our middle class just trying to do their best. Many of them probably have negative net worth when debt is considered. But they need public schools, they need big (relatively) affordable housing, they need strip centers with the same 5 restaurants every exit of the highway. When I think of wealth, I think of mostly inne…

Eh, the wealthiest in America mostly live in spacious suburbs. They aren't very city-like, but they're not the same suburbs as GP mentioned either. In every wealthy metro, there will be a couple areas that the wealthiest coalesce around. Think Hillsborough/Atherton/Palo Alto, Carmel IN, Newton/Brookline MA, Beverly Hills, Greenwich County CT, River Oaks in Houston, Boulder CO, Scottsdale AZ, etc

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Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#95

Post by kilroy123 » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

It all shifted in 2012:

https://wtfhappened2012.com

I am an optimist, so I do think things will improve eventually, and we're going through a tough transition.

Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#96

Post by linkregister » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

comrade1234 wrote: post #6

I feel like wealthy americans live like poor Europeans - they live far outside the city in crowded suburbs, no amenities walking distance so they have to drive everywhere, having to commute an hour to their job, eating bad manufactured food... I'm American but moved to Europe years ago. It may be even better being poor here because at least you might live in a village and you'll have healthcare and your government wo…

I totally agree with your analysis of suburban Americans' lifestyles! Social isolation is endemic in suburbs.

> eating bad manufactured food

Things have changed dramatically in the last two decades. Food quality has never been better in suburban areas. Every Publix and Kroger has oat milk (I'm using this as a proxy for variety). Produce is fresher and longer-lasting. Consolidation and urbanization has left many rural towns without a local grocery store, requiring longer trips to get food, but suburbia has great variety. Overall food quality and access is better.

Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#97

Post by asdfman123 » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

xyzelement wrote: post #75

I feel like this is an easily answerable question, but I can see this because I grew up an atheist (and travel in those typically atheist/educated/professional circles) and have become much more aware/educated in/embracing of religion later in life myself. If you compare apples to apples - say my average atheist friend who is a director in a FAANG and also my religious friend who is also a director in the same FAANG.…

Yeah, I agree. I think we're deep into a spiritual crisis, a crisis of meaning. A lot of people are blind to the trend because those aren't easy things to measure.

But if you're single, isolated, on dating apps -- or maybe caught in an unfulfilling marriage commuting from the suburbs to a job you resent -- there often doesn't seem much point to your own existence. Everything has been stripped of its meaning.

The spiritual crisis also explains why people aren't having kids. If there's no point to anything, why go through all the work and hardship? Parents often want to bring more happiness into the world. But if you're deeply unhappy, the logic changes.

Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#98

Post by subsideuropa » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:47 PM UTC

asdfman123 wrote: post #78

comrade1234 wrote: post #6

I feel like wealthy americans live like poor Europeans - they live far outside the city in crowded suburbs, no amenities walking distance so they have to drive everywhere, having to commute an hour to their job, eating bad manufactured food... I'm American but moved to Europe years ago. It may be even better being poor here because at least you might live in a village and you'll have healthcare and your government wo…

Young people with good jobs who live in dense urban areas seem uniquely unhappy, though.

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Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#99

Post by wing-_-nuts » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:47 PM UTC

comrade1234 wrote: post #6

I feel like wealthy americans live like poor Europeans - they live far outside the city in crowded suburbs, no amenities walking distance so they have to drive everywhere, having to commute an hour to their job, eating bad manufactured food... I'm American but moved to Europe years ago. It may be even better being poor here because at least you might live in a village and you'll have healthcare and your government wo…

Quibble, Europe has worse air quality than the US. Not sure what 'dangerous food standards' you're referring to either. A lot of European food regs serve more as protectionist schemes for their local industry than things that actually have an impact on public health.

Re: If America's so rich, how'd it get so sad?

#100

Post by some_random » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:47 PM UTC

JKCalhoun wrote: post #68

some_random wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fun fact, that's also untrue or at least dubious. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/may/16/facebook-p...

"Data from 2020 through 2022 found that between 50% and 63% of Americans report living paycheck to paycheck." (Well, that's a relief.)

One bullet point down: "But there is no clear definition for the phrase "paycheck to paycheck," so people should be skeptical of statistics based on the concept, one economist said."