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

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

#121

Post by jackcosgrove »

kdheiwns wrote: post #48
jandrewrogers wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That isn't a coherent argument; the latter does not support the former. The median American has a lot of money and disposable income compared to almost any other country.

America is in a weird situation where people have a lot of money in terms of the number and it converts well to other currencies. But it feels worthless within American borders. An American can get a very sad and bad sandwich for about $20 in a mid sized American city. They can get a full meal with fresh ingredients in most of the rest of the world for $10 (no tip either). Some places even under $5. An American can r…

That's not weird at all it's the difference in most cases between products and services produced by local labor vs products and services produced by more abundant, cheaper labor elsewhere. I don't complain about $20 meals because I think inequality is bad enough.

The only thing in your list that could be cheaper without underpaying local workers are pharmaceuticals.

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

#122

Post by yalogin »

One thing I realized over time America is very expensive to live in. Everything is so expensive that only the rich are rich and everyone from middle class and down are on the poor spectrum. It’s done purposefully under the cover of freedom, choice and taxes. It’s impossible to change now at least I am very pessimistic about it. It doesn’t help that the population density is very low and so many of the services just don’t have the ROI they do in other countries.

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

#124

Post by bugglebeetle »

ordinaryradical wrote: post #86
Induane wrote: post #4

Relentless striving without any kind of real meaning isn't healthy. Even people who aren't deeply Christian in the religious sense are still inherited of much of the values. I.E. people must prove their value via an extraordinary work ethic.

Christian orthodoxy begins with the assertion you cannot ever work hard enough to be made right with God but that your value is imputed by Christ’s death and never once earned. See also: the imago dei. What you’re describing is not “Christian values” but the famed “Protestant work ethic,” a product of puritan immigrants fleeing European discrimination. That ethic is Christian in source but when divorced from the know…

As Benjamin noted, “Christianity’s history is essentially that of its parasite […] capitalism.”

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

#125

Post by patall »

subsideuropa wrote: post #90
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…

[flagged]

It also helps that America just made fuel more expensive, making walkability, bikeability and short distances in general more lucrative.

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

#126

Post by asdfman123 »

FrustratedMonky wrote: post #118

Hello. Inflation. Wage Contraction. Sure, money doesn't buy happiness. But you need some minimum. The Maslow's Pyramid. Food, Shelter.

Relatively well off people seem very unhappy now too, so that's not enough to explain what's going on.

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

#127

Post by bombcar »

subsideuropa wrote: post #90
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…

[flagged]

Whenever I'm feeling down, I go read how Europeans think I live and I feel much better that I'm not that guy.

Whenever I'm feeling too good, I go read what Americans think about Europeans and wish I was that guy.

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

#128

Post by FrustratedMonky »

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.…

"America has undergone a VERY rapid secularization"

And yet we elected Jesus.

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

#129

Post by kdheiwns »

jackcosgrove wrote: post #121
kdheiwns wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America is in a weird situation where people have a lot of money in terms of the number and it converts well to other currencies. But it feels worthless within American borders. An American can get a very sad and bad sandwich for about $20 in a mid sized American city. They can get a full meal with fresh ingredients in most of the rest of the world for $10 (no tip either). Some places even under $5. An American can r…

That's not weird at all it's the difference in most cases between products and services produced by local labor vs products and services produced by more abundant, cheaper labor elsewhere. I don't complain about $20 meals because I think inequality is bad enough. The only thing in your list that could be cheaper without underpaying local workers are pharmaceuticals.

Labor is cheaper elsewhere, yes. But people getting paid lower salaries in other countries are still getting health care, affording rent, affording restaurant meals, etc. America has a strong problem where local salaries are high and prices far outpace them, despite the country being dependent upon things produced by salaries that are a fraction of typical salaries (underpaid farm labor, restaurant staff being paid under the table below minimum wage, meat plants employing children, technology all produced in "cheap" Asian countries where locals can afford rent and get health care, clothes produced in countries that pay pennies per hour, etc).

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

#130

Post by lanthissa »

ericmay wrote: post #70
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…

It varies by location and by what we mean by rich. In New York, for example, you're totally right. But for most of America the model is country club + suburb, 6,000 sqft house with a pool, big public school district that is very well funded, SUVs, &c. for the "rich". And in some cities you actually have both. Where I live we have these big, wealthy suburbs (New Albany for example), Delaware County in central Ohio is…

in new york you're not remotely right.

the suburbs around new york are some of the richest in the world. Scardsale, every town near the ct border, rye, huge parts of li, montclair nj and the towns around it.

the average household net worth in westchester which is a huge county is $1m, thats on the same tier as wealthy parts of any major city.

Sames true of the suburban sprawl of the bay area and dc.

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