The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker • Hacker News Board

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#61

Post by lotsofpulp » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 12:41 AM UTC

bushbaba wrote: post #33

lotsofpulp wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because your 1993 health insurance covered far less. There was no out of pocket maximum, you were denied for pre existing health conditions, and a surprise bill could show up anytime. Now, you can buy health insurance even if you know your anemic kid will need $1.5M of treatment in the year, and it will only cost you ~$10k to ~$15k per year. To be clear, today’s health insurance premiums are not premiums either, they…

We use an insurance model. Get upset how insurance works. Then complain it’s broken. Either it’s insurance or it’s wealth redistribution.

In the US, it is explicitly wealth redistribution, from the young and healthy to the old and sick. It is still called an insurance premium because it is more politically palatable.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#62

Post by lotsofpulp » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 12:57 AM UTC

nobodyandproud wrote: post #13

OldSchool wrote: post #10

I worked as consultant at a major west coast-based health insurer in 1993. A family plan, that is, two adults plus any number of children, was $300/month; a figure that wasn't far off from the cost of a studio or 1 BR apartment at that time anywhere but the most expensive coastal cities. Today, that family plan, even as a HMO, can easily be $3000/month. I would guess that mythical apartment is maybe $1200/month now.…

Have you assessed the size of United Healthcare? The number of paper pushers and executives is sustained by your premium.

Have you seen the profit margins of pharma companies, hospitals, and doctor groups?

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#63

Post by edoceo » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 1:47 AM UTC

nobodyandproud wrote: post #13

OldSchool wrote: post #10

I worked as consultant at a major west coast-based health insurer in 1993. A family plan, that is, two adults plus any number of children, was $300/month; a figure that wasn't far off from the cost of a studio or 1 BR apartment at that time anywhere but the most expensive coastal cities. Today, that family plan, even as a HMO, can easily be $3000/month. I would guess that mythical apartment is maybe $1200/month now.…

Have you assessed the size of United Healthcare? The number of paper pushers and executives is sustained by your premium.

Premiums also pay large bonuses and stock buybacks!

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#64

Post by Terr_ » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 3:32 AM UTC

Herring wrote: post #29

michaelhoney wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is true but it is not the whole story. Both establishment parties have presided over and encouraged the financialization of real estate. The ludicrous CEO-to-worker pay multiple wasn’t voted for by anyone.

Yes it was, by constantly rejecting the only cures: redistribution and unionization as socialism. Unregulated capitalism always trends towards concentration of wealth/power. Another thing I’ve noticed is Americans are extremely non-self-aware about this topic. Go ask your favorite frontier LLM to tell you about notable moments in American history when they rejected socialism, explicitly or otherwise. Overall in histo…

> Unregulated capitalism always trends towards concentration of wealth/power.

Even pretty basic economic models which start in a fair state with unbiased rules can easily converge on gross inequality.

The article seems to be subscribe-walled now, but IIRC it's a good one:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-inequality-inev...

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#65

Post by titanomachy » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 7:07 AM UTC

piva00 wrote: post #26

titanomachy wrote: post #12

Does it make people feel better to write articles like this? I feel like we all know this stuff already. Figure out how to make more money, or how to be happy with less, or go live somewhere else. (I’ve done all three, at various points.) Writing AI-assisted screeds on how broken the system is doesn’t bring us closer to a functioning system, and it sure as hell doesn’t help you live a happy life. I do hope that Ameri…

Without loudly complaining there is absolutely no change. Shutting up has never improved anything. Why would the only solution be "figure out how to make more money"? There are many professions where it isn't even possible to figure that out, should all of them just shut up and move? It's great you were able to go live somewhere else, for some it would be devastating to lose their sense of belonging, other people hav…

I wasn't really telling them to shut up. I agree with most of their points, but there's a sense of helplessness in the writing that I don't like. I see some of my friends do this and it doesn't feel like purposeful, effective striving for a better world, but neurotic obsession over things that they are incredibly unlikely to affect.

I hope the complainers win, and I will join their fight in ways that make sense, but I'm also not going to spend my one short life doing the equivalent of being angry at the weather. I'm going to figure out how to live a good life within the world as it exists, and help out other people wherever I can.

Of course, I could be reading them incorrectly. Perhaps writing this like this fills them with purpose and holy fire, and this is how they live their best life.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#66

Post by tedggh » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 9:53 AM UTC

rapind wrote: post #50

tedggh wrote: post #46

It seems that per sf house prices haven’t gone up that much. We romanticize the idea of older generations being able up afford a home, but those houses were a lot smaller than they are today, the average size I think was around 1500 sf, and a family of 5 lived there. Cities were also not as livable as they are today. Take for example NYC in the 1970s and 80s, where a young photographer could afford an apartment in Ma…

Per sf comparisons blatantly ignore the bonkers increases in land prices. Good luck finding a 1500 sf house, let alone one with a backyard that hasn't completely outpaced inflation.

Land is not very expensive in most suburbs, but houses have become huge, the average size in the area where I live is 2700 sf. That’s because building a 3000 sf home doesn’t take twice the time and labor a 1500 sf takes, so there’s an economic incentive to build bigger homes. People also look for more space today than 40 years ago. A 1500 sf house would be considered a very small house and would likely be very hard to sell. Again, the average sf price remains in the low $200, so that’s not a huge difference to 40-50 years ago, factoring inflation. Not to mention you get much better quality materials, appliances and construction today. So, the fix appears to be more small homes, ideally condos, in urban areas just like many other countries do. The problem is, it is technically impossible to build multi family in most cities in America due to the ridiculous zoning laws and ordinances by city governments and neighborhood associations. If you own a lot in a city neighborhood and try to build an apartment building you will likely face years of court battles.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#67

Post by lotsofpulp » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 1:37 PM UTC

edoceo wrote: post #63

nobodyandproud wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you assessed the size of United Healthcare? The number of paper pushers and executives is sustained by your premium.

Premiums also pay large bonuses and stock buybacks!

Health insurance companies have profit margins of 2%, and owning their stock gives you a terrible return. Buybacks are just a tax efficient way of giving out dividends, which is expected of any business, and a large portion of health insurers are non profits.

This is all public information, there are 7 different publicly listed insurers to look up 10-Ks for and all the various Kaiser, Cambia, and other BCBS non profit orgs also have open financials.

However, pharmaceutical companies do have 20%+ profit margins, and do have phenomenal returns, and do do buybacks, since they can afford it. Next up is probably the software companies (Epic, etc), the legal firms, the hospitals, and the doctor groups.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#68

Post by cmxch » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 2:11 PM UTC

arn3n wrote: post #37

htunnicliff wrote: post #34

I do not know what comes after the recognition. The broader public directs its outrage at whatever the algorithm surfaces […] while the structural rearrangement of their economic lives proceeds without organized resistance. I wish I knew the answer to this question: What shape would organized resistance have in this day and age, especially with the fragmentation of reality caused by social media? Myself and almost ev…

There’s the DSA. Organized resistance to the cost of living crisis in NYC has been mostly organized through them, to great popularity.

Only to the activist class.

Thankfully, Palantir and others were built to counter them.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#69

Post by DiskoHexyl » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 3:16 PM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #61

bushbaba wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We use an insurance model. Get upset how insurance works. Then complain it’s broken. Either it’s insurance or it’s wealth redistribution.

In the US, it is explicitly wealth redistribution, from the young and healthy to the old and sick. It is still called an insurance premium because it is more politically palatable.

Unless you don’t intend to age, you too will become old and sick. As will, hopefully, almost everyone else.

How is it wealth redistribution when most people will start as recipients, then move to being the donors and will then become the recipients again?

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#70

Post by mancerayder » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 3:44 PM UTC

arn3n wrote: post #37

htunnicliff wrote: post #34

I do not know what comes after the recognition. The broader public directs its outrage at whatever the algorithm surfaces […] while the structural rearrangement of their economic lives proceeds without organized resistance. I wish I knew the answer to this question: What shape would organized resistance have in this day and age, especially with the fragmentation of reality caused by social media? Myself and almost ev…

There’s the DSA. Organized resistance to the cost of living crisis in NYC has been mostly organized through them, to great popularity.

The DSA has a narrow agenda: Israel is number one, second is immigration, racial and gender issues, maybe a distant other wish is actual socialist principles. In other words, it truly feels as though the left in the U.S., just as the right has done for years, narrowly focuses on culture and social issues... When economic issues should be the focus. "The rent is too high" stuff in NYC is just dressing - they only touched the rent stabilized units, which is half of the rental stock, and almost every mayor limits those increases. And it doesn't help anything.

What happened to "Medicare for All" being #1? How did we get here, that Israel and ICE are number 1? Did we not learn from the Right about 'Wedge Issues'?