Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

derekthompson.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

721–730 of 1001 posts

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

#721

Post by globalnode »

Aurornis wrote: post #618
bontaq wrote: post #409

My mom said, "whatever we built isn't working anymore," and I think that captures most of the sentiment. It's also funny to see the "the economy is roaring!" "incomes are up!". Great, have they increased by as much as inflation? Can I afford a home? Work has if anything gotten worse in general. Remote's gone. Pay's less. ADHD maximum AI use required. Nobody can take a break. Pressure's on. 1.5 trillion more to the mi…

> It's also funny to see the "the economy is roaring!" "incomes are up!". Great, have they increased by as much as inflation? Can I afford a home? Gen Z home ownership is outpacing millenial home ownership at the same age. There's a lot of denial around this topic because everywhere you turn there's a Reddit post or news headline about how housing is impossible to afford. > Pay's less. Less than the narrow window of…

nice debunk, thats just a wall of words that besides likely being wrong, has no evidence and goes against what i hear people saying all the time.

edit: besides, happiness is not about money. freedom of expression and free/impartial institutions are at all time lows across the western world. which as we speak is in an arms race to be the biggest and best surveillance system it can be.

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

#724

Post by y0eswddl »

bontaq wrote: post #409

My mom said, "whatever we built isn't working anymore," and I think that captures most of the sentiment. It's also funny to see the "the economy is roaring!" "incomes are up!". Great, have they increased by as much as inflation? Can I afford a home? Work has if anything gotten worse in general. Remote's gone. Pay's less. ADHD maximum AI use required. Nobody can take a break. Pressure's on. 1.5 trillion more to the mi…

> "whatever we built isn't working anymore,"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_purpose_of_a_system_is_wha...

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

#725

Post by bryanlarsen »

hunterpayne wrote: post #716
bryanlarsen wrote: post #513

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is Hacker News not social media?

Its not, its a forum. The distinction is if there is an algorithm picking what you see (social media) verses everyone seeing the same thing (a forum).

The term "social media" predates the use of algorithms picking what you see, so that cannot be the definition.

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

#726

Post by qgin »

tock wrote: post #223
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.…

Counterpoint: I know plenty of very religious families with multiple kids who are deeply unhappy. In my experience friends and family are the primary contributor to happiness. Provided they are good people. Else its a train wreck. It doesn't matter if they are religious or not.

The idea of kids being a get-out-of-jail-free card to happiness and existential turmoil has never made sense to me. Kids are wonderful, but not because they’re not a magical gateway to happiness.

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

#727

Post by epicureanideal »

corysama wrote: post #720
RickS wrote: post #639

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That chart is comparing point in present time, not point in generation-relative time. IE zoomers at ~25 mills at ~40. If you were to approximately age sync the red and yellow lines on that chart, by moving their start dates to the same point, the red line is higher.

> If you were to approximately age sync the red and yellow lines on that chart, by moving their start dates to the same point, the red line is higher. Like this: https://imgur.com/a/d7stXVN

Thanks for sharing! Seems to show that both are doing poorly relative to earlier generations, and it doesn’t seem Gen Z is greatly (or much at all) outpacing millennials.

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

#728

Post by cucumber3732842 »

james_marks wrote: post #694
bontaq wrote: post #409

My mom said, "whatever we built isn't working anymore," and I think that captures most of the sentiment. It's also funny to see the "the economy is roaring!" "incomes are up!". Great, have they increased by as much as inflation? Can I afford a home? Work has if anything gotten worse in general. Remote's gone. Pay's less. ADHD maximum AI use required. Nobody can take a break. Pressure's on. 1.5 trillion more to the mi…

At almost 50, I feel like there has been a cultural shift since I was a kid. It isn’t enough to be middle class, to have the proverbial white picket fence. The reach now is for glamor and wealth, which is by definition out of reach for the majority. If that’s the ideal you compare your own life to, you will be unhappy. And the debt, etc you take on to mimic it will make you even more unhappy. The shift was already ha…

Every geezer says this but people these days would kill for a reliable chance at a middle class life. We're talking Homer Simpson not Home Alone.

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

#729

Post by y0eswddl »

james_marks wrote: post #694
bontaq wrote: post #409

My mom said, "whatever we built isn't working anymore," and I think that captures most of the sentiment. It's also funny to see the "the economy is roaring!" "incomes are up!". Great, have they increased by as much as inflation? Can I afford a home? Work has if anything gotten worse in general. Remote's gone. Pay's less. ADHD maximum AI use required. Nobody can take a break. Pressure's on. 1.5 trillion more to the mi…

At almost 50, I feel like there has been a cultural shift since I was a kid. It isn’t enough to be middle class, to have the proverbial white picket fence. The reach now is for glamor and wealth, which is by definition out of reach for the majority. If that’s the ideal you compare your own life to, you will be unhappy. And the debt, etc you take on to mimic it will make you even more unhappy. The shift was already ha…

I'd argue most people do not, in fact, year for glamor and wealth. The majority of us just want to be able to live

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

#730

Post by qgin »

cutler wrote: post #529

It must be hard to remain sane, let alone happy, after 2 terms of Donald Trump.

I don’t think this discussion is complete without mentioning Trump, if not as an outright cause, at least a symbol and a symptom.

The level of toxicity and cynicism and nihilism that has been brought to the foreground every day is really something to see.

Post reply on HN