this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2023
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In their defence, it is a difficult concept to grasp. My dad started his career shovelling gravel for a few dollars an hour. Now he's a vice president making very good money. In his mind, anyone can replicate what he did by working hard instead of being lazy and asking for handouts.
I eventually got through to him one day when he was talking about hiring for a senior management position. He was interviewing all these people with fancy degrees and credentials. I asked why not promote one of his hard workers? He laughed and said the person needs to be more than a hard worker to manage multi-million dollar projects. But where would he be now if his old boss had thought the same thing? My dad has none of the credentials of the people he was interviewing. He'd still be shovelling gravel 60 hours a week for minimum wage if nobody gave him the opportunity to advance. How could he think hard work will be rewarded when he doesn't even reward it himself? That's when he admitted the world works differently now.
I read one story the young adult finally convinced his dad when he showed him a job posting for his old job. It payed less than when he had it, not even accounting for inflation.
I remember that story and can relate. It took showing my parents the cost of my tuition at a university now and comparing it to when they were 18, then doing the same for the yearly wage of a fast food worker, before they realized that cost inflation has out-paced wage inflation by a crazy amount and no, people can't just sustain themselves through college to get a leg up in society.
I was searching for apartments a few years ago when I still lived with my parents. My Dad was frustrated with my search taking so long (basically accusing me of dragging my feet) asked me why I kept saying I couldn't afford to live in any of the places near where we lived / my workplace (I live in one of the highest cost of living states in America). I made a bet with him that if he could find me an apartment that was within my budget of $2,200/month within a week, I would sign the lease and move out as soon as they would let me move in. If he couldn't, he had to admit that finding an apartment in this area in this economy was not as easy as it was when he was my age (I was originally going to ask him to pay me $500 if he lost the wager, but he backed down from that so I took away any monetary incentive and just went for the moral victory instead).
Of course, three days after we made the bet, he came back to me and said "What happened to all the apartments that used to cost $800/month? These leases are more than what we pay for our mortgage!". Somehow, he was still living in a reality so far removed from our own that he had no idea just how bad things had gotten.
There was something a while ago where people were worried in the 70s-90s (can't remember the decade) where house prices had increased to 1.8x to 2.7x the Average annual income and were unaffordable.
So... yeah....
I’d love to see a source on this because it’s believable and insane
Outside the US college is sometimes stilll a good path. I've seen people blow it (useless degrees with no plan to get a job with it, etc.). but if you pick the right field it helps a lot.
Admitting that there's a problem usually also means that you admit that changes should happen. People like feeling comfy, and people like dealing with what they know. Change is uncomfortable, and it takes effort. It's the "fuck you I got mine" mindset. I hate it, and I strongly believe it's hindering the entire planet's progress in almost every form.
"All young people are bad" until they need life saving surgery. "Disability payments are bad" until dear ol' dad has an unexpected stroke that leaves him completely paralyzed. "Minimum wage is bad" until their personal lifelong industry dies. "Young people are stupid" until they need young people to take care of them in hospice. (Even then lmao) It's selfish and it's short-sighted.
When I get old, I aspire to be that old person who plants trees that I'll never see bloom. I want to help people in ways that I'll never see. That shouldn't even be a "good person" thing. That should just be "being part of a society that doesn't want to cease existing after a few generations".
I would feel like I had miserably failed at life if I ever ended up vying for the failure of future generations in the name of my own personal success. It's also a pretty weak goal to limit yourself to just "doing better" at life than complete strangers. I take pride in what I've done, personally. I don't need to "do better" than the next set of people to feel that pride. It's sad that so many need to treat others poorly to feel good about themselves. I would be embarrassed to act the way that I've seen many people act, personally.
What a state of things.
Lead poisoning may be a factor
S/news/noose
Even still, weren't their dozens of people shoveling gravel and only a couple of vice presidents? The pyramid structure of corporations imply that not everyone can go from the entry level work to the c suite. It's an attrition and numbers game.
Plus, most companies now outsource their grunt work. The janitor cannot become the CEO anymore, because the janitor is a contracted worker, making minimum wage, not invited to the Christmas party, and prevented from speaking to anybody in a position of authority.
Oh, yes, the contractors, not-exactly-people existing only when convenient. And the conditions for them are usually bad even when their manager tries to improve those, because tops see no additional value in improving conditions for someone that doesn't ~~exist~~ work in the main corp
"The world works differently now" is cope. He doesn't want to admit he pulled the ladder up behind him so it's society's fault.
You really think OP’s dad is running the show?
Running the show? What is that supposed to mean? Of course he's not the king of the entire world but neither is anyone else.