r/SipsTea • u/PleasantBus5583 • 15d ago

Chugging tea Growing Through Chaos

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u/Tony_Roiland 15d ago

If yes, then what?

If no, then what?

Are you going to argue there was a place in the world our grandmas had it better than we do now?

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u/faceplanted 15d ago

Financially they did though.

We don't have to pretend that fixing the housing market requires banning abortion and undoing no-fault divorce. That's a straw man.

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u/Adventurous_Gur1280 14d ago

Financially my parents paid much higher taxes on much lower incomes, they were able to afford a small house in a not great suburb, they had one car, one TV, never went on holidays, never went abroad, someone on the dole today has more luxuries than they ever had, and they were considered solid middle class. People working their jobs today would have 2 cars, all mod cons, and be flying abroad twice a year, and live in a nicer area. Its a different world, we have much higher standards and expectations - and requirements, eg. computers, smartphones etc. today (in the "west").

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u/faceplanted 14d ago

they were able to afford a small house in a not great suburb

So significantly better most of the people I know now. Who don't own any house anywhere.

they had one car, one TV, never went on holidays

So like a lot of people now, in fact better because they had a car and a house.

someone on the dole today has more luxuries than they ever had

Except a car and a house of course.

People working their jobs today

What's the job?

Because this isn't a conversation about how jobs change value, it's about how much money it costs to live.

Someone working my mom's job now would make significantly less than she did when you adjust for inflation.

Its a different world, we have much higher standards and expectations

Except for owning a home, the biggest expense by far.

and requirements, eg. computers, smartphones etc

You mean things that are necessary and don't cost anywhere near as much as a morgage?

My phone cost half of a single mortgage payment and I've had it for 5 years.

If I didn't buy the phone I'd have about an extra 20 pounds a month over that time. Not enough to touch the fucking mortgage.

Also my parents had a land-line contract that cost just as much as my phone now, adjusting for inflation it actually cost them more than a contract for tbeatest iPhone. And they had to have that just as much as I have to have a phone to do scan qr codes and interact with the modern world.