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526 points cactusplant7374 | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.207s | source
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ydlr ◴[] No.44075060[source]
There is a little bit of a sleight of hand going on in this article by claiming the lifestyle of boomers is within reach, but then actually using boomers' parents and grand-parents as the standard. It would be more honest to say "Most of us can't have the relative wealth of our grand parents, but with some sacrifices and creativity, the lifestyle of our great-grand parents is attainable."

Even that is only true in a very narrow sense. My great-grand parents built a 600sqft house in a small town and lived their most of their lives. But they built that house right next to their parents. They lived within 5 miles of their combined 9 siblings. They were within half a mile of their church and half mile from the my great-grandfather's union hall. The town was small, but thriving, with multiple department stores downtown. My great-grandmother worked in two of them.

They did not isolate themselves into a dying town with few opportunities far away from their friends and family.

What millinials and zoomers are really struggling with is the hallowing out of the social and economic institutions that supported our collective wealth and well-being. These struggles may manifest as complaints about the individual ability to afford housing, healthcare, education, etc. But there are not individual solutions to these problems. They are structural.

replies(4): >>44075205 #>>44075953 #>>44076345 #>>44084126 #
1. jeffbee ◴[] No.44075205[source]
Starting now you can also get the diseases your great-grandparents enjoyed.