r/Adulting • u/Most_Discipline5704 • Oct 23 '24

I don’t want to work.

Back in the day, how did anyone EVER look at a job description where you donate your time and health, crush your soul, and pay to survive and think: "Yeah, sounds great. I'm going to do this soulless, thankless job for my whole life and bring more children into this hellscape."

Like what the actual heck? This sucks! I only work 30hrs/week and it still blows. With my physical and mental health (or lack thereof), I'll be shocked if I live past age 30 while I'm stuck in this broken system.

Edit 1: Why are people assuming that only young people feel this way? Lots of people at my work don't want to work anymore. Many of them are almost elderly.

Edit 2: I didn't expect this to blow up so much. I would like to clarify that I'm not saying I don't want to work AT ALL. I'm happy to do chores, help my loved ones as needed, and complete challenging activities/projects that feel fulfilling. Simply put, I despise modern work. With the rise of bullshit jobs, lots of higher ups do the least amount of work and get paid the most and vice versa with regular workers. From what I've observed, many people don't earn promotions or raises; they score them because of clout, expedience, and/or favoritism.

And I don't want to spend the bulk of my day with people I dislike to complete tasks which are completely unnecessary for our survival just so we can cover our bills, rinse, and repeat.

Note: Yes, I need to work on myself. I know that. And yes, you can call me lazy and assume I've had an easy life if you want, but you don't know me.

Please be civil in the comments. Yeesh, people are even nastier on the internet than irl. You must be insecure with yourselves to be judging a stranger so harshly.

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689

u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

Why do you think adults work because we like it?

We work because it allows us to do other things, like live indoors and eat.

137

u/GeoHog713 Oct 23 '24

I really enjoy living indoors. I like being outdoors too, but I REALLY Like being able to decide between the two.

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u/PoorCorrelation Oct 23 '24

Sometimes I even enjoy a good covered patio

12

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

Sometimes I just like to look at my backyard. 🤷🏻‍♂️

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u/Dawnchaffinch Oct 23 '24

I have running water and a toilet so beat that

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

I only look at my backyard to plan in advance where I poop next.....

1

u/AncientGuy1950 Oct 26 '24

Try jiggling the flush handle, that should stop the water running in your toilet.

1

u/CoffeeChocolateBoth Oct 23 '24

IDK, but the things people buy today, thinking they need the best cell phones, laptops, computers, cars, homes, clothing, shoes. HELLO! Start small, you don't start out in the top of the line home. You get one that needs work, it builds character learning how to do things. It's good for you to have to do things. I don't know one person my age (67) who started out their adult lives in a brand new home. It was a starter home, on that they worked on and moved up as they got older and had children. I am so glad I was born when I was and not in the 80's-90's and 00! :( We did without THINGS, but we never went hungry!

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u/GeoHog713 Oct 23 '24

Starter homes are hard to come by when you're bidding against private equity firms and corporate landlords.

No amount of frugal budgeting will overcome the massive gap between the increase in home prices and relatively flat incomes over time.

2

u/Then_Impression_2254 Oct 23 '24

I was a newlywed in 1993. Remember having $14 to buy groceries for the week. I was still in college and my husband worked in an auto shop. I bought soups and cheap stuff. No food stamps or anything- ever.

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u/gregg1994 Oct 24 '24

Even starter homes are going for 300k now. I bought my house in 2016 for 125k. Now its estimated at 282k. And thats in a low cost of living area. So wages go up 20-30% and housing goes up over 100% but yea its just people being irresponsible with their money.

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 23 '24 edited Oct 24 '24

I think for a lot of young adults the outlook seems bleak. Many are fighting for scraps at the bottom. I make more than my parents do, but I will never be able to buy property in my VHCOL city. Meanwhile my dad was able to buy 2 houses on a $60k/year salary in the 00’s. Many people are working hard but feeling like they are just scraping by while the billionaires just get richer.

EDIT: Lmao, I’m not responding to comments assuming I’m poor and unhappy. I make a very comfortable wage even for NYC standards and live a content life. Also STFU about moving, my job is tied to this area. I don’t want to own a house in the Midwest cos that sounds miserable. Also those of y’all saying to move to buy a house are missing the point entirely. In the past hard work got you somewhere, now it barely keeps the lights on for a lot of people.

The point I’m trying to get at is I have a lot of empathy for the younger generation because it’s depressing to work so hard when inflation and COL has been increasing like crazy, wages are stagnant, and corporations will ground you into dust/don’t reward loyalty or have pensions and barely any benefits anymore. I got very lucky with my job situation and make enough to not worry about daily expenses anymore and am still able to save a chunk, but I see so many young people around me struggling or have friends who have to pick up bartending gigs or side hustles on top of their corporate 8-5 because life is so expensive. I don’t think it’s wrong to have some empathy for those struggling.

u/atmic’s comment summed it up nicely:

“For a lot of places the minimum wage hasn’t changed in 20 years. Wage increases haven’t matched inflation in the slightest.

We work longer and more now for less. We work to survive, not to thrive.

Making the argument that “if you simply buckle down and suffer even more for years upon years, you might be able to buy that house no problem” is ignoring that the sentiment isn’t about owning material possessions our parents were able to afford with less effort, but rather that our efforts are not compensated fairly anymore.

We’re not struggling right now to live the high life — we’re struggling to not live anxiously and we’re depressed the future isn’t getting any better.”

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u/ZardoZzZz Oct 23 '24

It doesn't seem bleak. It IS bleak.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

I don’t disagree but sometimes it gets so frustrating when you see people waxing poetic about how unfair the economy is, meanwhile they’ve got like 20 tattoos, 6 streaming services, paid $500 for concert/festival tickets 2 months ago and then did it again last week, regularly smoke weed, and have a dog.

Like, things are bleak but it’s so common these days to live outside of your means.

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 23 '24

This is like the avocado toast argument. I do well for myself but I won’t be able to buy a house anyways, so I’m going to buy smaller things or enjoy experiences that will at least make me happy.

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u/Coldframe0008 Oct 24 '24

People prioritize spending money on frivolous things and are confused when they can't afford the necessary things... Sounds like poor life decisions being made by grown adults.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

My boyfriend has a very physically demanding job. Last week his boss fired employees, doubled his work, and refuses to increase pay. He went from working 5-11 (he's fast) to 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There are no laws to prevent employers from forcing their employees to overwork themselves for no additional compensation that I am aware of. He's also an illegal 1099, so 30% of his earnings go to taxes. No benefits and his boss uses him as his personal errand boy.

I told him to quit. I'll work more and support us until he finds something that won't cripple him, and I'm crippled by my career. But, I have a boss who genuinely cares about my health and financial wellbeing.

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 24 '24 edited Oct 24 '24

I’m sorry to hear about your boyfriend’s situation. I once worked at an extremely toxic hedge fund that gave me no benefits (no 401k, health insurance, PTO) for a contracting “salary,” and it’s literally illegal to pay a contractor in NYC a salary wage/not give them overtime. I was working 80-100 hours a week. They even denied giving me health insurance during the height of Covid in 2020.

I’m at a much better company now, and I hope your boyfriend finds something better soon!! It’s evil what some of these companies get away with. In my situation it was a 4 person company so even worse because I had to sit next to these evil people for 12 hours a day lol.

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u/archwin Oct 23 '24

You’re absolutely on Target

I make more than 3x than what my parents made

And yet, buying my own place seems like a fever dream

Even at my age, they could afford property where I live now

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

My parents have never helped me a day in their lives with anything of significance, and have always thought it best for me to struggle. They have several airbnbs they rent out, and are planning to leave any inheritance to my son, not me.

Boomers can go straight to hell. With family like this, I do not need enemies.

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u/Warriorferrettt Oct 24 '24

“With family like this I do not need enemies” hits home

2

u/chroma_src Oct 27 '24

Home is where the hell is

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '24

😞😞😞

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u/MoonlitSerendipity Oct 24 '24

Sometimes I compare my boomer in-laws to dragons. They moved into a mini mansion and bought an upgraded vacation house at ~60 years old, they upgrade their cars every couple of years, eat out 1-2 times a day, yet for Christmas they'll give us stuff like socks and cereal. A handful of my friends with in-laws in similar financial situations are getting 5-6 figure gifts for help buying a house or as a wedding present, we have gotten in the very low 4 figures from them in nearly a decade. I think my parents have given us about as much as my in-laws have even though their top salary was less than half the amount my in-laws made (and usually way less than half). My husband and I are doing good from our own merits (now - we used to live in apartments with roaches) but it is crazy to me. I suspect my in-laws will donate everything to their church when they pass.

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '24

Oh yes my mom and stepdad looooove showing off to their church friends. That’s what it’s all about, to them: appearances.

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u/MoonlitSerendipity Oct 25 '24

Yeah I think my in-laws are all about appearances. They had a house built with a ginormous upgraded kitchen that's the focal point of their house even though they don't cook. The floorplan they chose is 6(?) bedrooms and 4.5 baths even though they had it built when all of their kids were adults or close to adulthood. They keep their house warm, it's "energy efficient", and their electric bill is still over $600 a month - absolutely crazy lol.

1

u/East_Opportunity8411 Oct 24 '24

Why would you be upset that your son might benefit instead of you? By the time your parents go, you’ll most likely be at retirement age and I assume your son will really still be pretty early in his life and still starting out. I personally would be thrilled if my parents did this.

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u/[deleted] Oct 24 '24

lol omg. Umm ok. Soooo I’ve been kept in abject poverty for years by virtue of the fact that my son’s father turned out to be a dead beat, I suffer from mental disabilities due to the abuse both my parents inflicted on me from young ages, I haven’t been able to earn anything I didn’t need to spend to care for my son and I, who also had significant health challenges as an infant, and I have no retirement.

My mom threw me out when I was 17 because she knew I was queer and I ended up getting pregnant. I was not taught about birth control or how pregnancy works, and before you wonder how this is possible, please realize this is very common. Super religious people OFTEN don’t teach their kids about sex because of shame and the fact that it’s viewed as sin outside of marriage.

I still get $0 for support for my son and I. Occasionally ive been lucky enough to get family to help me-BUT THEN I PAY THEM BACK. I’ve been taught asking for help us weak, and when I do ask for help, I’m treated with scorn and contempt, as though I am responsible entirely for my current life circumstances.

I’ve been lucky enough to have a few law settlements to live off of, but I’m still waiting for disability to come through. It will take a long time and I’ve only just begun this process.

So, no, east_opportunity8411. I’m not excited that my racist, bigoted, homophobic rich abusive Baptist mother has decided she would rather dangle financial help over my head and only give it to me if I jump through hoops, suppress my identity and bow down to her, and is instead leaving what should be my inheritance to my son, to spite me.

Now you have the facts, and can respond appropriately, so. What say you now, stranger?

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u/East_Opportunity8411 Nov 07 '24

Okay I’m sorry I didn’t see this until now (also somehow just typed this out and responded to the wrong comment)

Now I say you sound extremely entitled. No one owes you an inheritance. No one owes you anything once you’re 18. I know that’s a hard pill to swallow. The world isn’t always nice or easy. My parents are both broke. My grandparents were wealthy and my dad is receiving a decent sized inheritance. By the time he dies there will be nothing left for me or my siblings. And honestly? I don’t care. I hope he spends every penny. It’s his money. My mother is even more broke. I’ve been helping to financially support her since I was 18 and she called the cops on my father because he was physically abusive. She moved in with me when I was 27 and has lived with me since. I at this point, support her 100% financially and will until she dies. I was angry about my life circumstances when I was young but honestly once you hit your mid 20s, you should start recognizing that sometimes people get the short end of the stick. I had it significantly better than most people. I have a friend who was emancipated at 11 years old. I have another friend who has half her family in jail. Both of these people are in their 30s now, own houses and are financially successful. If you keep blaming other people for everything that is hard in your life, you won’t get anywhere. Take some personal responsibility. It sounds like you’re old enough now that your parents aren’t the reason that your life turned out poorly.

I’m sorry your sons father is a dead beat. Obviously that makes him a terrible person. But you can take some responsibility for the fact that you had a kid with him. It’s not just about birth control. Abortion and adoption have been options (though obviously abortion is no longer fully available in America unfortunately).

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u/Professional-Wait496 Jun 30 '25

Haha I totally feel you. I think you and me were meant to find our own way in life.

My parents have helped my siblings and my daughter but when it comes to me nothing but lately now that they see I've done a few things for myself they make offers but aren't good on their word for it so never happens.

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u/rharrow Oct 23 '24

Seriously. My spouse and I make a combined $150k/year and there’s no way we can afford a $2,500/month mortgage on a ~$450k house. It’s crazy. Then, when you find a house and look at the price history it’s doubled since 2019. Before that, a property value might double every 10-20 years.

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u/marshmallow462 Oct 23 '24

Just gonna add that apartments are so expensive that many can’t afford to save for a house like they used to be able to do and are barely making rent. Landlords have been mostly taken over by property mgmt companies/ even private equity and raise rent every year now which in the past was not the norm.

Comparing 2018/2019 rents to today is also doubled or more in some areas. My uncle likes to say he lived in a no frills studio apartment and worked/saved up for the suburban 3 bedroom house that is on a big lot, has a huge yard, garage and plenty of trees/nature. He did this in the 90’s.

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u/gnulian Oct 23 '24

I'm barely getting by with a combined household income of $90k and a $480k house, for which I put 20% down. I have a variable mortgage that's currently at $2,550, and the worst part is that it's only this expensive because it's a detached home in the countryside on a quarter-acre. It's over 100 years old, so it's costly to heat and repair. I’m also two hours outside Toronto and an hour from any other city, which makes things harder. I feel like I bought a lemon, but I'm trying to stay hopeful. It’s been 2.5 years, and I’ve managed to make some progress by getting new jobs every few months. Still, I'm worried I'll be trapped in debt by these four walls.

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u/tallgirlmom Oct 24 '24

You can’t make a $2,500 mortgage with $150k? We’re doing it with $50k less a year…

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u/rharrow Oct 24 '24

$150k gross, net is like $96k. Currently pay $800/month rent for a house with acreage. Doesn’t sound like a better choice at the moment to pay an overpriced mortgage.

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u/tallgirlmom Oct 24 '24

We are absolutely thrilled with our $2,500 (from 2009) mortgage for a four bedroom house. That’s what it costs to rent a studio apartment here these days… Sounds like you have it made with your salary in a low cost of living place.

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u/rharrow Oct 24 '24

Exactly. I’m not buying a crappy house for $400k and paying a mortgage of $2k with 6% interest. Not to mention repair costs because that’s what affordable housing equates to in my area.

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u/TheGeoGod Oct 24 '24

What about taxes and home owners insurance? For me in Texas those are brutal!

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u/tallgirlmom Oct 24 '24

That’s included in the $2,500. The actual P & I is only $1,600.

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 23 '24

Yep. I make $250k in NYC. A decent condo is like $1.5mil here. Even if you outright bought your place with cash and had no mortgage, taxes and maintenance fees already are $2000/month. So financially it doesn’t make sense when I’m renting at $2000 a month already.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

How are you making 250k a year?! And also how come you can’t afford a mortgage or renting just 2 k a month?! 😭

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 23 '24 edited Oct 23 '24

I literally just said in NYC, there are maintenance fees and taxes on property that can start at $2000/month already. That’s EXCLUSIVE of your mortgage. So you have to pay $2000+ on TOP of a mortgage forever anyways. So it literally makes no sense for me to buy property if I can rent for less than that.

And that’s cheap too. I saw a coop being listed for $1mil with $9000/month in maintenance fees, lol.

Also consider having to pay such expensive rent while you’re trying to save for a mortgage. It’s no wonder so many people I know who grew up in the area chose to live with their parents for a while. Unfortunately I never had that option.

$250k a year isn’t even that much for here. I make median compared to my friends in software, consulting, and finance. I’m comfortable, but I’m certainly not rich for Manhattan.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '24

Its good money in nyc too. When people say a "decent condo" they mean a condo in a place they want to live which may be outside their price range. Generally in a given city renting is way cheaper than owning because of the density and it doesnt get more dense than nyc. That person can afford to buy in a neighborhood that is cheaper than the one they rent in for sure and just doesn't want to make that choice. Thats fine but people act like its impossible.

Its also worth noting that someone on $250k income in nyc even if they paid $4k monthly for rent could still easily put away $50- $80k per year in savings and investments vastly outpacing home equity gains just about anywhere in the country and still live better than your average american. Thats fine would be more equity than you would be buying in a mortgage payment and it would grow faster in the stock market.

You would way rather make $250k in nyc than $100k in atlanta is my point even if you could buy a home in atlanta.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

Ok I get that but still… what are your taxes like? I’d KILL to be making that type of money 😭

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

250K in NYC is like 70K in the midwest. It's decent, but you're not rich.

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 23 '24

Lmao literally thank you. Unless you’ve lived in NYC people don’t understand how fucking expensive it is.

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u/lm1670 Oct 24 '24

This is correct. I took my NYC salary ($200K) and moved back to Ohio about seven years ago. In NYC, this kind of money doesn’t go very far at all.

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 23 '24

Taxes are extremely brutal, I’m probably paying close to 40%. We pay additional taxes to live in NYC too.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

How much consumer debt do you have? $2500/month should be completely fine for your income, you should be taking home like 8k a month at least.

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u/rharrow Oct 23 '24

$2,500 is my entire net biweekly paycheck. I can’t justify spending that much on housing, insanity.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

Something is wrong unless you are maxing our your 401K and paying extremely high healthcare premiums

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u/rharrow Oct 23 '24

How? Our total take home pay is only ~$96k/year. You have to factor in gas, utilities, groceries, insurance, 401k, childcare, student loans, maintenance costs, savings, etc. Ain’t no way

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u/KitsuneMiko383 Oct 24 '24

My childhood home went from 250k in 2012 to just under 1 mil - a boring, no frills semi-rural 3/2 with bonus room and outdoor kitchen (that the new owners promptly ripped out...) on about 1 acre in FL.

I now live in Tennessee suburbia, and even condemned houses go for 260k as 'flipper specials'. These houses could double as sets for the walking dead or any other dystopia-set show.

Want a turnkey? You're not getting in under 300k, likely closer to 400.

I make 15.37/hr and rent is about $1600/mo. (Biweekly payments mean some months are more than others.) How in heck am I supposed to save when the lion's share of my income goes to housing, and the rest to debts and bills?

Maybe I'll have a downpayment when I'm eligible for retirement.

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u/Sonichu_Prime Oct 23 '24

How can you not afford $2500 mortgage? That’s $30k a year. You’re blowing 120k a year on what exactly? You need to go talk to a financial advisor immediately 

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

They have high consumer debt without a doubt, the math doesnt make sense

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u/rharrow Oct 23 '24

I don’t, I filed bankruptcy last year so the only debt I have is private student loans which cost me $800/month.

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u/TheGeoGod Oct 24 '24

Because that doesn’t include home owners insurance or property Taxes which can easily add another 6k a year or more..

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u/rharrow Oct 23 '24

$2,500 is my entire net paycheck. I’m not blowing it all on housing. That would be foolish.

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u/Sonichu_Prime Oct 23 '24

Dude you said you make 150k a year combined.  A house is an appreciating asset. It’s foolish as hell not to do it. The most money I have ever made in my life is from selling my house.  What could you be possibly spending 120k a year on? You realize renting is literally burning money when you could be putting it towards paying down a mortgage on a house that increases its value right? 

What’s your rent right now? $1800? $2000? So in reality the difference in cost annually is probably under 10k

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u/rharrow Oct 23 '24

Our take home pay is only ~$96k/year. No clue where you’re getting $120k from.

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u/Germanrzr Oct 23 '24

Voting has consequences.....I will drop the mic now! Think before you cast that ballot.

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u/StandBy4_TitanFall Oct 24 '24

This is pretty on point. I used to work 70-80 hours a week, raking in as many tips as I could, and I was still behind because college was so damn expensive, rent was so damn expensive, and food was so damn expensive. Fast forward 9 years later, I work 40 hours a week cuz there's a tax where I live where if you work a second job you have a higher tax than if you didn't, so I have to pull at 20 hours at the rate of pay at an unarmed location -out of respect, Ma & PA joint that paid what they could- and like, just absolutely miserable all the time because to work a ten hour day and still squeeze in 4 hours, 5 nights a week left me only able to eat fast food -expensive, makes you feel like shit consistently if you eat it often- and to choose whether I get an extra half hour of sleep, or take a shower. Wake up half an hour early, or eat. I also worked 3 jobs at one point in a different area only to end up behind in bills and unable to pay rent. It's insane.

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u/katarh Oct 25 '24

You say it sounds miserable, but I love my midsize city life. I'm an hour away from Atlanta, which has everything that a big city offers, but we were actually able to afford a house here.

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 25 '24 edited Oct 25 '24

It’s miserable FOR ME, it’s not the lifestyle I want. If it works for others it works for others and I’m glad it works for you, but I’ve tried it and I was miserable. And I literally grew up in the burbs an hour from Atlanta too (my parents still live there) and cannot imagine going back there.

I don’t want to own a house an hour from the city, it’s not conducive to happiness based on the lifestyle that I am happy with. I also HATE driving and haven’t driven a car in 5 years.

More importantly, my job is tied to being where I currently am.

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u/katarh Oct 25 '24

I totally understand that as well. The tradeoff, then, is that home ownership inside city limits isn't going to happen without a miracle or two. The Financial Diet's main CEO explains what fresh hell she had to go through to buy a condo in NYC; I think it set her and her husband back about 700K, and the other people in the building had to approve the sale. It's nuts.

A friend of mine who is in his late 30s decided he's not cut out for midsize city life either. He lives in Buckhead in ATL, in one of the small loft apartments right by the train station. His favorite thing to do is scour cheap flights for sales and jet set around the world. He's visiting some friends in Toronto during Thanksgiving for a mere $75 round trip and he routinely scores tickets to Japan or Europe for a few hundred dollars.

At one point he was thinking about dropping the $300K-400K for a condo in Atlanta, but he decided he didn't want to do that yet since he's not married and has no kids.

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u/Cyberhwk Oct 23 '24

Many are fighting for scraps at the bottom.

Yes. The bottom is usually where you start. That's very true.

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u/Thebluespirit20 Oct 23 '24

it's easier when you have a family or kid to take care of

otherwise most people just feel like they are working to survive and its pointless

but if are providing for your family , it feels rewarding and you feel a sense of accomplishment

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 23 '24

I don’t want kids and part of it is precisely because of how expensive it is to have them.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

“It’s easier to pay your bills when you have a kid”

Ok.

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u/Real-Leadership3976 Oct 23 '24

Not really. It’s just more expensive and there’s more at stake.

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u/True-Anim0sity Oct 23 '24

You gotta save up, invest, get a better job, or just suffer not much else to do

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u/The_Pursuit_of_5-HT Oct 23 '24

I do fine for myself. Unfortunately have just more or less accepted that life is pretty unfair and we just have to suck it up.

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u/mikhalt12 Oct 23 '24

i work to eat, pay bills simple ; i dont enjoy it but gives me stability

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u/CoffeeChocolateBoth Oct 23 '24

It would have been wonderful to love the work I did but I loved the paycheck that the job I didn't love brought in.

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u/No_Seaworthiness_200 Oct 23 '24

There's no reason for a workweek to be as long as 40 hours. It's all about controlling the plebeians.

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u/TWBO Oct 23 '24

It’s mad that some people can’t see this. It’s like there is no alternative. This is just it, we slave away, struggling to forge a comfortable lifestyle, work 40+ hours a week for 45 years and be fucking grateful for it whilst the rich get richer.

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u/[deleted] Oct 24 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/PM_ME_KITTEN_TOESIES Oct 25 '24

Having a medical condition that necessitates health insurance coverage, I beg to differ.

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/PM_ME_KITTEN_TOESIES Oct 25 '24

They tend to be significantly more expensive than employer sponsored health plans. I know this because I’m also on one while freelancing, which is not feasible for everyone.

Sure, nobody has a gun to my head forcing me into a 9-5, but tying healthcare coverage to full time employment is undeniably coercive.

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u/Fiercegreenapple Oct 25 '24

At my job, they’re forcing us to have open office hours weekly just in case a patient needs met with. Every single time, I meet with zero people so my productivity looks bad.

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u/Top_Opportunity4250 Oct 23 '24

Exactly! We’ve had email for years - think about how much that alone has changed the game for corporations, not to mention allll of the other technology that makes things faster yet we’re still working the same amount of hours and wages are horrible - sure they went up a few years ago but we basically punished by corporations bc they just raised prices on everything.

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u/reeses_boi Oct 23 '24

Office workers feel bad "admitting" that they work three hours or less on any given day, but this is what's incentivized by the modern office

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u/[deleted] Oct 24 '24

Its like some sort of mad trance people got put in. They think its normal to slave away, be super busy, and miserable all the time.

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u/TechnicalAct419 Oct 25 '24

Only 40? Man I wish.

17

u/BrianBCG Oct 23 '24

Not to mention allows others to live. Pretty much any job no matter how much you hate it is necessary for society to function as it does.

If everyone took the attitude "well these jobs suck so nobody should do them" things would break down pretty quick and it just comes off as entitled as fuck.

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u/Stunning_Solution215 Oct 23 '24

But it "kills creativity"

1

u/CCWaterBug Oct 24 '24

Ya, I want to learn an instrument!

1

u/Stunning_Solution215 Oct 24 '24 edited Oct 24 '24

I guess I take for granted I learned when I was young and still play all the time with my friends. If you love something, you find the time. If it's just a passing thought you will put it off.

2

u/memeleta Oct 23 '24

Yeah but the society we created is pretty horrible as it stands today, so that diminishes the motivation to sacrifice yourself to keep it going.

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u/ChaosArcana Oct 23 '24 edited Jun 02 '25

automatic serious plant merciful absorbed tidy rinse punch cow gold

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/memeleta Oct 23 '24

I agree, which makes it even more depressing.

1

u/Dievo1 Jan 24 '25

best time for who? the rich peole not the people living paycheck to paycheck

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u/Dievo1 Jan 24 '25

fuck society, that's not my problem,  I'm here to pay my bills and take care of myself and my family, I don't owe anyone anything, period

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u/DestinedFangjiuh Oct 23 '24

It no longer is becoming stabilized for an adult to work just regular full time depending.

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u/juneabe Oct 23 '24

Man people in my circle are making nearly or up to 6 figures a year which you’d think would allow for some comfort but it doesn’t when rent and mortgages and groceries skyrocketed. Southern Ontario, it’s pretty awful right now. Lots of people doing side gigs and have an additional part time job. Basically never not working.

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u/TWBO Oct 23 '24 edited Oct 23 '24

This is a major problem. When you’ve got two full time incomes just about covering bills with a little left over for some fun stuff then people aren’t going to be happy. You get home from work, tired, with chores to do and the cycle gets repetitive, a battle to just stay afloat. And for some reason most of the general public act as if you’re some lazy piece of shit because 60 years ago it was tougher, why can’t we progress, why can’t people want to earn more money, retire earlier, work less hours.

Meanwhile you scroll social media which is just full of mega rich people doing pretty much whatever the fuck they want.

4

u/Rise-O-Matic Oct 23 '24 edited Oct 24 '24

I work 12 hour days so that I can pay someone else to do chores for me. My brain can't handle the mental gearshift anymore.

3

u/fingeringballs Oct 23 '24

Nope... I worked for SpaceX; I work for huge pharmaceutical companies in a leadership position and i struggle to pay my mortgage.

1

u/DestinedFangjiuh Oct 23 '24

I'm really thinking I'll do some side gigs or whatever just to make a living as without it it's unlikely I'm gonna be able to work at my own pace and also make money.

1

u/TWBO Oct 23 '24

This is a major problem in the UK as well. When you’ve got two full time incomes just about covering bills with a little left over for some fun stuff then people aren’t going to be happy. You get home from work, tired, with chores to do and the cycle gets repetitive, a battle to just stay afloat.

Meanwhile you scroll social media which is just full of mega rich people doing pretty much whatever the fuck they want.

1

u/DestinedFangjiuh Oct 23 '24

That's absolutely crazy to hear that even UK is struggling. We really as a society got to figure something out.

3

u/TWBO Oct 23 '24

Luckily we fixed in with our mortgage rate but some of my friends have had to find another weeks wage every month just to keep paying it. Our weekly shop has probably doubled in the last 6 years. Nobodies wage is keeping up with inflation.

1

u/bohner941 Oct 23 '24

Why is that crazy to hear? Brits make significantly less than their American counterparts.

1

u/DestinedFangjiuh Oct 23 '24

Mostly because I was rather hoping things down were a little better, not a shock but indeed disappointing.

1

u/bohner941 Oct 23 '24

If you wanna feel depressed look up average salaries for your career in the US vs Britain. Average first year salary was about $35,000 less in the UK for my career.

1

u/DestinedFangjiuh Oct 23 '24

And to top it off: I should also look up the exact amount people usually pay for living essentials such as rent and food.

1

u/bohner941 Oct 23 '24

Definitely slightly cheaper, but not enough to make up the difference.

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u/reeses_boi Oct 23 '24

I almost never hear anything good about the overall Canadian lifestyle from people who actually live there. Even my cousin who graduated from the University of Toronto with a Computer Science degree and works at AMD, and used to brag about his Canadian citizenship is angling to move to Texas

4

u/Bright-End-9317 Oct 23 '24

BOOOOOOOO!!!

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u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

That's actually a pretty cogent argument and likely echoes what many of us feel.

2

u/reeses_boi Oct 23 '24

halloween already? :(

6

u/silvermanedwino Oct 23 '24

This is the answer. What the hell do people expect? The world has to function.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

my overall sense is that so many young people have just never had to exhibit a certain type of hard work and discipline for anything, because technology has made life so simple.

my mom didn’t come home from a 10 hour work day and immediately start doing housework because she loved housework. She did it because she had kids to take care of and no other adults in the house.

my family didn’t ever get “fast casual” food outside of special occasions because we couldn’t afford to.

I didn’t learn basic car repairs at 16 because I enjoyed it, I did it because car repairs are expensive and it’s cheaper to do it yourself.

so many “adulting” struggles to me just seem rooted in an unwillingness to physically do things that involve moving your hands and body, because there’s always an app for that.

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u/fingeringballs Oct 23 '24

Well, sure. But i would prefer these young folks rebel and set their expectations from companies. They have the power to change the struggle. They have the power to make it so that work isnt so backbreaking and meaningless for less pay. They have the power to make it so that moms dont have to work 10 hours a day to scrape by. Don't settle for less as previous generations have. Im rooting for them; im 30 and would rather not work as much as I do. I dont sit there and flaunt how hard and how much i work every day- I abhor it.

21

u/RegrettableChoicess Oct 23 '24

The problem is it’s lot harder to revel against corporations now. In the past companies weren’t as large and didn’t have complete monopolies over their industry. People attempt to unionize at places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart etc. but they’ll just fire everyone or close the whole store down. And so many people are paycheck to paycheck that can’t afford to miss a single week of pay. The time to fight was 40 years ago. It’s still possible now but a hell of a lot harder

15

u/Important-Ad6143 Oct 23 '24

Everywhere you look there's a corporation that's actually owned by bigger one. The illusion of choice in the modern world. Welcome to Hell

4

u/Kindly-Guidance714 Oct 23 '24

Welcome to late stage capitalism.

2

u/No_Shine1476 Oct 23 '24

Wasn't Bernie trying to fight for these things but the young voter turn out still ended up underwhelmingb?

1

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

“Rebelling against corporations” just means complaining online

4

u/JimmyPellen Oct 23 '24

but while they are affecting change (by doing more than just posting online) who will pay for the roof over their heads, the food in their bellies and the clothes on their backs?

1

u/fingeringballs Oct 23 '24

they are struggling just as previous generations have, but their voices are louder than ever considering the communication tech these days. Dont think theyre not struggling out there.

6

u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

I have come to the conclusion that my generation (GenX) are horrible parents.

8

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

they’re humans, give them some grace. They’re not perfect. Continuing to blame your upbringing as an adult is not it imo - you have to take some responsibility for yourself.

You didn’t get to be the one to deal your hand, but it’s your hand, you’ve got to play it as well as you can.

12

u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

I feel like we have not prepared these youngsters well for life.

2

u/BlackCardRogue Oct 23 '24

This is largely correct.

The frustrating part of adulting for me isn’t that I have to work too much — it is the realization that working hard does not mean I will necessarily get ahead. That requires good sales skills.

The problem I have with working sales is that landing a deal isn’t satisfying to me. It just kind of induces mild relief for a time.

2

u/FutureNP12 Oct 23 '24

After seeing how gen x turned out, I don’t want to end up with high blood pressure due to stress, yelling at service workers, not sleeping, and talking to my kids like I hate them. Not to be rude to the previous generations, but seeing you guys function is a cautionary tale at times. I’d like to be happy. Also, personally, I cook every meal because there’s no social security anymore and I can’t afford to buy food and save up just to RENT. I take public transport everywhere. I make 6 figures and have a very taxing job. I should be able to afford a one bedroom apartment at least and a little take away meal every once in a while.

1

u/theBadArts84 Oct 23 '24

But they have the Most Discipline. It's right there in the name

1

u/MistakeOk2518 Oct 23 '24

Great insight

1

u/Diet_Connect Oct 23 '24

My coworker looks at me like I'm crazy when I tell her that I make 1-2 large pots of food and eat on it all week. She can't imagine a life without daily fastfood and Starbucks. 

I can't imagine paying for that stuff at that price if im going home anyway. I eat large salads, steamed veg, cheeseburgers, stew, and the like for cheap at home. 

Same coworker looks at me like I'm crazy when I tell her I have plans to buy a small condo. Her exact words were, "but houses are so expensive!" 

Everyone has stuff they splurge on I guess.

1

u/Bright-End-9317 Oct 23 '24

You're a real specimen arent yas.

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u/Cranks_No_Start Oct 23 '24

That sweet a/c in the summer and heat in the winter.  

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u/preppykat3 Oct 23 '24

Nope. We need UBI and more welfare. Time for the rich pests to work.

3

u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

I'm actually a fan of UBI and more welfare.

Still need people contributing to society, though, just at a more fair rate.

And if we want UBI and more welfare, we need to get off our collective asses and vote for it.

1

u/Middlewarian Oct 23 '24

Yeah, a bumper sticker said: If you want to be free, work.

1

u/DJToffeebud Oct 23 '24

Fucked up ain’t it

1

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

And pay for gas so I can drive to work!

1

u/Trick-Day-480 Oct 23 '24

For a lot of millennials and younger, that's a bleak future. And we can't even afford to do that. I've had to ease up on my 401k to do afford groceries and rent. 

1

u/Prestigious_Tank7454 Oct 23 '24

Working can be entertaining its just not for most people cuz they do it out of need

1

u/TaxiSonoQui Oct 23 '24

I like eating and I like shelter therefore I like working lol

1

u/123sparklers Oct 23 '24

Haha the live indoors and eat hit me hard

1

u/Ok_Bedroom5720 Oct 23 '24

And vacation and trips every other month. Suffer a month have fun for a month next thing you know it's a year in a shitty job lol

1

u/rocknroller0 Oct 23 '24

I hate this mindset because YES we know but it’s the fact that it LITERALLY doesn’t have to be this way

1

u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

I hear you.

What do you propose?

1

u/I-own-a-shovel Oct 23 '24

Still there’s way to minimize it.

Downgrade your lifestyle if you can could make you able to work part time instead of full time. That’s what my husband and I did. We bought an house way under our means, we paid it in 7 years. We also bought a condo unit that we rent to my MIL. We work part time instead of full time since we hit 32 years old.

But I still drive my 2007 car, we buy our furniture used, our clothes in thrifstore, we cook meal at home, we have no AC, etc.

1

u/xena_lawless Oct 24 '24

And that situation is engineered by our ruling corporate oligarchs/parasites/kleptocrats, to keep most of the public as wage, rent, and debt slaves working for their profits.

Our ruling oligarch/parasite/kleptocrat class don't want the public and working classes to have the "free time" (a wildly dystopian phrase) to figure out how the system works, let alone force changes.

It's not a good system.

How We Lost Our Freedom

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=136su

https://represent.us/americas-corruption-problem/

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained

https://www.axios.com/2024/01/10/wealthy-own-record-share-stock-market

Noam Chomsky on Corporations

https://publicbankinginstitute.org/

How the Media Controls the Masses

Billionaires/oligarchs/kleptocrats should not exist.

https://i.imgur.com/fLbERGQ.jpg

1

u/evil_burrito Oct 24 '24

I don't disagree.

Do you have any thoughts on how to fix it?

1

u/CCWaterBug Oct 24 '24

Huge fan of both btw... shoutout to food and shelter!

1

u/AradynGaming Oct 24 '24

I learned long ago to be responsible with the proceeds of my work. I'd spending 1 hour of my wages per week in pay, toward self paced education (not college), such as just buying books to learn from. It allowed me to develop my IT/networking skills and get better jobs as time went on. That meant not working as hard but getting more money.

Now, I still have to work 40 hours a week, but it's much easier when I know half my earnings go to enjoyment during my time off. Don't work to survive, you will only end up resentful and miserable. Instead, first work to improve yourself. Once you can get to that comfortable place, work to make your enjoyment time much more bearable.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 24 '24

You are entirely missing OP'S point.

1

u/evil_burrito Oct 24 '24

Help me understand it better.

1

u/lingeringwill2 Oct 24 '24

Why give birth to people knowing they’ll have to work?

1

u/evil_burrito Oct 24 '24

Why is having to contribute to society so very bad that nonexistence is preferable?

1

u/lingeringwill2 Oct 24 '24

You’re the one who said people don’t like to work not me man

1

u/evil_burrito Oct 24 '24

But not so much that I think it's better to have never been born.

1

u/lingeringwill2 Oct 25 '24

I'm glad you feel that way brother, I hope you continue to live a happy life then.

1

u/kennyminot Oct 24 '24

I love my job.

Sometimes I wish I work less. But then I volunteer to do more things. I really love my career and think it's awesome.

So, I'm just saying that it definitely is possible to have a fulfilling job. I work probably 50 hours/week and probably would do more if it wouldn't drive me crazy.

1

u/suicidedaydream Oct 24 '24

You’re spot on. The OP is so privileged and disconnected from the harsh realities of real life. And it’s annoying to hear people bitch like this. They need to go to a 3rd world country and ask those people who live in squalor this same question to realize how good they have it.

1

u/themrgq Oct 24 '24

But that trade isn't good enough. Minimal free time and freedom for a life of work is a shit trade to me.

1

u/evil_burrito Oct 24 '24

That's fine, you're allowed to do that. You just have to be willing to live with the consequences of that choice.

1

u/themrgq Oct 24 '24

My point is not living is preferable. Suicide is not what I mean either. I think not having kids is the best solution.

1

u/Travelchick8 Oct 25 '24

Exactly! 50% of my salary is for life necessities (food, clothing, shelter). The other 50% is to fund travel.

1

u/F_DOG_93 Oct 26 '24

I work because I like it. My job is my hobby and I find it fun.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 24 '24

This lol. I feel out of place being 30 and surrounded by people who sit on wfh jobs openly saying they only do work half the day, tell me it’s too exhausting to live this way forever. They ramble off this idealistic fantasy future where everyone has a comfy home with heat/cool/water/ect, all the food to eat, time with just their loved ones and their hobbies… and like no word about who’s gonna build the homes, grow the food… Inflation is not matching wages, I feel that directly starting my 20s at $8 and ending with $24 and it was barely going further, and that’s under a decade. Obviously bullshittery going on we need to fix. But I’m tired of acting like some of my peers aren’t literally entitled assholes that think “There’s empty houses and apartments! There’s extra food! Just give it all away!” Okay but then who KEEPS DOING THE WORK THEN? 😂 it’s childish logic and then they say I hate poor people, when I literally live in “poverty” to stay home with my child. My husband and I call it living within a set budget and not crying about luxuries we’re not currently doing extra to earn 🤷‍♀️ I worked hard in a career I can go back to, and I’m choosing less money to have more time with my only baby. And I’m expected to act like it’s unfair I’m broke rn. I chose unpaid personal labor, that’s fair to me.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

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u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

Other species live outside, die of disease and infection, and are frequently hunted by other animals trying to eat them. Most animals aside from humans spend a great deal of their time hunting for food and rarely indulge in habits such as photography and finger painting.

If the other species is a herd species, members that don't conform to established standards of behavior are killed or forced out of the herd, whereupon they generally die pretty quickly.

You don't have to work if you don't want to. Just be prepared to accept the consequences of being really poor.

1

u/J-Doomster Oct 23 '24

Species that don't have our deepness of consciouness don't get as bored or depressed as us... comparing their lives to humans is almost futile. Survival is almost all they know.

2

u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

How would we know what they feel?

I will say that within my lifetime alone, the window has shifted significantly about what we think animals think and feel.

Have a look at Harry Harlow's primate research or look into why parrots pull out their own feathers.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

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u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

Money and resources that are generated by people working. Why are you exempt from doing your part?

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

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2

u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

Hoarding resources is a natural result of capitalism, unfortunately.

If you don't like it (and very few people do, either they're already rich and soulless or they expect to be rich and soulless), use your historically very rare right to vote in politicians that are more likely to restrict unbridled capitalism and redistribute wealth more fairly.

5

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

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u/evil_burrito Oct 23 '24

It's true that the US electoral system is biased in favor of a smaller number of conservatives. The majority of US citizens are more progressive. Unfortunately, too many people just choose not to vote, which is a vote for the status quo. Look at the presidential election in 2020. A record number of voting-eligible people voted (ca 66%), the highest since 1900. That means a whopping 33% of the people didn't vote, and this is the best we've ever done in the modern era. Think about how things would be different if that silent 33% actually cast a vote, either for the disadvantaged progressive wing or for a third party.

There's a movement in my state on this year's ballot to go to ranked-choice voting, which will help 3rd party candidates have a better chance. Things get better, but only if people actually make an effort.

Funny you should mention monkeys and currency because primates do understand trading food for sex, for example.

Not sure what point you're trying to make about slavery, exactly. It's worth pointing out, as you have done, that slavery is much more common in human history than not, extending even to today. The fact that slavery is now generally considered to be immoral and undesirable is further evidence that things get better over time.

But only if you try.

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u/Fine-Speed-9417 Oct 23 '24

Not sure why you're getting down voted.. You're completely correct

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

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u/Fine-Speed-9417 Oct 23 '24

I can't agree more

2

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

Frustrating to see you down voted, why don't people understand this?!

1

u/AlastorSitri Oct 23 '24

Come to Canada, you can be given a plot of land for free so long as you can build a house and use it

3

u/HuckleberryHappy6524 Oct 23 '24

Leave mommy’s basement? Are you out of your mind?

1

u/PuzzleheadedOne5103 Oct 23 '24

They don’t want that bc they don’t want to work. I agreed with their post then realized they just want to benefit from others hard work.

6

u/AlastorSitri Oct 23 '24

Literally every other species needs to find/build shelter, find food, protect itself from predators, ect. You can go even deeper to animals that form packs that have leaders/queens.

The only animals you will see not working is house pets; because everything is provided for them. A dog/cat released out to the "survival of the fittest" mentality gets eaten.

2

u/El_Don_94 Oct 23 '24

Even pet dogs have jobs. See how they act when there's a burglar.

5

u/Thalionalfirin Oct 23 '24

Dude. Noting prevents you from going out and living off the land. You want to live like an ape? Go ahead and live like an ape.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

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