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[-] Hyperreality@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

they’re still treading water, just like us

I currently have 1200 dollars and live in my mother's basement, because I'm her full time carer while she recovers from cancer. My current retirement plan is a rope. I have a master's degree in STEM, but you'd be surprised how many homeless people have those too.

Someone earning 150k would have to work thousands of years to become a billionaire, true.

The ultra rich are the true enemy, true.

But Jesus Christ, people earning 150k are not 'just scraping by'.

Seriously. Get a grip. How out of touch do you have to be to think that? No concept of what true poverty looks like.

[-] SnotFlickerman 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

As a 40-something guy who literally has cancer and no retirement savings and is wondering how he can even stay alive and has had a year of nothing but suicidal ideation, I still have the capacity to have compassion and not blame other working stiffs for how bad things are for me. I have a degree and I work at a fucking pizza place.

Out of touch my ass, I'm literally living a similar experience. Sorry I have the ability to consider other people's situations instead of just my own. It's called empathy, motherfucker. Have you heard of it??

[-] Hyperreality@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Look, I'm really not in a good place either, as I assume you gathered. It's been so long for me. At one point I found myself crying into the toilet I was cleaning for one of my night time temp jobs. Like you, I'm basically hanging on by a thread. It's been going on so long, I no longer know where depression ends and I begin or if the original me still exists.

I don't know about you, but I really shouldn't be having this discussion, so we'll leave it at that.

I'm just going to wish you luck, strength, or whatever gets you through today and tomorrow. Even if it's drowning out the noise, even if it's spite, anger or curiousity about something like the conclusion of a dumb tv show you don't even really like.

Maybe things will get better for us, even if right now we perhaps don't really believe in it anymore.

[-] SnotFlickerman 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Thanks for that, friend. Life is hard, and I don't blame you for being in a low place because of it. I appreciate your candor, openness, and willingness to hear me.

I wish and hope for the best for you, too. All of us deserve better.

Also, unrelated, dope username.

[-] fiat_lux@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago

I'm not who you were replying to, but I just want to wish you the absolute best of luck in your health battle. Empathy is in short supply at the best of times, but showing empathy when you're in the middle of something so hard is next level. I bet you also make an excellent pizza, even if that's not where you expected to be working.

I'll have my fingers crossed for you, friend. Fuck cancer and everything that it entails.

[-] SnotFlickerman 6 points 1 year ago

Cheers, mate. I hope for the best for all of us. It can happen to any of us at any time, and that's part of why it's so stressful. Making good money isn't some sort of panacea against your life falling apart.

I mean, Christ, just think of all the people who have chronic pain that became opiate addicts who also had real, productive jobs who ended up on the street due to addiction to the solution to their chronic pain. Life isn't fair, and even having money saved away can't protect you from everything.

[-] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

You might have heard of student loans. They can get rather high. You might have also heard about high cost of living areas. Houses can be pretty expensive. Another thing you might have heard about is high mortgage rates.

A new veterinarian with a specialist cert (which requires an undergrad degree, graduate degree, a shitty pay internship, and a shitty pay residency for a long time) will be sitting on $200,000 in loans and make about $200k. Now, if that person lives in Los Angeles and wants to buy a home they are going to have a loan for a million at 7%. Take-home pay on $200k after retirement/insurance/taxes is around $10k/month. Mortgage on a million is $7k/mo. Loan payments on $200k is around $1000/mo. Taxes on that house are about $1000/mo. Right there the take-home pay comes down to $1000/mo to pay for food ($600), utilities ($100), cell phone ($70), car ($300), car insurance ($100), gas ($100) internet ($100), etc. You might notice that those numbers add up to more than $1000.

Sure, that veterinarian who is already 35 years old now after all that schooling can just rent instead of buy a tiny house, but rent still costs $3000/mo in a big city for a small apartment.

this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2023
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