Americans are increasingly unlikely to believe that those who work hard will get ahead and that their children will be better off than they are, according to two recent polls.
There never was a dream you fucks. XD
Then this news article doesn’t know me completely, because the American dream has been dead ever since 9/11
This is a qualitative metric that may or may not be a reflection of the economy, but it sure seems like bad news. At least it’s bad news for those who aren’t coming from existing wealth or connections.
If most people believe that hard work - without needing a prior wealthy social circle - will not result in a commensurate lifestyle, they won’t be as willing to put in the time for education, be willing to grind their early career, or be willing to borrow money believing that tomorrow will surely be better. That can easily start a downward cycle where there are fewer and fewer opportunities.
Maybe that’s why I’ve heard rumors that more people are entering trade schools. Generally higher paying, shorter time to graduate, often unionized…
Yeah, but on the flip side - this is the energy we can use to change things for the better
Debt only drives things under our insane system, there’s so many other options. People accepting that “hey, things won’t work out if we slave away for rich assholes” is the first step to coming up with a system that benefits everyone more (even the rich assholes… They’re not happy either)
It’s not dying because it is already dead
It was never alive in the first place, it’s just a mean of giving some glimmer of false hope while the oligarchs continue being parasites.
You don’t think any American generation did better than the previous one through work?
Some generations did better than previous ones due to economic conditions at the time, and this is especially true in the period between WWII and Reaganomics. Some individuals experience both hard work and success, but there are a great many hard working individuals who have no personal wealth to speak of.
As for working hard, (unless I miss your point) - it’s hardly new for older generations to accuse younger ones of not wanting to work.
I disagree, back in the 60s it was totally possible to find a decent paying job, have a couple of kids, buy a house to store them in, get a new car every few years, send your kids off to school, go on vacations and retire at an age old enough to enjoy some time with the grandkids. Now that really isn’t a reality for the average person.
It has certainly never been the case that working hard will get you ahead, the inverse is actually more true. People who are forced to work hard to survive can believe this at their detriment.
This is probably the most accurate for people who are from less privileged backgrounds who are expected to demonstrate their merits before being accepted in to professional managerial professions. For people born in to that world it’s more important to not run against the merits that have been assumed for you.
