A rising number of American men don't want to work

[Piff Perkins]

You said “owning a home.” Your point wasn't talking about owning an apartment. And even if that was your point, it’s is now just as expensive to rent or even own an apartment vs a lower tier house.

A decent 1bed 1bath apartme….*achem*…”condo”… in a major Midwest city is $280k+ with HOA dues and taxes in the few hundreds of dollars. That’s $2k a month, which is more than half your take home income on a $60k salary.

So you’re saying dudes need to spend upwards of 60% of their take home money on a unremarkable single room place to stay, and also frequent bars, restaurants, have a diverse wardrobe, go out on dates to mingle, save for retirement, and keep an emergency fund, and if they can’t do all that on $60k, they’re a loser.

I make more than double that and I don’t punch down on people like that because I know it’s bullshyt out here, people are being squeezed to death and these companies don’t care.

I said they don't want to buy homes. My point was about aspirations and goals, not saying "you need to buy a home right away."

I have siblings in Chicago and Cleveland making 60-70k and living comfortably in nice apartments, not condos. Again, you are exaggerating and I'm tired of the constant doomerism going on which plays a role in men checking out of society. It's lame shyt. I also make double that and am not punching down on anyone. I'm stating reality, which is that many men have given up despite clear opportunities to excel. This isn't just a black dude thing, this is largely a white male issue. White dudes with every opportunity to go to college, use connections to get into trades etc who are doing jack shyt. That's a culture and psychological problem, not an economic problem of opportunities disappearing.

 

[AtomicUse]

I said they don't want to buy homes. My point was about aspirations and goals, not saying "you need to buy a home right away."

I have siblings in Chicago and Cleveland making 60-70k and living comfortably in nice apartments, not condos. Again, you are exaggerating and I'm tired of the constant doomerism going on which plays a role in men checking out of society. It's lame shyt. I also make double that and am not punching down on anyone. I'm stating reality, which is that many men have given up despite clear opportunities to excel. This isn't just a black dude thing, this is largely a white male issue. White dudes with every opportunity to go to college, use connections to get into trades etc who are doing jack shyt. That's a culture and psychological problem, not an economic problem of opportunities disappearing.

What nice apartment you living in, that’s in Chicago, off of $60k?

It’s not 2012 anymore, rent for anything at the bottom end of decent in the city limits is $1,800+. How you living comfortable when half your money gone at $60k after paying rent, and you haven’t put anything on your Ventra card, got parking tickets from the meter maids, paid student loans, car note, car insurance(jacked), medical bills, and the highest sales tax in the country? Haven’t even gotten to food and clothing yet.

I’m not exaggerating anything, we just have different opinions on what comfortable is.

 

[High Art]

Give me a racial breakdown give me eibar or I retire.

That's where the real story is.

 

[NinoBrown]

Doomerism and pathetic mindset, our grands and great-great-great grands surely wanted their future free descendants to be vagabonds and spend their lives complaining about the lifestyles of others..

Always excuses:
"It's too hard"
"Too much studying"
"Cost of living is too high"
"I tried to be an influencer but it's too hard"
"They don't pay me enough"

You have to start off somewhere and build up, but you have to start...

Can't get to the finish line if you don't even want to race...

 

[Buckeye Fever]

And to the Black men who do try and work,they have to deal with shît like this at the same plant I work at:

Caterpillar to pay $800K to job applicants who were racially discriminated against in Decatur​

DECATUR, Ill. - Caterpillar Inc., will pay $800,000 to resolve allegations of systemic hiring discrimination against dozens of Black applicants at its Decatur, Illinois production facility.

The settlement comes after a compliance review by the U.S. Department of Labor found discriminatory hiring practices affecting 60 Black applicants for fabrication specialist and welder positions between March 30, 2018, and March 30, 2020.

Under the agreement, Caterpillar Inc. will pay $800,000 in back wages and interest to the affected applicants and will offer employment to 34 eligible class members. The company has also committed to revising its hiring policies and providing comprehensive anti-discrimination training to managers and supervisors involved in hiring decisions.

$800k ain't shyt, especially when you spread it out between 60+ ppl. All I know is, I'm waiting on them fukks to try and hound me about some bullshyt at work. I will scream racism and discrimination, especially since a story like this came out.

 

[Cakebatter]

This "Living comfortably off $60k/year" narrative is laughable, and shows a person's lack of historical perspective. If you live in the Midwest (Cheapest homes in the country) and can't afford a home in a safe neighborhood, you aren't living comfortably, you are just surviving. In 1997, I had a 2 bedroom apartment, a car, extra money for dates and entertainment, and community college courses, just from tips waiting tables. At that same age, my folks already owned a fully furnished home and nicer car, with money to raise 3 children. Yet, we got teachers today who can barely afford my late 90s lifestyle.
Essentially, they are telling you, "Trust me, I know it looks yellow, but its not piss, its just rain. See, watch me taste it....AHHHHHHH!!!!"

 

[NinoBrown]

And to the Black men who do try and work,they have to deal with shît like this at the same plant I work at:

Caterpillar to pay $800K to job applicants who were racially discriminated against in Decatur​

DECATUR, Ill. - Caterpillar Inc., will pay $800,000 to resolve allegations of systemic hiring discrimination against dozens of Black applicants at its Decatur, Illinois production facility.

The settlement comes after a compliance review by the U.S. Department of Labor found discriminatory hiring practices affecting 60 Black applicants for fabrication specialist and welder positions between March 30, 2018, and March 30, 2020.

Under the agreement, Caterpillar Inc. will pay $800,000 in back wages and interest to the affected applicants and will offer employment to 34 eligible class members. The company has also committed to revising its hiring policies and providing comprehensive anti-discrimination training to managers and supervisors involved in hiring decisions.

$800k ain't shyt, especially when you spread it out between 60+ ppl. All I know is, I'm waiting on them fukks to try and hound me about some bullshyt at work. I will scream racism and discrimination, especially since a story like this came out.

You part of a union breh? Document everything and plan accordingly.

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

I said they don't want to buy homes. My point was about aspirations and goals, not saying "you need to buy a home right away."

I have siblings in Chicago and Cleveland making 60-70k and living comfortably in nice apartments, not condos. Again, you are exaggerating and I'm tired of the constant doomerism going on which plays a role in men checking out of society. It's lame shyt. I also make double that and am not punching down on anyone. I'm stating reality, which is that many men have given up despite clear opportunities to excel. This isn't just a black dude thing, this is largely a white male issue. White dudes with every opportunity to go to college, use connections to get into trades etc who are doing jack shyt. That's a culture and psychological problem, not an economic problem of opportunities disappearing.

I wouldn't call it a clear opportunity to Excel though, to even get your foot in the door is actually hell. So I'm not surprised some of them tap out, I'm touching a solid 6 figures and I knew i had to move heaven and earth along w/ ppl playing in my face to get here. Easy to self destruct when progress is not as forthcoming or coming a quickly as you would like

 

[AAKing23]

You can barely afford a decent house in a decent neighborhood on an $80k salary in the Midwest right now but you’re talking about $60k is a good salary, and you were super quick to call dudes losers?

Some dudes love to punch down on others and call them names to try to feel superior.

Whenever in doubt, this is what they will do Just blame men and tell em to do better

 

[Scaaar]

People are being dishonest with themselves and what they are financially capable of paying for. If that 3 bed 2 bath is taking 50% or more of your income and the car note is $1000 per month you need to stop what you’re doing immediately and reevaluate your choices.

Unless you have a family you have no business living in a 3 bedroom anyway

A lot of people are definitely living above their means and complaining about it while at the same time telling you that they deserve to live the way they wanna live lol

 

[Scaaar]

I wouldn't call it a clear opportunity to Excel though, to even get your foot in the door is actually hell. So I'm not surprised some of them tap out, I'm touching a solid 6 figures and I knew i had to move heaven and earth along w/ ppl playing in my face to get here. Easy to self destruct when progress is not as forthcoming or coming a quickly as you would like

But that's the thing you wanted to get to that income level so you made it happen. It's people out here completely ducking the grind and still complaining because they don't have the results they feel they deserve. Or people that get to that income level and still feel trapped because they're living a 150k lifestyle. Income creep is real and too many people get caught up trying to show people that they made it now they're on that treadmill of constantly having to work to maintain and prove it.

 

[⠀X ⠀]

Can you blame them? Back in the day, you could go work in a plant or something and get paid good money, where you could support your family and buy a house. Now you gotta be in the top 10 or 20 percent of earners, or you can’t do shyt. And most of the jobs we have now require that you deal with a lot of BS.

 

[Scaaar]

These are men who know their worth. Time and health is wealth. Why put your effort and energy into a system that doesn’t reward you the way you want. Also American values aren’t what they used to be, we are basically a country of every man for himself.

Women are the only ones still being conned into the American dream.

The big issue is we are being lead on a global scale by a bunch of old white men, who are exploiting their power till they hit the grave in 20 years.

If this country still cared we’d be at war with china right now for causing a global pandemic.

We have always been a country of Every man for themselves unless you're white and wealthy. Don't ever get that twisted. The country hasn't adjusted to the fact that we're a service based economy. These jobs are seen as lesser even though a majority of the country does something in this field and wages and laws haven't been changed to reflect it

 

[Diunx]

Who the fukk wants to work?

 

[Dad]

I telework so I’m halfway there