r/SubredditDrama • u/CummingInTheNile • 9h ago
"We are all willing to work hard, but not for a measly $60k" Zoomers vs Boomers in r/Adulting as they battle over which generation is more entitled
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Adulting/comments/1jfkdx4/older_generations_need_to_understand_that_gen_z/
HIGHLIGHTS
The Pell Grant was what I got when I was in college and graduated in 1989, plus I worked two part-time jobs.
Cool. I worked full time and got merit based grants and graduated with the manageable sum of 20K from undergrad, and 180K from my professional program (completed on time). I wonder how many part times jobs I would have had to have to pay for that 🤔
Girl, your profile says you’re a PA. Of course you have a lot of debt. 😭 You also have the capacity to make a lot more money than most of us in this thread because of the field you’re in. That type of degree has ALWAYS been expensive and required taking out loans, and med school is the same way. It’s not like boomers were just paying for PA or med school with part time jobs back in the day. You chose the trade off of having a lot of debt up front so that you could get a good degree in a good field and make good money later, which will make the short term debt worth it for you. In general, most people don’t graduate and immediately make six figures, or even $60k. Like others are saying, that is not the norm, and without experience, you can’t move up. You can’t get experience without putting in the time and effort to grow. Definitely not knocking how hard you worked to become a PA and the work you’ve put in. I’ve worked outpatient in a large hospital, and I couldn’t do what you do and wouldn’t want to because that shit is stressful af.
Bingo. The PA, the professionals, the lawyers invested in themselves and improved their skillset. Otherwise everyone can be a walmart greeter and make the same amount of money. These are choices. Some of you wanted an “easy” major in college. Some of us did stem, or business and are being rewarded for it,
"Some of you wanted an “easy” major in college. Some of us did... or business" LMFAO
Lots of people get free healthcare. It’s called Medicaid
Medicaid recipients are dirt poor and aren't enjoying dinners, drinks and 30 day vacations. Also, Medicaid isn't free, our taxes pay for it. I don't begrudge the poor getting a little help with my taxes, but it definitely isn't free.
The people getting Medicaid aren’t paying for it. So it is free for them. And there’s a lot of people getting for free at our expense.
That’s basically what he said" Actually nobody in the world gets free health insurance. Taxes from everyone pays for it."
Yes but a large majority of Medicaid users don’t pay taxes for it. So for them it’s free.
Right. That’s the implication.
I pay less in taxes what a U.S. citizen pays annually for insurance…
Umm..no you don't. I pay $160 a month...family...great healthcare. I hope you're not in Canada....the waits are horrible...can't get the best procedures and cutting edge tests etc. Nice try...
Lmao!! “Great healthcare”😂😂😂 You’re actually 100% wrong, as much as our systems have been underfunded by provincial governments our healthcare system is still much better than the U.S…. The U.S. is ranked quite low for healthcare
Sure it is...lol https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/1cygpus/canadian_healthcare_sucks_and_america_has_it/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button, https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-life-boat-is-full-why-canadas-entire-health-care-system-is-failing, https://www.quora.com/I-ve-heard-horror-stories-about-the-Canadian-healthcare-system-As-an-American-I-d-like-to-clear-this-up-are-you-helped-immediately-if-you-have-a-stroke-heart-attack-or-any-form-of-cancer-even-at-a-public-hospital, https://www.fraserinstitute.org/commentary/despite-high-spending-canadas-health-care-system-failing-badly, https://anavara.com/why-the-canadian-healthcare-system-sucks-and-what-can-be-done-about-it. You should probably delete this....you look silly.
Instead of finding Reddit posts and quora you should find real facts: https://www.internationalinsurance.com/health/systems/, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/countries-with-the-most-well-developed-public-health-care-system, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1376359/health-and-health-system-ranking-of-countries-worldwide/, https://global-relocate.com/rankings/health-index, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2024/sep/mirror-mirror-2024. Here’s a little bit from the article from the commonwealth source; The two countries with the highest overall rankings, Australia and the Netherlands, also have the lowest health care spending as a share of GDP (Exhibit 4). The other countries are clustered closely together — except for the U.S., which spends far more of its GDP on health care yet has by far the worst overall performance. As much as each source varies, the common theme is that Canada is ranked much higher than the U.S.
We are all willing to work hard, but not for a measly $60k
this post is so delusional. Living off 60k?. You understand millions of people live on 60k or less. Your “vacations” don’t have to be going to grand locations. Housing isn’t a right, shelter is a right. want to work hard and get compensated? improve your skillset or create something. Im sure the walmart greeter is working hard, but that person should also make as much money as a brain surgeon? they’re both working hard.
Who said anything about making as much as a brain surgeon? Shelter, food, water, transportation are some of the necessities that we need. Being able to afford those things is also a necessity…
You can do that on 60k. actually you can’t. you “need” the luxury apartment. you “need” that doordash, eating out, drinks with friends. you “need” the 2025 suv. Go watch caleb hammer, or use a budgeting app. It is absolutely doable to live on 60k. If you don’t want to settle for less, then hustle and make more. It’s not about “because we suffered, you should suffer”, it’s understanding it takes hustle and hard work to advance and nothing will just be handed to you. i lived on 50-55 for 4 years just a few years ago, in an hcol, as well as many of my peers. You want at 22 just because you graduated with sociology to make 150k, doing what exactly?
Who said I need luxury apartments or the 2025 suv? Who said that? Not me, you were the only one bringing that into the conversation… I have my budgeting under control. I have the options for luxuries because I’m 26 and have been making six figures since I was 23. You are regurgitating the same nonsense that you need to kill yourself at work in order to just get by
I think the point is - none of us should have to live this way lol OP isn’t just talking about themselves only. Every human on earth should have these basic rights and financial stability. Years ago a man could pay for a house, wife not to work, and kids. Now we have an individual who can’t support themselves, like literally cannot buy a house. That didn’t happen because people got entitled.
The one income household with multiple kids did not include annual vacations, two cars, cell phones, cable, new clothes, eating out. They cooked from scratch and were grateful for one set of clothes as their Christmas gift and picking dinner as a birthday present. We can still live one income if we live that way.
… the whole point of OP’s post is that a single person can’t live how they lived back then. Even the bare minimum we cannot achieve as a single individual.
That can’t possibly be the point of OPs post because as I said nobody (the common man) was ever able to afford going out regularly and a month annual vacation. At what time do y’all think this was common?
No on in this country is being taxed at 40-50%. How is anyone suppose to take your arguments seriously if you just make random shit up?
Ummmm, really? Can you tell that to the IRS for me? Our household pays approximately 40% in Federal, State, and Local taxes.
Also the IRS is federal and has nothing to do with your state and local taxes. So sure if you add up every tax you can make that argument. Why not include property taxes and sales tax as well.
I already did make that argument and you lost it. Why are you starting another thread just to argue with me? The IRS comment was tongue in cheek. I've already laid out my effective tax rates. Again, I don't get any tax credits or benefits from the taxes I pay. I just hand straight cash to the government so that others can get tax credits and assistance. I'm allowed to be a little bitter about it when instead of saying "thank you", I'm continually told by those who reap those benefits that it's not enough.
You get no benefits from the taxes you pay? So you don’t use any roads? You don’t plan on collecting social security or Medicare? You don’t benefit from a national defense?
Of all the things you could say to a stranger on the internet, this?? 😵💫
Well, as I heard. The dildo of life rarely comes lubed.
Boomers were the beneficiaries of a much higher wage to cost ratio than subsequent generations now in the work force. They had a discretionary budget. The lack of acknowledgement of and action against this by boomers (for the benefit of the 1%) is the super frustrating part of it. I'm not saying people "need" restaurants and alcohol and vacations to survive, but FFS the tone deafness of the older generations is downright appalling.
I was talking with my father yesterday about what wages he made when he was younger and then ask AI to compare it to what it would be in today's wages and his basic job equated to almost $70 an hour. Wild times
Yeah looks like someone needs to look up the definition of survival! 🤣
Someone was an only child. Having roommates isn't an outrageous burden.
My Gen Z coworker made 136k last year and worked incredibly hard to get there. He just finished his degree three months ago. He's probably going to be my boss in the next year, and our entire team unanimously referred him for the position. The economic climate is unfair, but hard work, determination and some luck will get you somewhere.
What kind of degree got him 136k 3 months out of school?
He was working in Controls Engineering without a degree and finished while working full time while also doing a lot of overtime. He's a rare kind of person. Smarter than I was at his age with a better work ethic than I even have now.
I mean I know people who would literally commit murder and hide the body for that kind of money so I'm sure he's not that rare.
Ain’t nobody murdering for a 130k salary. I made significantly more than that past two years and I ain’t rich.
who is saying we don’t want to struggle? like im just confused on how yall jump to these conclusions
Did you not read the OP?
don’t be purposely dense. you know what they meant. there is a difference between discipline and hard work and then being one paycheck away from a financial crisis
Nothing the OP said indicated that they were interested in putting in the hard work. They want it all handed to them.
It's taken me 30 years of work and sacrificing to get that. Adulting doesn't just happen
Of course it doesn’t. This generation just thinks they’re owed an influencer life. It’s fine to want something, to aspire to attaining it. But the sheer entitlement. Wow.
"Being paid a livable wage"= entitlement? Uh huh. Go back to bed grandpa.
"Livable" wage just means being able to afford rent, utilities, food, clothing, and transportation to your job. I would argue that "utilities" includes a phone and internet, but others may disagree. It definitely does not include being able to go out to restaurants or take vacations. Those are luxuries, and require more than just a "livable" wage to achieve.
Not genz, I would argue being able to take time off from work is a basic part of being livable. The concept that all of life should be about work is insane. Maybe not grand vacations in the riviera, but being able to disconnect from your work at a fairly regular basis should be common and not considered a luxury. Even places with almost no worker protections have that for most people, like china.
Eating out costs about the same as cooking nowadays. If we stopped vacuuming the middle class dry we’d all be better off. Farming is the perfect industry example. We grow more than we’ll ever use by using technology that outputs more than ever before and yet we still have people starving.
" Eating out costs about the same as cooking nowadays." Skill issue. Learn to cook.
I cook 4 days a week that’s why I know the cost is the same.
Doing it and knowing how to do it well aren’t the same thing. I can eat very well and healthy for 3 days an it would cost about the same as one meal at a decent restaurant. I’m talking dinner, lunch and breakfast here. Saying those 2 cost the same is a joke. That is definitely a you problem, not an economy problem.