this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2024
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A lot of this can be attributed to corporations and the (b/m)illionaire class forcing us all into a position where we too have to try and find a way forward, and a way to get wealthy. Those needs lead to things like people working multiple gig jobs like Uber Eats; trying to monetize crypto or basically any hobby we can think of; distracting ourselves with junk because we can’t come to terms with the fact that our lives are all lacking because the ruling class is constantly draining us dry.
There is always a link back to the ruling class with these things.
Why are minority neighborhoods fucked? Because the ruling class doesn’t see them as profitable; because the landlord class sees their land as a commodity and drives them out, or takes over and continues to gentrify.
Why can’t anyone afford rent? Because the landlord class drives prices up simply because they can. What do people in desperate times like this do? They seek out what they consider “easy money” such as crypto, selling hobbies, etc. Drop-shipping junk on Etsy and even buying it for themselves.
We live in a country that forces downward pressure on everyone that isn’t swimming in money.
“But what about people in tech that get paid well?” — they are still trying to seek their own shortest way out due to constant burnout because of layoffs and “line go up” pressure. Yet again, the ruling class is at the root of the problem.
For your last part in tech jobs being paid well. You might wanna mention how the tech companies worked with each other to keep salaries down by not hiring other companies ex-employees.
I would post a reference but I can't find the news article I read, this was sometime in the 90s and 00s. I'm sure there is some fuckery still going on. Google has really gone downhill since I can't even find it.....I used to be revered at my old job for my "Google Fu" and now I feel lost...
I’m in tech myself and am curious to check that out. It’s really become a rough and chaotic field. I was laid off myself for 3 months and have had to deal with all kinds of wild fuckery.
I don't disagree with that at all. What I dislike is when people try to fully "pass the buck" and play the victim when they are also part of the problem. Ultimately we agree at the core level. As I said, the problem are not corporations, the problem is the core concept of capitalism that puts us in a rat race and in desperate need for something, anything, to make us feel better about a miserable existence, as well as the oppression of a ruling class who's only interests are their own.
The companies selling you junk are using psychology to make you buy their products. They have boiled down what makes you consume more, and what doesn't to a science.
You are bombarded 24/7 with ads and pressured to buy shit you don't need all the time so that the profits keep growing. This is 100% the corporations' fault
This is why nowadays, you see the same budget for marketing as the development of a product or service.
Remove the ads everywhere, and you will see consumption decrease.
I understand your point. But I also feel that it needs to be taken in the wider context that our consumerist lifestyles were manufactured by those same corporations in order to sell more stuff. A good article about this. The individual can always try to consume as little as possible, but to truly break this vicious cycle at the societal scale, drastic measures would have to be taken in order to limit advertising (which is quite literally just propaganda to convince the masses to consume more) and other forces perpetuating the current situation. People can live without consumer capitalism, most corporations cannot. That's why they're hell bent on keeping the populace thirsty for their products through whatever means necessary.