So we’ve all seen posts with people complaining about millennials complaining too much. I actually discussed such a post about a month ago.
This was the post that some right-winger thought was eye-opening.
Want to leave college debt free? Then stop spending money on
iPhones
MacBooks
Tattoos
Going out to eat
Alcohol
Drugs
ConcertsIf you’re buying things that aren’t absolute necessities, you shouldn’t be asking politicians to steal from hard working people to pay your loans.
— Ashley StClair 🇺🇸 (@stclairashley) September 11, 2019
Of course, it ignores the reality of tuition. These posts usually target millennials, and there is typically the assumption that if you complain about debt at all it must mean you’re lazy. Most of life becomes filtered through that lens. Wishing tuition for an undergrad didn’t cost $200,000 becomes “asking for handouts” and so on.
Came across this post, which satirizes posts like the one above:
Millennials, quit whining. I paid off $150,000 in student loans and own a $400,000 home, because I SAVE. It’s not that hard. I
-Make coffee at home
-Bus instead of Uber
-Shop sales
-Had parents pay off my loans & buy me a house because I’m daddy’s special boy
-Got Hulu with ads— PolterGyver (@TheAndrewNadeau) October 21, 2019
People began discussing other factors that lead to debt and tight money, such as housing. Then this guy shows up.
Suggestion: Don't live in places where a house costs $800K. I buy houses in my corner of PA for $25K. Yes. Twenty five thousand. No typo. They're ready to occupy. I rent them out. If you "need" to live in San Fran, suck it up. It's a choice you made.
— Andres Pedraza (@necromage93) October 21, 2019
Okay, I’ll ignore the part about people being born and raised in certain areas. It’s definitely not a choice in that case.
Anyways, a big part of why people live in certain places is because it is closer to where they work. Big cities attract big companies, therefore a lot of big jobs are in big cities. I pointed that out and here is the response.
My commute was 4 hrs at one point, for 2 yrs. Worked in DC, refused to move. I ended up driving to DC on Mondays, very early, coming back Thursdays late, working from home Friday, dealing with house in PA, laundry, shopping, life, on weekends. Cheap hotel in MD weekly. Choices.
— Andres Pedraza (@necromage93) October 23, 2019
This man later says he views rent controls (or any government measures to reduce rent) “a free lunch.” While he says he is neutral on the issue, he also says he would not support candidates who do anything to lower the cost of essential services like housing or health care. It’s a typical example of a right-winger saying they’re “neutral” but clearly picking a side.
This man would rather go through this process he outlined above, than have the government make some reasonable changes to make things a bit easier. I think a part of the issue with him and his ilk (he’s approaching 50) is that they want everyone else’s journey to be as hard as theirs. The idea of The American Dream romanticizes his hustle and he likely feels cheated if people after him can get the same level of money and success without going through what he did. That is really the crux of the issue. Individualism above all else. Life must be a rat race for us all, we can’t take any measures to make life easier for the whole. Publicly-funded programs are for commies and lazy millennial. Of course, there won’t be any resentment for people born into wealthy families, as this retweet demonstrates:
Funny thing is the circular reasoning here. Since you're parents were poor I guess they were just lazy. After all, if they just worked hard they wouldn't have stayed poor while raising you.
— Cadeem Lalor (@CMoviegrapevine) October 23, 2019
Throughout this convo, one right-wing assumption after another pops up. I tell him I took time to go through his profile to get a sense of his political leanings, (took two minutes to come across tweet after tweet criticizing socialism). Then he tells me I could have used that time to better my situation. What a genius! There’s no way I work hard and can take two minutes to look through his profile. Since I’m not where I want to be, I must be lazy. With that logic, he must have been lazy too. After all, why would he have to commute four hours to DC if he could afford to just move there. If he didn’t have the money, laziness must be the only reason. See how that logic falls apart? Getting rich or becoming successful is a process. If someone is not at the end of the journey it does not mean they aren’t trying.