#i should go to the doctor but that costs money and i am poor

[xxxemilyg1996]

I think I have an ovarian cyst because my lower left side hurts on the front and back and there's no organs there besides an ovary and I'm mad about it

[vizthedatum]

I know I can knock out all my work tasks today. Intellectually, I KNOW. I am getting stronger every day.

But I just put in a request to get disability services from my employer again.

I need to cover my bases.

I hate that anything programming or statistical (essentially my whole job) causes trauma freezes.

I hate that my ex/spouse's lawyer (and my ex/spouse) lied to my lawyer about how we were both responsible for our own health insurance.

I feel like this needs to be reiterated: my able-bodied, autistic, queer spouse kicked out (and threatened, abused, yelled at, made life hell-ish) their disabled, autistic, chronically ill, queer partner (me) out of the home that I paid for (rent, utilities, apt insurance, health insurance, food, etc.) (yes, they contributed money to those things but I did most of the emotional and financial labor of it all). They promised to put me on their health insurance but didn't. They cheated me out of so much. They put me in complete disarray not just for that period of time but for months and months and months. I bet they were hoping I'd just kill myself. They thought I was, you know. That's why they were going to take my medication away but their mom told them not to.

As I told my therapist and psychiatrist several times, I would have absolutely killed myself (if they didn't kill me first somehow) if I didn't leave. I would have done it while telling them I loved them so much. That's how bad the narcissistic abuse was.

I know I've been grieving in all sorts of ways. And I do believe that they need help. They absolutely do. I wish the best for them, and I truly don't want them to die.

But they made my life miserable, and I am trying my best to get my own sense of justice and peace the best way I know how.

I could have (and my friends think I should have) done worse. (aka press charges)

I wasn't even going to file the PFA. I wasn't even going to do anything. I was just going to do what I've always done and start over.

They left me in shambles while they and their ex and their friends all think I'm the "real abuser" and laugh at me. Their lawyer thinks I'm being vindictive and punitive.

They're laughing at a chronically disabled (I pee blood when I'm stressed y'all... amongst other things), autistic, trans person of color who grew up as an immigrant and poor (sometimes middle-class) child in the country who suffered horrific childhood and other partner abuse. My ex/spouse knew all of that. They knew I'd been raped and assaulted and abused.

Do you realize that? Do you know how fucked up that is?

They're laughing while my ex/spouse makes ~150k/yr and has the LUXURY of not going to doctor/dentist/therapy/whatever appointments because they're way more abled than I am....

They wouldn't even be making that much if I didn't emotionally and financially support us while they quit their job to do extra training and education to get that job.

I guess I'm just good enough to be used and tossed away.

They're laughing while my ex/spouse hires a more expensive lawyer just to bully me into not getting enough spousal support and other asset costs, while I'm financially trying to rebuild.

And I am trying my best to live my life now. I grieve and cry every single day. You don't see it in my social media pictures, but I do. My heart and brain are full of love, life, and curiosity... but I am still grieving hardcore. And I will be for a very long time.

Most narcissistic abuse survivors grieve for... years.

[yourlilkaiju]

Ok, I am going to get political here and I really need you guys to bear with me. If the sign doesn't say enough, then this should. Project 2025 was created by the heritage foundation and it is a document that is intended to support what is viewed as the "American Dream" and "Strong Family Values". However, the American Dream does not support marginalized groups nor does it aid those in distress or in need of financial assistance. Ergo, if you are poor, you're on your own. The Family Values they are referring to does not include anyone who has melanin in their skin, does not practice Christianity and essentially is not of the cis or straight and narrow. So what does this mean, for the rest of us?

Well for starters, let's begin with the folks who are poor.

Those who are poor and are barely making ends meet are often disabled, unable to keep a job due to overstress and burnout. Which is often led to developed mental illness and can even intermingle with anxiety. Because of this the production of serotonin in the brain can even cause a negative impact on job performance. Especially given the low wages that will eventually lead to the employees inability to make ends meet without obtaining another job. However, as of recently, it has gotten to a point where it is a crime to be homeless in public. And part of Project 2025 is the decision to cut the section 8 program.

So as you can see, that quarter million people as mentioned will only get larger due to the growing cost in food, unregulated rent, cronyism and bribes from major corporations. With that being said, how will we speak up? What can we do when we are so hell bent on just complaining about a situation and doing nothing? We protest and say vote. Voting in a two party system has gotten us absolutely nowhere. In the past four years, the LGBTQIA had their rights held hostage and threatened by the DOC as a means of voting for them in the next election. Police have received qualified immunity across the board and have even received pardons, not punishments for their actions against BIPOC folks and other marginalized groups of people. Educational programs have been cut and reformed into a nightmare and social systems have slowly been chipped away by small government systems for the sake of saving money. Doctors now have a right to turn people away for being unable to afford treatment. Doctors also have a right to turn patients away if their lifestyles do not match their political beliefs, despite their Hippocratic oath. I can rant and rave about how the MTV website was completely deleted off of the Comedy Central platform. I can tell you how 30 years of queer history just disappeared at the drop of a hat. I was born just at the end of the AIDS epidemic. Music was still going strong and I remember dancing around in front of my grandma to the colorful pop videos as a kid. I remember the silly and weird Bumble Bee music video and the Captain Jack stuff that was not quite appropriate for television. I even remember Daria.

That was thorough documentation that was gone in the drop of a hat. Namely due to the fact that much of it was crucial to human history that needed to be observed, studied and matched to our culture today. To see how we interact with eachother and learn from the past. Also to learn how we dealt with LGBTQIA identities and the losses that occured in the fifteen years prior to 1995. At the same time, it is a history that was wiped out as a means of rejecting diversity and protest against a system that does not work for the people.

Gen Z, I am looking at you on this one. You focus too hard on being an adult and on superficiality. You need to knock it off. You act like you are against the system and yet you play into its hands just to look like old money. You make fun of millennial's constantly and hardly know the the world history that we picked up and grew up learning in high school. Namely because before you got there, small government cut funding. We don't blame you for that. We do blame you for educational negligence and wanting change. You don't even know what it is you want to change. You only know that you don't want to be poor. And it pisses you off that you are. Which I totally get. But you need to work within your means and get creative, babe. Stop selling thrift shit online. You're ruining goodwill for the rest of us. It's not cute and we miss our gucci bags and louis vuiton sun glasses. You little shits aren't going to get those with a side hustle, unless you marry a slum lord that you hate. So stop playing into the system. Get weird and go repurpose a barbie doll like the rest of us. I made a lot of fae and pirate outfits that way. I even made a freaking belly dance outfit like that.

That and I went to micheals and joannes...

a lot.

Circling back.

TL;DR

Be Gay, Do Crimes, Burn the entire Establishment Down to Make Way for a More Equitable Means of Government that is not only by the people, but of the people and for the people. Project 2025 is not only dangerous but it is a threat to those of us who want to live and prosper. I want to have children and become an actor. I want to have a long life and grow old enough to see my grand children live out their dreams. Or at least see my children live out fruitful and happy lives.

I'm sure that many of you want something similar.

[meditating-dog-lover]

Things to work on (2024)

1. Continue health goals I achieved this year and build on them (focus on gut health, posture, meet with PT often and to improve some strength and flexibility, etc...). I did a great job this year and I want to continue it!

2. Intermittent fasting 16-8 + walking and supplements.

3. Focus on mental health improvement (ACT focus). I need to work on anxiety, shame, and emotional regulation (and dealing with my mom). Unfortunately, I had a traumatic experience in my last therapy session and had to quit, and am scared of going back to therapy. Magnesium glycinate also helps with anxiety. Another thing that helps is being in touch with your inner child (this has helped me in the past and I'm working on being more in touch as time goes on). More on the last point later.

4. Continue progressing at work, doing more experiments, getting more experience beyond my lab, and looking into being eventually promoted. This is one of my more serious goals.

5. Continue to deposit money to my 401ks, IRA, house savings, and emergency savings, learn how to invest that money, start building credit, and look into real estate and gold investing. This is also one of my more serious goals.

6. Heal any health anxiety and trauma I have (this is trauma-related and not health-related since I did a great job on my physical health this year). I need to stop being anxious whenever I go see doctors and I should take my own health into my own hands.

7. This is more of a physical goal but look into improving my style (and confidence). I always hated clothes and makeup for some reason, so I need to work on this and am even considering meeting with a stylist for some help with this. I already do my hair, nails, eyebrows, skin treatment, teeth whitening, but I hate clothes, makeup, and accessories for some reason. Also keep exercising to stay lean and be able to fit into nice clothes. Looking into colors and styles that flatter me is a good start. I want to get comfortable with clothes and style to the point where I can confidently wear a swimsuit in public (I haven't swam in 5 years and I would love to do it again).

8. Look into hobbies. Inner childhood channeling can help here since I had a lot of hobbies growing up.

9. Read books!!!

10. Get in touch with your inner childhood! I'm on vacation in Cyprus right now and it reminds me of the Middle East from when I lived there as a child in the late 90s early 2000s (without the overwhelming complexities it has now). So if I gain any positive flashbacks from my child while I'm here, I'll write them down.

11. Do more self-care and fun stuff (if this means walking, taking a break, journaling, going to a spa, etc...). I work hard and need to relax and reward my hard work. I am going to do a skin treatment before I travel. I'll think of a list of things that I can do that fall under this category. Sometimes I feel like I don't need these, but once I really do give myself a special treatment I cannot stop thanking myself for doing so. Even if it costs a lot of money, it can be worth it.

12. Continue doing activism (even though this can be very distressing and I will need to learn some emotional regulation here, it's hard to emotionally regulate during a genocide happening right now).

13. Meet with a holistic doctor to address my eczema once and for all.

14. Work on my posture and muscle tightness/flexibility. I have poor posture and it's worth working on it now at a young age before it's too late. I'm going to get a pillow and mattress for my bed, work on my posture at my desk in work, stretch and if needed, get massages.

15. Learn to develop feelings of love and start believing you deserve to be loved. I have a hard time developing feelings for others. If anything my attraction to anyone has been physical lust rather than unconditional love. Again this is another inner childhood thing I want to work on because as a child I used to love unconditionally.

16. Getting rid of any feelings of shame I have. I've been raised to be ashamed and to always be "perfect". My parents were strict and judgemental in this case, despite them being good parents overall. This gets to the point where I feel like I need to hide in a corner whenever I make a mistake and start yelling at myself for being a failure. This will be hard, but it will work out in the end by hook or by crook. This is a self confidence issue. It's also hard knowing I live with my mom who can be super judgy. But I need to address this problem.

Add more if needed...

[ultramaga]

Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Cold air seeped in after a warm day, and I didn’t notice until pain like a cramp spread over my face. The bottom of my neck hurt in a way that made me check to see if I had been cut somehow. It’s nerve damage - the aftermath of a removed parotid tumour. It’s incurable and progressive. People used to kill themselves when they got this. It is what it is. Currently it has died down, with only brief weird reminders. My left ear feels quite ready to fall off. It’s huge, my mind insists, like a balloon, but dead tissue. Of course the mirror reflects the same picture as always; nothing wrong. The misfiring nerve causes the brain to create a false picture of the body. After it hit, I gave up on trying to make dinner and ordered some takeaway as a distraction, but the driver was confused, and kept telling me how I should alter the property i don’t own to make it clearer to drivers as to where I am. I kept trying to point out I have no legal right to do what he was saying, but then gave up and just nodded. It’s hard to explain to someone who isn’t listening when your nerve is screaming in your ear. I tried making an appointment for a medical review I am required to do for my disability pension. I am permanently disabled, but the government here lives in hope of finding a loophole they can use to move me out of that category so I don’t have to be paid. That would result in either death or incarceration, the latter which would be more expensive, but it would be in a different section’s budget, and governments are mostly a group of competing departments trying to save their own money even if it means the death of others. And the medical advise is often worse than useless. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trigeminal-neuralgia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353344 “ having trigeminal neuralgia doesn't necessarily mean that you're doomed to a life of pain “ Yes, it does. “ Doctors usually can effectively manage trigeminal neuralgia with medications, injections or surgery. “ Not according to the experts I consulted, or the GPs who manage me. There was one experimental medication which I was involved with. The side effects were the worst I have experienced in my lifetime. I barely survived, but the government is now trying to treat every patient with that drug. I guess it solves their problem if patients kill themselves - they can write it off as toxic masculinity if male, and patriarchal oppression if female. They don’t have to deal with the fact the drug is worse than the disease. Surgery? They cut the nerve.

You will lose control of the side they cut. You will drool from that side, your speech is slurred, you have trouble drinking and eating. And the pain can come back anyway.  The injection treatment I was notified of was botox. It was too expensive for me to try. It might work, but recommending it for me is like recommending I hire servants to carry me about. It’s insane to tell someone on a disability pension to pay for it when most can barely manage their rent. So the Canadian Solution is supposed to be coming to Australia, or so they claim. They will be pressuring people like me to stop being a burden on the government, to stop draining the money from budgets that are collapsing thanks to lockdownerism. The pandermic response is going to kill more people than the disease ever could, but in quiet ways. Less money means poor people die from the cold, or the heat, or in some countries, they will starve. Diseases of other kinds take advantage - other plagues will spread if economies fail. Dysentery is a favorite. It used to follow wars, and the weird thing was you were far more likely to die from such things than the actual battles. Pestilence and War go hand in hand.

I was like this after the surgery, and I knew that it might be permanent. It wasn’t, but the recovery was at a cost. The nerve had to be stretched to access the parotid, and the nearest analogy is to take an electrical network cable, bend it too far, then put it back in soggy soil. The breaks in the sheathing mean that the signal is disrupted, but nerve signals are analog, not digital, and that means that error detection and correction have never evolved. In the wild, as it were, animals who went through what I did just die. It’s only recently that humans have had a fair survival rate - of course there’s no evolutionary adaption to it. And trig neur. is rare - to give you an idea, 13 years ago, when I first had to see experts, there was ONE expert in Australia. Yes, a grand total of one. I think he retired after me, so I have no idea who manages the cases now. The only treatment available was the total avoidance of stress, and I was told that I should get into a cannabis trial, as it had proven effective overseas. 

I did. Twice. Twice I went through all the hoops, only to be told they had had to be cancelled because of political interference from America, which was imposing Nixon’s rules on the rest of the world because .... I have no fucking idea. I’ve always been angry at this, especially since I heard Nixon’s tapes, where he was recorded rigging medical trials. He wanted to have cannabis banned because he saw it as somehow Jewish. Alcohol was good clean American fun, so it was ok. And no President has challenged that ruling, not even Obama who admitted to recreational use. Leftists used to claim that they were going to hold Biden’s feet to the fire, make sure he was accountable. I haven’t seen ONE protest from them of the criminalisation of cannabis, despite the fact that it would be trivial for Biden to undo - he could devolve it to the States - but he won’t. Either the cannabis competing drug companies are paying him top dollar to maintain the status quo, or maybe it is from religious groups. I don’t know or care. Left or right, whoever doing it is a fucking asshole in my book.  I remember really changing my perspective on politics when i heard a libertarian say they believed cannabis should be legal, but they would never use it themselves. It is refreshing to see someone who would walk the walk of morality, doing something that doesn’t benefit themselves, simply because it is the right thing to do. Note that i do not believe that legalisation of cannabis has to solve the problems. Do it stupidly, and you will be in trouble. The excessive taxation in some parts means that illegal cannabis can actually be cheaper than the legal product. How do you mess up that badly? How?!!  A reminder than cannabis is a bloody weed, that will thrive in terrible soils and neglect. It takes little skill or love to make a crop. It is incredibly cheap, especially compared to rival pharmaceuticals that can cost thousands of times more for the same efficacy or less.

My conditions are progressive, and the hell of it is that suffering from attacks makes the attacks worse - as it was explained to me, the condition accelerates the condition, so that preventing attacks prevents attacks. For example, i had to stop working because that stress permanently damages the nerve further. I grew a beard, to shield the areas as best as I could from changes of temperature, and sit inside on days when the air is cold, and hide from the night’s chill. But if the medical advise I was given decades ago was correct, I would have still been able to work if I had had access to medical cannabis. If true, that would mean a totally different history for me. Work means not only money, but status, and it also means the difference between retiring with a partner - or being placed into a communal home, without privacy, and potentially with drug-addicted psychotics or thieves... So that path ... perhaps it would have worked, but I will never know. I cannot flip to that history that never was. I am left to tread what remains of this walk. And the Australian government will be trying to steer me into the grave at every opportunity, and if they implement the Canadian model, I expect that will be done with gusto. The sick, the poor, the old, all seen as parasites, as vermin; and dealt with with disgust, and ultimately, violence.

[ludmithjacques]

I’m tired and I’m scared.

I like my job, I enjoy it(as much as one can enjoy toiling endlessly for eight hours towards eternally renewing goals).

But It’s far away, and gas is expensive, and I don’t get paid enough.

I’m part of a union now, because of this job, but the job has been union for a long time, and the pay is still what it is, so the union isn’t doing much as far as my immediate needs are concerned.

I’m going to have to quit and get a different job, a closer job, or one with garbage hours and higher pay and harder work that I will hate inside of a month.

Again.

is this just going to be my life? Working jobs I hate to barely scrape by with rent only to just be... Wasting my time in a chair, too tired to interact with my wife or child in any meaningful way? Destroying my body for pennies?

I’m so fucking tired.

I hate this country, I hate capitalism. hate hate hate

I don’t need to be radicalized by a single event, I am an adult and I have eyes and needs and pains.

I suffer from depression and adhd and maybe even some kind of low-level autism from what tests I’ve taken but medical insurance is so fucking expensive I don’t bother going to a hospital/doctor unless I am in non-joint related agony or actively bleeding from an open wound so I’ll never fucking know now will I?

I can’t afford it. I can’t afford anythign that makes me happy but I buy it anyway and suffer the practical cost of it and I’m so fucking angry and tired and scared that I’m just going to keel over and die one day because I can’t afford to go and questoin something that I should be worried about.

I’m tired of never taking my wife on Dates that are better than ‘grab some fast food and wander through a park and hope some festival we didn’t know about is happening’(which too be fair is something that has happened... often, for us).

I’m tired of never taking my daughter to fun places because they cost a fortune.

I’m tired of looking an HR person in the eyes during an interview and saying ‘Why Yes, getting paid a full ten dollars under what was the living wage two years ago sounds wonderful’ just so I can have money in my pocket.

I’m tired of needing to remember every detail of my life so a government agency can decide if I am despairing hard enough for help.

I’m tired of looking at something new and beautiful and right up my alley and then immediately deciding ‘I don’t really need that’ or ‘boy that’ll be fun to play in six years when it’s popularity has faded enough for it to drop ten dollars in price and maybe go on sale once’.

I’m tired and scared.

I grew up poor without really realizing it because we were lucky to live in my grandpa’s house and he didn’t really charge us more than a very tiny amount in rent just to help with upkeep of the place, and it was in a nice neighborhood so we never looked tv-poor.

I’m a 30 year-old man, married, a father, and I have never lived without aid. I have never even hazarded the thought that I’d be able to live alone, never dared consider the monetary implications of getting a place just for me and my wife that didn’t have at least one other person helping with bills.

I really like my job, I don’t wanna quit.

But this is why I can’t have nice things.

[judogo]

My dear gringo friends (affectioned),

I come here not to mock you or offer my condolences. I do not come here to brag either, I think you've heard enough.

I'm not followed by many of you, and don't really make many posts (mostly reblogs), but I feel this is necessary.

Someone in the tags is saying that the "USA is a third world country". As a third world citizen, I am not here to pick a fight. I am here to tell you that this is below third world countries. You are being wronged in levels that go even below us, and it literally doesn't have to be like this.

It is not simply a capitalist issue. It is not a money issue. It is not a size issue.

I live in Brazil. We are a capitalist country. Our GDP is eleven times lower than yours. By all means, we are a fucked up third world country, with 11 times less money than you, and way more fucked up by capitalism and colonialism than you. We are poor. Our young democracy is only 35 years old, and we have been plagued by countless dictatorships. And we are almost as big as you are.

We also have 100% health coverage. Ever heard of SUS? And it doesn't even cover just Brazilian people. It covers EVERYONE and ANYONE inside our borders. Yes, you can come here and we will treat you for free (as I said countless time to astounded European tourists when I was a tourist guide).

Yes it is not perfect. Lines can get big. Doctors still make mistakes.

But it treats so many people. We are a reference on vaccination because of it. We are a reference on HIV prevention (SUS offers free condoms to anyone who wants them. And free AIDS treatment). We have the largest organ transplant system in the world. We do gender affirming surgeries for free for trans people.

Do I say all this to brag? Nope.

I say this to you so that you know that your situation is not imutable. It doesn't HAVE to be like this. If people say there's not enough money, it is a lie. If people say it's because you're too large of a country, it is a lie. If people say it is not possible, it is simply a lie.

You have all the money you need. It is possible. Countries with way less power and money than yours have done it. Look at this:

You guys are rationing insulin. This is barbaric! There is absolutely not justification for this. It should be free. It can be free.

I remember some news I saw recently. A Brazilian patient was on the SUS wait list for a kidney transplant and got a compatible donor. The problem was: he was on a trail, in a fucking mountain, and he had three hours to get to the hospital. He was gonna lose the surgery.

So we sent an helicopter and got him. He made it to the hospital and had his transplant. It cost him nothing.

And then I see videos of Americans running away with broken bones from ambulances because they can't pay them and it breaks my heart.

It doesn't have to be like this.

It literaly doesn't have to be like this.

It is not lack of money, it is lack of humanity. You guys are being treated horribly simply for lack of consideration and political will. It is unfair.

Do not accept justifications. Again, we are a fucked up third world Latin American country. We still are not letting our people die without treatment just because they can't pay for it. Third world countries are doing better than you. There is no justification.

This is cruelty. You are being done dirty.

And it doesn't have to be like this.

[Image ID:

A picture that says “A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead, “What is the earliest sign of civilization? The student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone, or maybe a weapon. 

Margaret Mead thought for a moment, then she said, “A healed femur.”

The second picture is a news headline. It is bolded and a much larger font. “27-year-old who couldn’t afford $1,200 insulin copay dies after trying cheaper version.”

The third picture is the same font and size as the Margaret Mead quote. It’s a continuation. It says, “A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. In societies without the benefits of modern medicine, it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. A healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person, did their hunting and gathering, stayed with them, and offered physical protection and human companionship until the injury could mend.” 

The fourth picture is another headline. It is in a large and bolded type. “Dying man who couldn’t afford to go to hospital after vomiting blood"

The fifth picture is a screenshot of the Margaret Mead story.

Mead explained that where the law of the jungle—the survival of the fittest—rules, no healed femurs are found. The first sign of civilization is compassion, seen in a healed femur. 

The next screenshot is of a slightly different font. The letters are pointier and the lines are a little curvier. It says, “Susan Finley returned to her job at a Walmart retail store in Grand Junction Colorado, after having to call in sick because she was recovering from pneumonia.

The day after she returned, the fifty three  year old received her ten year associate award — and was simultaneously laid off, according to her family. She had taken off one day beyond what is permitted by Walmart’s attendance policy.

After losing her job in May 2016, Finley also lost her health insurance coverage and struggled to find a new job. Three months later, Finley was found dead in her apartment after avoiding going to see a doctor for flu-like symptoms. 

A screenshot of a bold, bigger headline. It says ‘The house always wins’: Insurers’ record profits.

A final screenshot of smaller text with a slightly gray background. It says “We are at our best when we serve others. Be civilized.” /end ID.] 

[lonita]

B roll - 2020 09 24

24 - I was just speaking with a friend who runs a business and he was not able to bring anyone back full time. He had his staff decide amongst themselves how they wanted to split the hours he could offer. But he agreed that the kneejerk "just go get a job" response these days is nuts.

24 - I find it particularly disturbing, in a just stepped barefoot in fresh dog shit kind of way, when a person's only method of measuring their worth is by comparing it to the monetary wealth of another. That seems terribly constricting, narrow, and sad.

24 - Home Ec used to be very gendered at one point. Only women used to take it. Historically, it had very nasty gendering. I think everyone's equally capable of cooking, cleaning, etc., and should be taught equally.

24 - Why make education a privilege? Doctors are necessary, lawyers too. They are tools. We require them to function. If you expect your society to have doctors to serve it, then you need to make that happen.

24 - One simple thing that actually could help to mitigate poverty, burdens on the health care system, burdens on the welfare systems, is making post-secondary education free. Make it easier for people to get trained and educated, and don't burden children with unnecessary debt.

24 - I don't give a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut if people are rich. I honestly don't. I care about the rapaciousness brought on by wealth when so many are starving, homeless, and uneducated in wealthy countries where that doesn't need to happen, nor anywhere else for that matter.

24 - I don't need to have a deeply personal stake in a situation in order to be concerned about it.

24 - Not everything is about choice. Answers for one person aren't necessarily going to serve the problems of another.

24 - Choices don't exist so readily for everyone. If you think that people on low incomes or social assistance aren't already sacrificing everything possible, then you're living in a fantasy.

24 - Try living on $1169 a month and then tell me you don't think that ODSP needs expanding.

24 - Moving disabled people away from their supports seems senseless. Moving the poor away from low-cost rapid transit doesn't make much sense either.

24 - The state of rents in this country is to the point that there is nowhere 'cheaper' to live. Market rents where I am are $1200 at the bottom for a one-bedroom. Rents are grossly outpacing people's ability to pay them. Wages are not keeping up.

24 - Financial punishments for those who offshore their money in tax havens instead of investing in the economy they live in and profit from. Sounds good to me.

24 - My left big toe does this weird clicky thing when I bend it.

24 - I have dill havarti. It is glorious.

24 - If you presume good faith, then don't accuse people of telling lies.

24 - Most people have no idea how much money is NOT being put back into this country by the people with the most. And are instead taught to blame and scapegoat those with the least.

24 - It's not wrong to help people, and it's not wrong to need help.

24 - I recall reading years ago that adventure stories for girls in the era of Green Gables, Becky Landers, et al, used to be written by men because they didn’t think women were capable of writing about women.

24 - When something falls off your salad plate and you didn't realise it until you step on that cold, wet thing the next morning.

24 - Last time I cat sat for a friend in town, I stepped in her cat's fresh hairball. Ewww.

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

Do you think college should be free?

ehhh. not exactly. (this one is kinda long)

i definitely think it should be more affordable, but free? i dunno.

generally, i think there should always be /some/ cost because i think it makes people feel more invested and plus that money, however small, can be an actual investment.

but also, most people who go to college are already fairly wealthy (middle to upper class). and so making college free would basically just be the taxpayers subsidizing the already wealthy. but the wealthy are the ones who are in the best position to afford college. so it doesn't really make sense.

if the goal is to get more talented but poor people in college in a more efficient and equitable manner then we just gotta give poor students low-to-zero interest loans and provide myriad ways for the loan to be forgiven. or i've seen systems where students get a loan but they don't have to pay it back until they get a job that pays them above a certain threshold. also, obviously, some amount of subsidies to help universities pay costs.

but this sort of reform should also be joined with major primary education reform and investment. cost is a part of the reason why more poor people aren't going to college but it's not the only reason. another major reason is because a lot of poor people just wouldn't be able to make the cut.

another thing i think is important is getting it through everyone's head that you don't need to go to college. growing up it was really drilled into everyone's heads that you /have/ to go to college. like they'd straight up tell us if you don't go to college you'll end up a loser. it's just the next step you take after high school. you just go to college.

and we just gotta balance that message with vocational schools. college is a good option but so is vocational school. not everyone can become doctors. we also need plumbers and electricians and so on. and they make pretty decent money too. and i think that's another important thing. making these "low class" jobs pay better. make it even more lucrative.

but the point is, if vocational schools become more attractive then demand will shift and less demand means maybe college will become more affordable.

but also this gets into my dream where a lot of jobs stop demanding/expecting college degrees. and maybe other schools that offer other credentials or certificates can compete. if you have to choose between paying 40k to go to a university for four years or 5k for a year or two but with similar outcomes, which are you gonna choose? i mean, there are a lot of jobs out there that demand you have a four year degree that i don't really think you need a four year degree for. especially when many of them do their own in-house training.

but at the same time, i want there to be a new class of universities which are TRUE universities. essentially, i want them to become state-subsidized monasteries for "geniuses" (am using the term genius loosely here). just centers of learning are 100% dedicated to research, development, debate, artistic creation, etc. has extremely high standards. but if you meet them then you basically just get to live on a campus for free and spend all day collaborating with other "geniuses". and these campuses would just exist to produce culture, scientific discoveries, and technological innovations. just throw money at a bunch of geniuses/creatives from all levels of society and put them in a room together and see what they can come up with.

if i could choose where my taxes go like that anon said the other day i would put 100% of my taxes to something like this. i think an institution like that would be amazing. it's like how lords during the renaissance would patronize musicians and philosophers and alchemists and just pay them to increase the grandeur and prestige of their court. we should be doing that but on a society-wide scale. plus it'd be a nice neet-savant subsidy. so many brilliant minds are wasting away in some midwestern basement playing minecraft all day or something when they should be having their genius cultivated in a monastery.

so yeah, overview: more affordable but not necessarily free because free is basically just a subsidy for the rich. but yeah there should be some tools available to make college less cost prohibitive or risky for the poorest talent (some combinations of subsidies and no-interest loans and generous forgiveness and stuff). but also we gotta reform and invest in primary education to make sure more poor people even have a chance of meeting the standards necessary for higher education. but also we need to reduce demand and provide alternatives for people who can make it by encouraging people to go to trade school and making those jobs pay better. but also we should just create genius monasteries.

[megpie71]

Congratulations to the UK!  They’re joining a number of other nations (the USA and Australia for two) where a right-wing government has effectively outlawed learning about the humanities (you know, things like how politics works, how social institutions work, how people think, how people think they think, how people behave in small groups and large groups, how societies have changed since the past, how societies can be changed, and so on) because that sort of knowledge in the wrong hands (i.e. any hands that aren’t theirs) is too dangerous.  The masses don’t need to know these things.  The masses can just go on and get a degree that teaches them how to do a single job (like being a nurse, an engineer, a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, a scientist) or if you want a generalist degree, you get to go into the school of business, and learn how to be a middle-manager.

If you want a humanities degree, you’ll need to be able to pay for it yourself (here in Australia, the Morrison government put up the cost of a humanities degree to the point where it costs more to do a three year BA than it does to do a five year law degree).  Because higher learning (particularly for those people who aren’t part of the upper classes) is supposed to be about the job you get afterwards, and the money you’ll make for your employers, not about selfish personally-centred goals, like you learning something you’re interested in (how dare you be so self-centred!  Don’t you know you have an obligation to the people who have money to be a good productive little cog in the corporate machine... and only a cog in the corporate machine?).  Only the children of the rich are to be allowed to learn things just because they’re interested in them.  Only the children of the rich are to be allowed to get interested in professions like writing, film, design, editing, art, journalism and so on; these jobs have all been set up so that if you want to take them up, you’ll need a trust fund to get through the compulsory unpaid internship / practicum that makes up the majority of your final year of education.  That should get rid of these pesky poor people telling us about their experiences, as though those were ever going to be worth hearing about!

(Yes, a lot of the above is written in a tone of scathing sarcasm.  I am not in a good mood today, and being reminded of why I had to quit studying doesn’t help in the least).

um excuse me? when did we all decide that the value of a degree rested on the earnings after graduation? and how can you honestly compare the skills learned in a humanities degree to those of a vocational degree like nursing or even engineering? and what happened to ummmm i dunno learning because learning is fun and good and knowledge for the sake of knowledge? and of course this is going to marginalise people who are already marginalised because why wouldn’t it. (full article)

[woodsfae]

Babylon 5 S01E10: Believers

First

Previous

ToC

Child: "Am I going to die?" Parent: "If it is written in the streams of time, Shon, it will be so."

I hope that in their culture, this is far more comforting than it would be in mine. Regardless, this caused my first out-loud laugh of the episode.

Another dark episode, I see. So far it feels like it's JW/Faith Healer-criticism focused.

Idk how well I'm going to do with this episode. I had an anti-healthcare parent who refused to get me medical treatment for many easily treatable problems, and some of them are still bothering me today. Hell, it's the reason I'm almost 30 and watching Babylon 5 while recovering from a quadruple 100% bone impacted wisdom tooth extraction. So my commentary might be a tad....hostile. For this episode.

Shit like this makes me hot under the collar. Children should be able to have medical autonomy over their bodies.

oh my god, the parents also don't let their kid watch secular educational or entertaining material. Wow. It's my family but aliens.

Doctor Franklin's soft and soothing bedside manner is the only thing keeping me from skipping this episode tbh.

I don't really care about the moral arguments of this back and forth. Fuck no. No debate. Parents don't own their children. Children deserve adequate medical care. Period.

This poor, afraid, tortured child. There were times I spent hours and hours and hours trying to control my breathing, not knowing if this would be asthma attack that killed me, knowing that if I was allowed to have an inhaler or go to the ER, I wouldn't have to wonder. Sometimes I blacked out and didn't know if I would wake up again. My adrenaline is rising.

Can we spend more time on Ivanova?

pfffft G'Kar won't help because they have nothing to offer the Narns. Londo won't, because research, committee hearings and paperwork cost money.

Nasty ass parent: "If it were your child, or even you yourself, how would you feel if the doctor of Babylon 5 wanted to perform an unwelcome procedure on you?" Kosh: "The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."

That made me laugh for the second time this episode! Slightly hysterically, to be sure.

Delenn is SO sympathetic. "I cannot tell you how much all this troubles me," yeah cuz they wouldn't like the answer, I'm sure.

Sinclair, don't be stressed about this. The kid will die if their awful bigoted parents get their way. It's murder via slow, torturous death. The only thing I approve of so far is that Sinclair is speaking directly to the child.

"It's only a piece of industrial goo, but please don't tell Doctor Franklin I said so. He still believes it's an egg."

I may cry, that is so precious.

Poor brainwashed little child doesn't want to lose their spirit.

"I have to honor the beliefs of the parents," bullshit.

Awful. Everything about this is awful.

Now that the parents are crying I refuse to cry because they're fucking awful. Crying over a situation they could have fixed days ago.

YEAH GO DR FRANKLIN. He's already packed! And the surgical assistant is going to help, too. Now that's what I'm talking about! Fucking ethics!

If they write something fuckin dumb in like the kid's spirit escapes I'm going to be furious.

Their transparent masks crack me up. In the future, you can see each others faces during surgery. :P But what's stopping them from wearing hygienically transparent scrubs?

terrible terrible parents. There's a reason I'm an atheist.

Franklin: "Well if I have to take the responsibility then I claim the authority, too. I. Did. Good. And we both know it, and no one is gonna take that away."

Yep. Bravo.

Fuck I'm just so on edge. This episode is hard and bad for me.

They're taking the child and uhhh. Hope they won't kill the kid. "He needs to rest," "He will," is extremely ominous.

Goddamn it I hate being right.

"Sometimes doing the right thing doesn't change anything. It can drive you crazy."

True that.

I'm glad Ivanova had a nice time, at least.

-

funsies, an episode about the devastating effects of alcoholism on familial relationships

[rimechaser]

Genshin Characters as John Mulaney quotes

Sequel to Genshin Characters as Bo Burnham quotes.

Albedo -  "Well, have you tried mixing daiquiris with Ambien?"

Amber - Flying is a war against gravity.

Baal - Some people give off a vibe of… Right away, they’re like, “Do not fuck with me.”

Barbara - “Ah! One feels like a duck splashing around in all this wet! And when one feels like a duck, one is happy!”

Beidou - Pirates never bring a big enough chest. Why is that? I think that maybe, with the eyepatches, they have poor depth perception.

Bennett - I thought I would be dead in a trunk with my hand hanging out of the taillight by now.

Childe - As long as you weren’t still there when the police arrived, you had a 99% chance of getting away with it.

Chongyun - I keep walking through cold spots being like, “I wonder who that used to be.”

Diluc - “Brush your teeth. Now, boom, orange juice. That’s life.”

Diona - Nickel shot night should be illegal.

Eula - Well… you know how I’m filled with rage?

Fischl - I’ll keep all my emotions right here, then one day I’ll die.

Ganyu - It was charitable, but it was also fast and violent.

Gorou - [He] does not like me, and barks at me and bites me all day long.

Hu Tao - He could look at a child and guess the price of their coffin.

Jean - "Yeah, we're all on board. We all love mom. You don't have to advertise for her."

Kaeya - “Hmm, we’re not so different, you and I. You have your law practice, and me, I have all these fucking markers.”

Kazuha - “We’re gonna frame you for murder and you’re gonna go to jail for thirty years!”

Keqing - "Ma'am, could you turn off that Bluetooth? We're at a baptism!"

Klee - “Well, I was gonna put this bottle rocket into this carton of eggs, so that when I lit off the bottle rocket, the eggs would explode everywhere."

Lisa - In terms of instant relief, cancelling plans is like heroin.

Mona - If you’re looking to make this up to me, might I suggest a gift certificate of some kind?

Ningguang - "Wow, I turned twenty dollars into a hundred dollars. I am a financial wizard."

Noelle - I was like a young motown singer, I was just shiny and dumb and easy to trick.

Qiqi -  Was there ever even a ghost, Mother, or was the dead Victorian girl you saw just me all along?

Razor - "Grrrr, ah, I don't know what this B-E-D shit is. I just know that I'm gonna get screwed."

Rosaria - “God can’t hear you.”

Sucrose - You could pour soup in my lap and I’d apologize to you.

Tohma - I have a girlfriend now which is weird because I’m probably gay.

Traveler - Traveling can get kind of lonely sometimes, or no, not traveling. What is the word? Life. Life can get kind of lonely.

Venti - They said “Is this whiskey or perfume?” and apparently I grabbed it, drank all of it, and said “It’s perfume.”

Xiangling - My favorite foods are lobster and skittles.

Xiao - He has this look on his face like he just got his 30-day chip from anger management.

Xingqiu - I was also confused with a woman sometimes over the phone, because before I went through puberty, I had a voice like a little flute!

Xinyan - Oh, a guitar player. Oh, another guitar player. Oh, an accordion player- OH NO.

Yanfei - You ever heard a joke played in court? Never goes well.

Zhongli - You spent it already? I gave you more money than the Civil War cost and you fucking spent it already?

~~~

Baizhu - If you’ve been nervous your entire life, you should ask your doctor about Xanax because if you lie to him, he will stick his finger in your ass.

Crepus - "I thought it was a little too dramatic. I didn't need the whole little brother dying thing."

Dottore - “You have the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair.”

Dainslief - Her body is young, her face is as old as time.

Katheryne - I smell a robot. Prove, prove, prove. Prove to me you’re not a robot.

Nimrod - He’s standing on a 45-degree angle. Or, as junkies call it, first position.

Scaramouche - And then, he ordered one black coffee for himself.

Signora - My wife is a bitch and I like her so much.

Timmie - Everybody get out of my way. I just want to sit here and feed my birds.

The gacha system in general - You don’t always get to see the things that you paid to see.

[aprillikesthings]

I'm not disagreeing with your logic, but isn't it also true then that grocers and doctors are parasites? They're no less guilty of holding human necessities for ransom.

Okay, so this is gonna be difficult because I know that there are probably words for the concepts I'm trying to explain, but I don't have an education in economics or policy ("lol I can tell," there, I said it for you) so this...wanders a little. Bear with me, yeah?

Firstly: Housing isn't movable. (Even "mobile homes," really.) I'm not just paying for the walls I live in. I'm paying for the spot of land it sits on. I'm paying to live specifically in this neighborhood, in this city; near my job, where I can ride a bicycle everywhere, where I can walk to grocery stores.

Humans can be moved between houses--but only at a cost of time, stress, and money. So people usually prefer not to do it more than necessary.

If I don't like a doctor, I can (usually) just walk out of the appointment and try to find someone else. If a grocery store costs too much or has bad customer service, I can (usually) shop somewhere else. Obviously, depending on insurance/location the doctor one might be a lot trickier--but with very few exceptions, it's not gonna be as hard as moving house.

Landlords/property companies know my choices are: deal with all their bullshit, or go through the pain and expense of looking for another place--if there ARE any I can afford!--and then moving. (Or, if they evict me for any/no reason, and/or I can't find an affordable place, risking homelessness.)

Part of what you pay for when you buy a house is stability--no one can force you to move just because they want to make the house nicer and more expensive, or because they want to live there instead of you. You're not worried that at any moment someone might come into your house and tell you you're not keeping it clean to their standards, so you better clean it up or you'll be homeless. (There isn't someone watching what I do with the lettuce I bought and disqualifying me from food benefits or even shopping at that grocery store because I didn't eat it all before it went bad.)

Secondly: I am actively making use of my housing for the majority of the time I am alive. If I'm not at work, and not on vacation, I am usually at home. I require housing every single day--even away from home, one of the major expenses is shelter--a hotel, a hostel, a campground and camping supplies. When I am not at home, the majority of my belongings are in my housing.

"You also need to eat every single day?" yes but I don't need to go grocery shopping daily. I shop once a week or less, usually. I could even skip a week, and my choices would narrow a bit but I wouldn't go hungry. I often switch which store I shop at every week based on my needs/wants: Trader Joe's one week, Fred Meyer another, doing an online Safeway order the week after that. I am not locked into one store every single week. Grocery stores know this, and compete amongst among each other by (among other things) lowering prices. Landlords are not doing that.

Tl;dr: I am not dependent on one grocery store or one doctor and can switch if I don't like them. Switching houses is a tremendous pain in the ass and expensive.

Thirdly: With groceries and food in general: it is easier to get SNAP benefits (aka "food stamps") or go to a food bank than it is to get housing benefits/rental assistance, though this might have changed in some places due to the pandemic.

In regards to doctors: There's a lot of effort put into attempting to get poor people on publicly funded health insurance (in most/sane states, anyway). Also, if you go to the ER, they cannot deny you emergency care based on your ability to pay.

But we regularly let people go homeless.

Fourthly: As a general rule (see caveats below) there aren't a ton of people out there buying up all the groceries and medical care and then not using them and holding onto them just so they can wait for the price to increase before selling--and when people do buy up medical supplies just to jack up the price, we all recognize this as unethical and there are even laws against it in many places. There's not entire companies (again, exceptions noted below) whose business model is based on making sure there isn't enough food or medical care to go around specifically with the goal of jacking up the expense of it and making a profit.

Lastly: I actually think it should be illegal for healthcare to have a profit motive. I'm absolutely in favor of single-payer socialized medicine. I do in fact think that holding medical care ransom is also unethical, though your average GP isn't the problem--and unlike landlords, healthcare workers are doing something of value that takes a great deal of skill, and they should be paid appropriately.

Tl;dr, part two: Food and medical care are human rights as much as housing is, but making sure everyone gets them will look different.

(General caveat/disclaimer: In many rural places, there is in fact only one doctor/clinic and one grocery store--and if they jack up the price because they can, they are also unethically holding life necessities for ransom. Ironically (or not?) housing is often much, much less expensive in those places. Aka "Holy shit this house is cheap, but who the fuck wants to live out there? And where would I work???") (ALSO ALSO: lol tbh there are examples of people holding onto all of a particular kind of food with the idea of making it more expensive--the first example that came to mind was Quebec's supply of maple syrup! Which is tasty but not uhhh irreplaceable or necessary for human life. It happens far more often with medication--witness the price of insulin in the US. Which every decent person realizes is unethical, morally wrong bullshit.)

[dollsonmain]

I’ve been thinking about a lot of things since yesterday or the day before (time is numbers).

Probably going to get long, then.

So @maleficentmrsofallevil gave me a lot of information and resources I didn’t know about and that’s great, thank you very much.

At the same time I had to admit that I am a coward and I’m so very afraid of making things worse that I likely wouldn’t use those resources, or at least not now.

Regarding SSI, I almost have enough in the bank to disqualify me already.

I don’t think she was here when I was talking more publicly about what’s going on in the house two Novembers ago, but my goal right now is to get as much money as I can without rocking the boat to the extent that That Guy makes me leave (which he can because he is the sole owner of our home), leaving Son without an admittedly weak advocate. I don’t have the strength to speak up nearly as often as I should, I generally freeze when he starts in on it, but I have managed to break through the anxiety and protect Son on occasions when That Guy has gotten out of hand. I can separate them before screaming escalates any further, though I do hate that I can’t intervene sooner.

It’s PTSD; I got beaten a lot as a kid for having an opinion or speaking up for myself. I’m working on it, though working on it alone in an unsafe environment is slow to no progress.

So resources that should make things better but could potentially make things worse (like cluing That Guy in to the fact that I’m doing anything at all) I am wary of using until Son is old enough that That Guy can’t legally control him anymore, and hopefully Son will also be able to move out and live independently or with peers that will treat him better.

At that point I’ll be a lot more free to make a move. Will I be ready or confident? Doubtful. But collateral damage will be greatly reduced.

-

I also had to admit that, for example in a medical setting, I literally need someone else to speak for me so I don’t even look into things like civilian disability or trying to get my rate adjusted at the VA and I hate that very, very much.

-

I’ve also been thinking about the hefty tax break That Guy gets for claiming me as a dependent. I had no idea it was that much.

Thinking about how much I cost him, I doubt it’s anywhere near $20k-ish/year. Probably somewhere around $800/mo on average if I factor in things like toys, food, electricity that I use while I’m home all day. Not factoring in household supplies like the outlet spacers because those aren’t for ME, they’re for his house, which I do not co-own. Spending $20 on outlet spacers saves him a fuckton of money on having to call an electrician or handyman to fix the outlets for him.

My handiness saves him a ton of money and he has no idea.

Or maybe he does.

But I don’t cost nearly as much as any other housewife in the area. I don’t do the things they do like weekly mani-pedi, monthly salon visits, girls nights out, big shopping trips, rotating home decor, I don’t go to any doctors or the dentist unless it’s an emergency.

I grew up very poor. I’m used to going without.

But learning about the much larger than I expected tax break does help me understand better the haunted way he reacted to me saying I was selling enough ponies I might have to report taxes this year (thanks to the new preposterously low income limit) with not a “Congratulations!” or “That’s nice, good job.” or “Are you having a good time?” or even “Do I not give you enough?” but an “I might not be able to claim you as a dependent anymore.....” and constant prodding about how much, exactly, I’m earning.

Where at first I thought “He’s worried I’ll gain financial independence and leave him.” but now it’s more “...and leave him, losing him not only me but his bigass tax break.”

[inkskinned]

If you believe health care is a privilege and not a right, you are saying you believe there is an accurate price for each person's life. You believe there to be a cost that each person "deserves" to pay to survive.

How much is your price, then? I understand you think people need to just "figure it out". To "get a good job". To "move somewhere else". But what is the cost? At the end of the night, that's what you're saying, right? There should be a cost. How much are you worth? You calculate the extra 5 dollars on your taxes and irredeemable, so what is it? When your insurance says "sorry, we don't cover that", when the complications need out-of-network, when you get fired because you have to keep missing for treatment, when you've already begged on the internet, when you've given up and figured - it can't kill me yet. How much are you worth? It's your privilege to pay out of pocket, right? Should I tell you I've been seen for a broken wrist that cost $10,789? Is that worth it? How fast do your savings dwindle when you have a rash of bad luck? Let's say you're lucky. The appendix comes out easily. That's $180,000. Kiss away the house of your dreams. These are all one-fix problems. Nobody covers mental illness, much less chronic issues. Good luck. A $70 doctor every 3 weeks adds up - maybe stop drinking coffee?

Tell me! How much am I worth to you. Look me in the eye and say: your life isn't my 5 dollars. The life of others is so small to me that I do not care who I starve, as long as they don't take from the surplus of me. I understand I mean nothing to you. I get that. You will say anything to relieve the guilt - I warp in your mind into whomever "deserves" to pay. I get it. You think that person, whomever they are, is beneath you. They "abuse" the medical industry, as if a group of people with 8+ years of difficult training are easily conned by every dick and Sally on the street.

So we deserve a number. That's on us for being poor. But what about you, huh? How much money do you spend to keep yourself alive? And what happens when other people look at you and say - sorry. I am going to keep my 5.

[ginger-snaps014]

New Income Class Brackets - 2022

Given inflation, the slow disappearance of the “middle class”, and increased cost of everyday necessities, I think we need new definitions for income classes.

Because salaries fail to keep up with inflation and $ only goes so far based on location, I’m going to define based on lifestyle. Here is my best guess at the current breakdown of America. Let me know how far off I am…. Because let’s be honest, I am too inundated with people like me and a lack of viewpoints.

Lower classes:

F’ing Poor - this sucks. Can’t afford basic needs. Sorry you live here. Sorry we failed you.

Working poor - much like the working class, but never able to make ends quite meet. Work your butt off. Does not matter. Screwed by the system. Know where the homeless shelters are. Hope you don’t have to stay there. Know which of your friends will help you. If you can pay all your bills, it’s a miracle. Needs are NOT all met. Targeted advertising by tobacco companies for some reason. Will be called trash by the wealthy. You work more than they do. May get governmental assistance… if you are lucky

Working class - working low income jobs for little respect or money. Screwed by the system. Likely making minimum wage. Living paycheck to paycheck. Very little to no savings. Do not have resources for luxuries like vacations or eating out on non-special occasions. Targeted advertising by tobacco companies for some reason. Lower credit score. Because you don’t have much of a credit history. You never qualified. Constant money anxiety. High interest payments for any loans. Public schools. Likely no health insurance. Likely would benefit from the governmental safety nets that have been denied to Americans. Likely stuck in cycle of poverty out of your control. Likely working multiple jobs. Still wondering how you don’t qualify for food stamps despite not being able to afford groceries after paying your bills for a single unexpected expense. Buying property is a pipe dream.

Lower middle - may have a more respected job (like teacher) or a full time job that does not pay enough. May work multiple jobs. May not. Have some spending money or savings, but not a lot. Live paycheck to paycheck, but with a small buffer. One large expense can ruin you. May afford some luxuries like eating out, but will need to focus on budgeting to make it work. Prior to the 80s, would have been main middle class. Now, likely a two income household and still scared of paying rent. May be college educated. Have debt. Will always have debt. It was the only way to get where you are. Often doubt if the debt was worth it. Buying a house is a pipe dream. People keep saying if you save, you can afford one. People are dumb. Always on edge about money because you know how close you are to falling

Middle Class - magical unicorns that don’t exist anymore. Should be able to afford the American dream (including the house) with a little bit of savings. What every politician claims to protect despite laws passing that only benefit the upper class. Still work, but have a future planned for their kids. Money is still on your mind, but not stressed about it. Only boomers really exist here anymore. This class is dying, and it’s disappearance will result in instability for the country

Upper Classes

Upper Middle Class/“comfortable” Millennial Edition - college educated. Often called educated professionals. Lawyers. Doctors. tech people. Have high paying jobs. During any other point in American history would be able to buy homes, but if you are a millennial you can cry in the corner with your avocado toast. Can afford luxuries like small vacations, eating out etc. but paying for a decent home or child’s college sends you into depression. Despite your decent amount of savings, you have no future. Investors own all single family homes… so you pay rent. Single income households are somewhere between an aspiration and a joke. Everyone says wow you make so much, but you know that actual adult milestones for your class will never be reached. At least you don’t worry about bills. You invest. You have health insurance. You have more money than the boomers did at your age, but can’t afford kids. At least, not kids that go to college. No matter how hard you work, you are stuck. It’s like there is a money glass ceiling. Maybe you could buy a fixer upper an hour away from the city. Oh never mind…. You are lucky. You know you are lucky. You are seeing a therapist. You are depressed.

Upper Middle Class/ “comfortable” Boomer Edition - college educated. Educated professionals. Like lawyer. Doctor. You can afford a house. A 2 story house. In a nice neighborhood. You can afford to have a family. You invest. You have savings. Your home was only 600k when you bought it, but now is worth over a million. Single income households. Fancy vacation. Still nothing as crazy a trust funds or vacation homes, but you are not worried for yourself or the future. Except if there is another recession. That could hurt your retirement funds. Not in debt from college. Hope your kids will stop being depressed. Hope your kids start settling down. At their age, your were married with a house and 2.5 kids (except if you lived in NYC or San Fran.) Why aren’t the millennials growing up? It’s not that hard. You even sent your kids the to summer camp and private school. You have a nice life.

Upper crust - small trust funds and family money. May have a vacation home, or family may have a vacation home. Not worried about money at all, but “I am not part of the 1%”… even though you may be. Usually get money from generational wealth or successful business start-up. You have luxuries. Mainly point out the crazy rich to say “I’m not them. I’m still normal.” You have never worried about money. You never will. Your finance guy made sure of that.

The 1%, who can’t deny it - your main money problems come down to (1) not being a billionaire and (2) being upset about having to pay taxes…. Like sure, you are still paying less percentage-wise for taxes than everyone in the lower/upper middle classes. But you don’t even want to pay that. You are going to rent out a whole island due to the stress of doing the bare minimum. maybe spend several million on your youngest kid’s birthday party. Maybe use a bribe to get your oldest kid into college. Money is no object.

Crazy Rich - Bezos, Elon, Etc. Could save the world. Don’t want to. Would rather buy Twitter.

Ps: the only reason upper middle class is divided by age group is that it’s the only class where age matters (that I’m aware of). If you are ANY age in the lower income classes, you are screwed. If you are upper crust or higher, you have enough money that age stops being important. You can buy a house- so what if the cheapest one is over 750k. Upper-middle millennials are weird because they can afford the luxuries of the wealthy, but not the single family houses that middle classes has historically bought