Achieving the trademarks of middle class life in America has become increasingly difficult, and there are no signs of reversals of that trend in sight. Life is constantly changing, as we all so well know. Life includes economics, politics, cultural shifts, socio-demographic changes, technology, and more. They're all changing. Literally, life around us is constantly changing, and there is little we can do about it. Actually, close to nothing. All we can do is buckle up for the ride. Sadly, I have to admit, this 'life ride' is for the most part not a fun experience. In fact, it can, and does get 'fierce and ugly'.
Allow me to articulate. I'm a 'boomer'. Born in the early 50's, a few years after the end of WWII. Thousands of GI's came home and 'got happy' with the war's end, hence, my generation. The US emerged from the war economically dominant, with Europe and Japan rebuilding. Massive industrial expansion and high productivity were the hallmarks of the period. Government investment was strong in the areas of GI Bill benefits, infrastructure spending, housing affordability and assistance... Housing was cheap relative to income. Many, if not most families could live comfortable on one income. Mine did. College tuition was low. I attended a state supported university, world renowned today, tuition was $3 per semester hour (1972). These years, 1945-1965 are considered by many to be the golden age of the American middle class. Jobs were plentiful upon graduation, you literally had your choice, often multiple choices. For competent achievers there was nowhere to go but up. And, it's important to note that there was far less competition for those jobs than those of today.
I bought my first house when I was twenty-seven years old. I can't even remember how many I've bought and sold in the years since. The economic and political conditions of the boomer years I suppose you could say created a perfect storm of sorts. Boomers have become the wealthiest generation in US history. Subsequent generations undoubtedly hold some feelings of disdain and contempt for this, but bear in mind, boomers didn't set the stage for these circumstances. In fact, there is no one party, group, previous generation, cadre, cabal or any collection of humans anywhere singularly responsible for this. It came to be through the unfolding events of history. Humans have an innate tendency to seek answers to events both good and bad, as to 'why', and whose fault was this. Which is understandable and reasonable, yet the truth too often unfortunate. Why did conditions evolve to economically favor the boomers? There are answers, but they're buried in volumes of history. World history, not just the U.S. . Whose fault was it? Again, I refer you back to the volumes of history.
Make no mistake, not all boomers are wealthy. The gains were not evenly distributed. Women, minorities, and non-college workers often did not receive full benefits. Deindustrialization hurt many working-class boomers late in life. Could this be a bit of deja-vu, staring into the barrel of the "AI" gun aimed at us currently?
We are not a socialist society. Our founding fathers, our forefathers, fathers, and the vast majority of people today have made the deliberate choice not to be. 250 years ago, our system of government was not framed to distribute wealth amongst the masses. It was designed to create opportunity. It was designed with provisions for charity and welfare, yet sanctions work, ambition, and opportunities for self-improvement. Our system of government and laws is rooted in the empirical knowledge of the successes and failures of history. To them, at the time it probably seemed to be nothing more than common sense. Today, it seems genius.
To reach what was considered "middle class" of the boomer generation has become "nigh impossible" for current generations. High home prices, the cost of education, raising children, medical costs, groceries, transportation, no facet of the cost of living has been untouched. The lack of jobs, competition of available jobs, wages, have pushed all the trappings of "middle class" out of reach for so many. Technology has advanced perhaps more rapidly than inflation and rising costs, but it too has become radically expensive. Bought an iPhone lately?... I can recall when a mortgage payment was about a week's pay. Now a week's pay won't buy most people the latest iPhone. We're a free market society and they're charging what the market is willing to pay...
One of the biggest influences of my life, to whom I was not related, but consider him to be a brilliant soul, once said to me as I was graduating from college, "Life is hard. It's only what you make of it." Thirty some odd years later, the gravity of his words hit home. Fifty some odd years later, I still think about what he said. It was hard when I graduated from college, it was hard thirty years later, it's still hard today as a retiree. I have had the privilege of traveling and working all over the world. I have lived and worked in third world countries and developed countries. Yes, it's hard here in America. But there's nowhere else on earth that it's any easier. Not even close. There's still opportunity here, plenty of it. Young people have to be smarter and work harder. Strangely, I was told the same thing myself, fifty years ago.
I often revert to analogies between life and baseball. In baseball, it's often said to aspiring young players "you've got to want it." I dont mean simply desire it, or long for it, you've got to constantly crave it in your core kind of want it. Success in life, and maybe even being 'comfortably middle-class' requires the same now.
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