Hi everyone. I had a heated debate with my dad tonight about the financial problems in the US and wanted to get some feedback. Backstory: my dad is very liberal as am I and we’ve always agreed pretty much on everything. He’s almost 70. But tonight we had a massive argument about wages and lifestyle and work ethic. He started pulling the whole bullshit avocado toast, star bucks thing. When I said fine but ok let’s say that saves $2000 a year, that 2K ain’t making any difference with the cost of mortgage and college.
Here were his points:
-the young generation spends too much on products—nail salon Netflix Starbucks etc and if they lived on a sandwich everyday they would save enough over time to eventually afford a house.
I went over the housing and rental costs with him. He pulled up housing and rental costs in undesirable or unsafe towns and said that if you can’t afford to live in a nice town you don’t get to.
Then we yelled about college. He went off about the cost of private schools and screw you if you go there. I showed him the high cost of public schools and his argument was that you should go to a community college then. I said not everyone can get the degree you need there and he said yes most can and people just want the college lifestyle. I didn’t even get to go into that most Americans would then be forced into community college and there wouldn’t be room.
Then I tried to address inflation and minimum wage and how when he was young people could have a one income household. He said that’s not true and everyone he knew worked two or three jobs and that that one income thing is a lie (which I said I doubt is true but I didn’t have data or life experience to say otherwise). I tried to give examples for him because he asked but here’s the problem. I make a ton of money and 99% of my friends are rich because that is just how my profession works and those are my friends. We grew up lower middle class to some years poverty line and in his mind he feels that if you don’t have money you don’t get to have things. (But we did have a house and two cars and food-because back in the 80/90’s it was easier-we just didn’t ever get a vacation or nice toys things like that). Now I argued that I think you should have enough if you are working a full time job to have a modest house, able to get married and raise kids. I also think public college schools should be affordable. And rent healthcare etc. I agree-not everyone gets to take a two week vacation to Hawaii and buy a Porsche, but I’m talking about what I think are basic rights. He thinks my generation is just spoiled citing that his mother didn’t even have running water during the Great Depression.
I also tried to get in that most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck so you can’t just say well if you’re poor you don’t get things because it’s pretty much everyone now.
Now my dad is very reasonable. He has backed down and admitted he was wrong about other things when I showed him the facts.
He’s going to bring it up again and I want to be able to give him some facts and examples because I do believe in a higher minimum wage and that people should be able to afford basic things that aren’t total piece of shit. Anybody have any thoughts? And please don’t shit on my pops. He’s good people.