Just recently watched this youtube short:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zt1Lx9L619w
The uploader is…tone-deat,and she's definitely getting torn into in the comment section. She isn't wrong in general,but the one thing I do find a problem (and the part that really reveals her to be tone deaf and naivety in my view) is her last sentence;
is it worth the win?
I've scrolled down a bit through the comments and found this one gem of a comment that I feel provides an answer to that:
Struggling to pay for basic necessities doesn't build character. The stress and anxiety of not knowing whether you'll be able to pay your rent or your bills, eats you away and often leaves you unable to think of anything else, such as aspirations or any dreams you may have. Let's stop romanticizing poverty.
And you know what? He's right. People who typically work 9-5 jobs (which is…the vast majority of the working class) rarely ever turn into people of outstanding character. Rich people seem to falsely romanticize the so-called “hustle” and that it supposedly turns you into a person of iron will. that is not even close to the truth. I remember some of my meanest and most cruel moments were when I was stressed the fuck out in school.
I'm nowhere near as rich as this youtube content creator,but I've been fortunate enough that my family has managed to stumble into life circumstances where we are well off enough that I don't have to work a job. (and there's a chance I won't ever actually have to ever work under someone else and will be my own boss in a family biz. wish me luck!) Currently,I'm taking advantage of this life circumstance to address my obesity and regularly go to the gym. (Lost 40+ lbs so far,but stalled as of the moment due to family occassion)
Is it worth the win? Hell fucking yes it is! I'm not gonna say I've fulfilled all my dreams(not even close),but the fact that I don't have to work a job I hate on the regular to make ends meet like so many other people do is definitely a stroke of luck (I would have called it a “blessing” if I were religious) I very much recognize and am happy about.
Being and having been poor doesn't make you a better and more insightful person. Some of the most stupid people I've ever met came from a poor family. having had a VARIETY of experiences however…that is what tends to create insightful people. (well…provided they are smart enough to really process it deeply) And that's a kind of experience you're much more likely to have if you were born under a rich roof.
I respect people who,despite living a relatively “privileged” lifestyle,still manage to reach Antinatalism because they realize that what they're experience is far from the norm. I'd proud to say that I'm currently one of these people. Mind you,this does not mean I didn't go through suffering. (and it also doesn't mean I'm a 1%'er by any means. just financially privileged enough to not have to put up with the toxic 9-5) I recognize how lucky I am to have stumbled into this life circumstance. We who exist don't exactly have a choice but to play with the cards we're handed. But fortunately,we have the power to ensure that someone else won't have to play that game.
If the 9-5 automatically guaranteed character development…you wouldn't even see the peddling of self-improvement to help people get out of those life circumstances. The 9-5 isn't healthy and is nothing to be romanticized.