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Comment on What the hell is this shit? Instead of pushing for the return to traditional pensions, capitalism is celebrating the idea that Millennials & Gen Z may simply never be able to stop working.

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bluGill@kbin.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

Most people are using that extra productivity to have more toys. Houses are much larger than 70 years ago. People now commonly have AC in the house. Most people have a phone/computer in their pocket (the video phone of 1950s science fiction not only exists, and it isn't a room sized machine but something even kids have in their pocket). You don't have to - get rid of the phone and you save a lot of money per month - but most people have chosen not to. Maybe they just feel forced to, but it is still a choice and there are a few people who by not having them prove it isn't forced.

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spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
What world do you live in where you can get by living like a hermit in the woods?

You may be okay with having a shitty existence but I certainly am not. Shaming people for having AIR CONDITIONING in a time where we are encountering record high temperatures, the likes of which are killing people? Fuck you pal, all the “advice” or “wisdom” you think you’re spewing here is nothing but garbage.

GUYS GET IN HERE. THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IN AMERICA NOW IS TO STOP PARTICIPATING IN SOCIETY.

Come on man…

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urist@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

get rid of the phone and you save a lot of money per month

?

Have you tried living without a phone? This is very hard to pull off in America. You need an email address. Ok, fine, you say, but that doesn’t mean you need a phone. Okay, so you need to pay for home internet and have a PC? Still a cost here.

No, you say, walk/drive to the library every time you need to check your email. Every time you need to use a website to make an appointment or fill a form out. Every time you need to check google for information (by the way, I have saved thousands of dollars by googling things, I am sure you have, too).

There’s still a cost here - time. Many people who have smartphones in America don’t have home internet.

You still need a phone number if you’re employed. I’m sure there are jobs that will put up with not being able to contact you, but good luck with that, I’m sure they pay well. You’re paying for a dumb phone or a land line either way.

And you’re right, it is a choice. I choose to participate in society, and that pretty much requires the internet. I choose not to live naked in the woods, surviving on what I forage like a bear.

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- bluGill@kbin.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  By making that choice you pay the price. I knowany people without a phone, they live in a different society. Most are old.
  
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  - urist@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    
    Most are old
    
    Bingo!
    
    Try balancing a job and kids, reaching companies and schools without a smart phone. It will cost you time if you can’t just reach into your pocket. Example, schools in my area put school closures on Facebook and through email. Guess you could listen to the radio if you didn’t have access. Or watch the news on TV (Oh, actually, TV is a luxury, nevermind, much less useful).
    
    Smart phones are not an expensive luxury anymore, they’re a tool. They’re a tool that the younger, employed and child-raising part of society is assumed to have. I’m not saying you can’t do it, it’s just, well… Hope your kids can adjust to college life if they haven’t been exposed to tools like easy access to the internet. Their peers will probably have smart phones, at least as teenagers/young adults. Doesn’t bode well for them. You can get a cheap smart phone, even used iPhones aren’t always that expensive, though I think androids are far more economical.
    
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    BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    The person you’re replying to is a moron, basic maths tells me they’re wrong. My phone costs £400/year, let’s round that up to £500 for ease of calculation (less once the handset is paid off, but I’ll give them the best possible argument). Living in a 3 bed semi, nothing fancy, decent area. Currently my house would cost £200-250k, I’ll take the lower end, again benefits their argument. At £500/year it would take 400 years for me to save for my home. Not a big fancy home, a relatively small starter home. My smart phone is not the reason I can’t afford a bigger house.
    
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    FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Wouldn’t a radio also be a luxury? Should we be spending money on anything other than ramen and a rug to sleep on?
    
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  - FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    By making the choice to not have a job since you don’t have a phone, you’re not going to be able to buy those toys. Or afford rent.
    
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  - randomdeadguy@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Out of touch
    
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