Comment by nine_zeros | Hacker News Reader

Comment by nine_zeros | Hacker News Reader

Upper middle class in America is unique. They have EVERYTHING that humanity can provide. They have access and ability to do anything.

Yet, they are all stuck in the never ending rat race. The excessive focus on the rat race leads to less energy and time left for friendships. The little time that is left is left only for superficial acquaintances. You know, the kind where people talk to each other like a sitcom.

Every time I go to Asian countries, I am stunned by how much time people (even those with high powered careers) give to family and friends. You know, things like casual hanging out in friends apartments on weekends, street food time in the evenings, experiencing a new restaurant or exploring a new village on a short road trip together.

Americans just don't want to engage in this kind of "unproductive" lifestyle. It's all about work, career, money. The entire cottage industry of self-help is all about spending every living moment improving yourself to more material wealth.

> Americans just don't want to engage in this kind of "unproductive" lifestyle. It's all about work, career, money.

It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s that our society’s design discourages this. For the most part, if you don’t have a GOOD job in the US, you don’t get healthcare or retirement. And even the employers at those good jobs can and do fire employees at any time, for any reason. Given the cost of healthcare without insurance and lack of social safety net, l I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that for most Americans, even upper middle class, holding on to their jobs is a matter of life and death.

> … "for most Americans, even upper middle class, holding on to their jobs is a matter of life and death."

Can 100% confirm. I've gone from earning $50 an hour (back when that was a lot of money) to a successful career owning/operating my own businesses to living in constant pain and misery that I can't even afford to visit a doctor for, and thanks to the societal gray area I fall into (not being a homeless drug addict) I don't qualify for free medical help to get healthy enough to go back to being "productive". For the love of all that is holy, DO NOT get sick in the USA! Your value as a human here depends entirely on the value that can be extracted from your wallet.

I'm scratching my head, because this sounds like the Republican talking points from a few years ago about why we must "repeal and replace" the ACA.

But you're not mentioning the ACA or any right wing key words/phrases, so I'm confused what your message (what action should be prescribed) and target audience are.

If holding on to your job is totally a matter of life and death today, that seems like a really clear and complete denunciation of what was formerly considered the Obama administration's greatest accomplishment.

It makes me wonder if you all in this subthread were influenced in the last couple of elections towards or away from Democrats for that reason.

Obamacare drastically raised insurance costs

How can you tell? What are you comparing? Are you sure you mean costs and not premiums?

"What do you do?" is the default question for a stranger. Formal paid work is your identity in America. Even leisure activities are usually orientated around consumption and status signaling.

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