tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5905181885778117365.post8579167297141896757..comments2023-09-30T09:41:52.224-07:00Comments on The Well Spoken Negro's Salon: Class Warfare, My ViewUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5905181885778117365.post-17256739871371352502009-10-30T07:00:05.116-07:002009-10-30T07:00:05.116-07:00Note to all: there is no middle class.
There is...Note to all: there is no middle class. <br /><br />There is the temporary enjoyment of conspicuous consumption until a recession happens, you get layed off and discover only temporary jobs, or find full-time crappy jobs with crappy benefits. <br /><br />You may also discover that younger people tend to remain employed or get re-ermployed faster. Of course, they too get close to 40 and "surprise!", it happens to them (gasp!).<br /><br />Most people are poor. There is a veneer of prosperity, and we're one more downturn away from discovering how thin and fragile it truly is. <br /><br />If you are ready, allow me to invite you to defining yourself as part of "The Practical Class". <br /><br />It's a "no credit card" life style (oh, and those bankers we just bailed out, who want to maintain the huge bonus structure of old, they just hiked credit card rates to about 30% - not too usury, but oh so close). <br /><br />You live by the cash on hand, and find everyway to only buy what you need, not what is foisted upon us through advertising and cashiers who have to pitch an "offer" at you.<br /><br />At a Home Depot, a cashier offered me $25 off my bill if I opened a Home Depot line of credit. I declined. I am not playing. If enough people opt out, the banks will have to scale back their credit operations, and their bonuses! <br /><br />The Practical Class goes without and manages to survive. No brand new car, no "mall therapy", not living in the delusion that consumption is tied to self-worth. <br /><br />Walk away from the dictated expectations of success, and define success on your terms. On how much money you actually save (saving is good). On how little you actually need to survive (by having a low daily cost of existance, you may find you have more choices with your time and money, as opposed to trying to pay for last years stuff, while buying "what's next" before anyone else). Break the cycle, and self-direct. <br /><br />You can still socialize, eat, travel. Just not at some unsustainable level. <br /><br />Think "sustainability" in everything you do. If you ask yourself, "Is this sustainable?", you'll make more good choices along the way.<br /><br />I'm just sayin'...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5905181885778117365.post-72089858370794231372009-10-27T05:53:51.609-07:002009-10-27T05:53:51.609-07:00I think that the trouble with the American Dream i...I think that the trouble with the American Dream is that everyone firmly believes that one day they WILL be rich (whether it is coming up with postit notes, winning the lotto or whatever). <br />That belief permeates much of the debate. Too many of us spout opinions as if we were already rich. That needs to change.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07361707886929296317noreply@blogger.com