General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Do Americans Know What a Massive Ripoff American Life Really Is? [View all]leighbythesea2
(1,200 posts)Accurate. Sounds like a good article!. A part of consumer goods got really cheap. But it's equally worth-nothing.
Remember reading "The Millionaire Next Door" years ago and the top occupation of self-made (and generally very frugal) millionaires was Auctioneer. Why. They figured they understood all the cr-p people buy isnt worth pennies when bankruptcy and liquidation hits. Furniture is the worst (unless desirable antiques, and that shifts too).
I think about this every time I drive by a Home Goods. I know people with marginalized incomes, like 35k a year that call the place "therapy". Add too many sq ft in a house or apt, and now you have 1500-2500 sq ft of nothingness. Don't get me wrong, if you like Home Goods, sure. Just be moderate, and hopefully realize buying too much/cheap decor is like lighting money on fire. And apparel? And any new car?
I learned a lot from that book. The american dream has become a smoke and mirror prop for a large swath. And yep, as the OP article mentions, they/we defend it to our peril.