Uncomfortable truths about modern life?

Erik Shin

jeanjolie wrote: »

What do you mean by street smarts?

People who are gullible and lack the ability to function in the real world wish they had Street smarts.
People who failed at school invariably claim to have street smarts...go figure!

6541

The true meaning of life is not about wealth, its about health and happiness. The west has sold us all a pup, they take you in and teach you rubbish in school, then they put you in some sort of job where you work like a dog and more or less pay to work. Then they fool you into buying some sort of property, then over the lifetime of the mortgage you end up paying three to five times the assets actual worth. We the fools fall for this garbage.

368100

jeanjolie wrote: »

What do you mean by street smarts?

Common Sense..........it's severely lacking these days

mrsdewinter

Django99 wrote: »

Buying a home should not be the measure of a persons quality of life. The fact that people are not buying homes at a young age is a positive thing for me. Buying a home is a huge financial commitment. There is no reason that doing so later in life should be seen as a negative in my opinion.

Financial security, while important, is not the be all and end all. Even still, the vast majority of people can afford to eat, have shelter, buy clothes, a car, go on a holiday, a night out, a meal out, buy the latest technologies. And the proportion of people who can afford all of this is ever increasing.

I think the poster's point is that working lives are becoming more precarious. Forty years ago, getting a job that provided a pension (which some people view as helping underpin financial security at a point in one's life when one is less interested in the latest technology, etc) was within the reach of many people with basic qualifications. Although people can afford to eat & buy the latest iPhone (mostly because the comparative cost of food & tech has come down) the ability to get a secure job has not.

fizzypish

368100 wrote: »

Common Sense..........it's severely lacking these days

I've always interpreted street smarts as a health distrust of your fellow man i.e. being able to tell when someone is trying to **** you over and maybe the ability to **** over someone else (not sure about the second bit). I'm a country boy, plenty of common sense, probably not a lot of street smarts though.

team_actimel

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

The real cost of living set against real wages.

At what age did you parents buy their first home? At what age did they begin contributing to their pension?

I suspect for most people on this thread, the answer will be somewhere south of thirty years of age. Financial security looks like it will be a big problem for the next couple of generations, and there's no easy way to fix that.

There is a big difference between our parents' generation and us. We, for the most part, live a lavish lifestyle compared to our parents at the same age.

Multiple holidays and trips a year, 2 cars per household, expensive gadgets, etc. Makes it harder to buy a house when you're used to this lifestyle.

The One Doctor

368100 wrote: »

Common Sense..........it's severely lacking these days

Things were better when you were young, right? The sun shone brighter, children respected their elders, that sort of things?

People have been saying the same thing for the last 3000 years.

Yourself isit

6541 wrote: »

The true meaning of life is not about wealth, its about health and happiness. The west has sold us all a pup, they take you in and teach you rubbish in school, then they put you in some sort of job where you work like a dog and more or less pay to work. Then they fool you into buying some sort of property, then over the lifetime of the mortgage you end up paying three to five times the assets actual worth. We the fools fall for this garbage.

We don't so much fall for it as have to do it.

368100

The One Doctor wrote: »

Things were better when you were young, right? The sun shone brighter, children respected their elders, that sort of things?

People have been saying the same thing for the last 3000 years.

That's a fair leap to put those words in my mouth! well done.

If you wanted to ask my opinion rather than put words in my mouth then I'd say no actually......I'm sure 100 years ago they had their own version of the fools we have around today, its just seems increasing common

Yourself isit

team_actimel wrote: »

There is a big difference between our parents' generation and us. We, for the most part, live a lavish lifestyle compared to our parents at the same age.

Multiple holidays and trips a year, 2 cars per household, expensive gadgets, etc. Makes it harder to buy a house when you're used to this lifestyle.

Seriously that's nonsense. The reason why people can't afford houses is they are more expensive compared to the past. The rest of your posts are unsubstantiated (do renters have two cars per household) or ignore that some things are cheaper now. A foreign holiday is probably cheaper than an Irish holiday for most, and gadgets are less expensive relatively then landlines were.

Some smartphones cost €100.

team_actimel

Yourself isit wrote: »

Seriously that's nonsense. The reason why people can't afford houses is they are more expensive compared to the past. The rest of your posts are unsubstantiated (do renters have two cars per household) or ignore that some things are cheaper now. A foreign holiday is probably cheaper than an Irish holiday for most, and gadgets are less expensive relatively then landlines were.

Some smartphones cost €100.

Most people I work with and are friends with are renting and have two cars per household.

Yes some smartphones cost €100 but that doesn't stop some people buying the latest €700 one.

Yes houses were cheaper back then but our parents' generation didn't have financial security. They scraped together what they had to buy a house as that's what was the done thing.

mad muffin

The internet is both a blessing and a curse.

sbsquarepants

The One Doctor wrote: »

But if you're not in a relationship or have no children at a relatively advanced age you start rationalising your lack of progeny. That's natural too.

I'm sure it doesn't apply to everyone but I find peoples reasons for pretty much everything - having kids / not having kids - buying a house / not buying a house - changing jobs / not changing jobs - pretty much everything, stems from some form of cognitive dissonance - ie the "reason" comes after the "decision".
Id say 95% of the time if fate had dealt us a different hand we'd be extolling different virtues of the "choices" we made.
In short, people will tell you all manner of bolloxology when in reality, shít just happened!

Yourself isit wrote: »

Seriously that's nonsense. The reason why people can't afford houses is they are more expensive compared to the past.

I read a statistic the other day that the average first time mortgage eats up 21% of the average couples after tax income. I'm just surmising here, but I'd say that's very much on the low end of the scale compared to previous generations (probably largely because there are typically 2 incomes these days, but it still holds it's likely easier (more affordable) to buy a house now than in our parents or grandparents time)

Yourself isit

team_actimel wrote: »

Most people I work with and are friends with are renting and have two cars per household.

Anecdotes are not statistics. I live in a car free house. But I am on the dart line. Where renters have two cars it is out of necessity not luxury.

Yes some smartphones cost €100 but that doesn't stop some people buying the latest €700 one.

Even if all renters stopped buying €700 it would save them about 1-2% of a deposit.

Yes houses were cheaper back then but our parents' generation didn't have financial security. They scraped together what they had to buy a house as that's what was the done thing.

Buying a house and pension they were more secure.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Deleted User wrote: »

Many parents regret having their children.

I would say that this is completely untrue and I'd imagine that there are considerably more people/couples who regret not having children.

Fanny Wank

A higher percentage of women masturbate at work than men

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057754410/2/#post103850359

Django99

Fanny **** wrote: »

A higher percentage of women masturbate at work than men

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057754410/2/#post103850359

Not sure that makes me uncomfortable, not even sure it's a truth, but it's a very interesting statistic!

jeanjolie

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I would say that this is completely untrue and I'd imagine that there are considerably more people/couples who regret not having children.

/r/antinatalism

/r/childfree

begbysback

Fanny **** wrote: »

A higher percentage of women masturbate at work than men

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057754410/2/#post103850359

Men on boards will portray themselves as women when given the opportunity to fantasise about what happens in the ladies toilets

Mugatuu

SGSM wrote: »

+1 on the not being there for people with mental health problems even though most post statuses on social media etc.
Im 23 and suffer from mental illnesses and the majority of people I've told about my problems, ya can just tell they couldn't care less. Never any messages to see how I'm doing or if I'd like to hang out. And a lot of that would mean a lot cos it can be very isolating at times. Apologies rant over.

God this post is painfully true, had an awful few years with my mental health and tried talking to different friends and they really dont give a rats ass. Any problems or worries that ive tried to discuss are met with the usual "itll be grand" response.

jeanjolie

Mugatuu wrote: »

God this post is painfully true, had an awful few years with my mental health and tried talking to different friends and they really dont give a rats ass. Any problems or worries that ive tried to discuss are met with the usual "itll be grand" response.

It's not surprising really. I learned a long time that trusting people who were 'friends' or 'authority figures' in school and shockingly psychologists or psychotherapists as a kid with major problems was pointless. Sure there were a fair amount who weren't nice but if you have significant problems then, you wake up to the painful reality that most people just aren't going to offer meaningful help lest they do the worse and offer ****ty 'tough love' advice.

begbysback

Mugatuu wrote: »

God this post is painfully true, had an awful few years with my mental health and tried talking to different friends and they really dont give a rats ass. Any problems or worries that ive tried to discuss are met with the usual "itll be grand" response.

Sure the medical profession struggle to manage mental illnesses, hardly surprising that friends don't know what to do, or can't do

Cee-Jay-Cee

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I would say that this is completely untrue and I'd imagine that there are considerably more people/couples who regret not having children.

I would imagine there are many people who regret not having children but I also believe there are many who do.

marienbad

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

The real cost of living set against real wages.

At what age did you parents buy their first home? At what age did they begin contributing to their pension?

I suspect for most people on this thread, the answer will be somewhere south of thirty years of age. Financial security looks like it will be a big problem for the next couple of generations, and there's no easy way to fix that.

Go into any 3 bedroomed semidetached home circa 1985 and then go into the equivalent home to day.

You will find the difference so startling that your comparison is just risible .

People today in many ways really don't have a clue .

marienbad

marienbad wrote: »

Go into any 3 bedroomed semidetached home circa 1985 and then go into the equivalent home to day.

You will find the difference so startling that your comparison is just risible .

People today in many ways really don't have a clue .

Assuming you can even afford to buy said equivalent home today. Many of us will never be able to do that.

marienbad

Karsini wrote: »

Assuming you can even afford to buy said equivalent home today. Many of us will never be able to do that.

You wouldn't touch the equivalent home to day , rooms odd shapes ,all under 12 X 13, freezing cold etc etc ,. And these were supposed to be family homes !


Sometimes I think people under 35 are the most clued in people I have ever met and in other ways the are so innocent and naïve it is hard to believe.

osarusan

marienbad wrote: »

Go into any 3 bedroomed semidetached home circa 1985 and then go into the equivalent home to day.

You will find the difference so startling that your comparison is just risible .

People today in many ways really don't have a clue .

The point isn't about the improved quality of construction, it's about the likelihood of being/becoming in a position to own one of these fine modern houses.

ILikeBoats

marienbad wrote: »

Go into any 3 bedroomed semidetached home circa 1985 and then go into the equivalent home to day.

You will find the difference so startling that your comparison is just risible .

Can you give some examples please?

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