[kstenerud]

This is just the natural progression of the gutting of the middle class. A middle class job in the 50s and 60s was MUCH easier on the home and social life. Unions were common and life was pretty civilized on the whole.

Since then we've been on a steady regression to the industrial revolution, where employers hold all the power and can use people as they see fit (i.e. forget working only 40 hours a week), and only the aristocracy can afford leisure and child care.

[treis]

There's some truth to this. There's also some truth to this generation not being willing to make the sacrifices their parents did. Like those super expensive tiny home in LA were the American Dream that their forebearers moved across the country for. For whatever reason this generation is much less likely to do the same and move to cheap places with decent jobs.

Yes they have a point that it shouldn't be so hard and they shouldn't have to move across the country to scratch out a living. But I don't see how living in your parents basement is better. You can play the hand you're dealt while fighting to make it better for the next generation.

[selimthegrim]

Where pray tell are the cheap places with decent jobs besides Texas?

[treis]

South and the Rust Belt

[nxm]

Those union jobs are not coming back. Globalization destroyed that. The rest of the world became richer (good thing) while in large parts of the US because poverty areas

[Axien]

I 100% disagree. With the insanely low unemployment, workers hold more power than any time in human history.

Unions were a symptom of an abusive employer. As that abuse subsided, union representation waned.

[MisterBastahrd]

We've just had 60 years of employer propaganda outspending unions. The WFH aspect of COVID was the first positive pushback for employees in decades.

There are two reasons why managers are so scared about this development. First, middle managers get promoted by being noticed by their superiors. Hard to do when nobody is in the office. Secondly, in a world where a manager can dictate whether your retirement is funded and whether you will be able to have your medical bills covered next month, suddenly we have a sense of power arising from the lowly hourly and salaried employees who once again learned that they have the power to say "no."