[amazingamazing]

This will never happen for the simple reason that there are some countries whose members are poor and so they are rightfully ready to work harder and longer for opportunities.

A more important point is why is it that Americans objectively are richer yet feel poorer?

[HDBaseT]

Trillions of dollars spend on wars which don't need to exist doesn't help.

[pixelatedindex]

> A more important point is why is it that Americans objectively are richer yet feel poorer?

I thought about this a lot. Some of it is expectation wrapped up in the American Dream. You work hard, and get those rewards. But that isn’t true because life isn’t fair and capitalism isn’t particularly humane or ethical.

Some of it is perceived. The people who strike gold without hard work expect to keep striking more gold, and when the yield shrinks you’re appalled because that’s not how things should be.

US is a deeply individualistic society, now more so than ever. We don’t always sacrifice for the common good, because they’re supposed to work hard just like me.

Anyway if you read all that, thank you.

[FpUser]

>"You work hard, and get those rewards."

For a relatively short period it was true. Now majority works hard, lives from paycheck to paycheck and can not even own a house. Most results of what they produce goes to feed ever growing appetites of Musks

[xg15]

Depends what your comparison is. Are you comparing with the EU, China or Ethiopia?

Seems to me, the question is more why all that supposed prosperity doesn't translate to the living quality improvements one would expect.

[stavros]

But, if there exist poorer countries, why is there a five-day work week instead of a seven-day one? Why aren't we all just working 24/7?

[phyzix5761]

In most poor countries workers are doing 10 hours per day 6 days a week. With a significant number of them doing 7 days a week.

[stavros]

The argument (maybe in a sibling comment) was that, if the US switched to a 4-day workweek, companies would simply offshore their work to poorer countries who work 5 days, so my question is, then why isn't the current workweek 7 days?

[amazingamazing]

There are Americans working 24/7, though. Surely you have heard of people working multiple menial full time jobs? Jobs are being offshored and cheaper immigrants are being imported who can be paid less. What more evidence do you need?

[micromacrofoot]

on the whole, most americans are not being compensated for the amount of value their work produces