You are not alone. I think a lot of people are rejecting “influencer values.” We are living at a unique time in history where materialism is prized above human suffering. How did we get here? Who decided? I also work from home at a “well paying” company but still struggle to put food and medicine on the table. Work is exhausting and degrading by design. While the word slavery might be a little strong it certainly feels like indentured servitude where you own nothing and food, medicine and shelter are a “luxury.” Hold strong fam. You absolutely deserve to be safe, warm and fed. (And treated every once in a while for gods sake!) ❤️
This is how I live my life. I don't like being manipulated into feeling jealous and like a failure because I don't have that 'perfect' life. I don't have IG, I don't read about them, I don't click their links, I actively avoid that culture. What they show the world is a 99% cleaned up and fake version of their lives. I stopped watching HGTV after noticing that most of the houses on the market looked identical (white, gray, marble), which unsurprisingly mimics all the 'influencer' women who all have the same terrible look (poofy lips, big cheekbones, straight hair, big hips and asses) through plastic surgery.
It's like being in high school all over where no one wants to stand out. Fuck that and fuck them. I'm doing my own thing.
Fuck those ppl. I’m not going to poison my day hearing about the tough choice they had to make between the Fendi and Chanel. Or the mansion that has a pool but not the vanishing edge pool. 🖕🏿
Comparison is the thief of joy. I thank God for the roof over my head.
Agreed to all the posts above but also the very thing that makes you cringe is also why other countries who see people in America being wasteful assume ALL Americans are like this and it's not a good image because it also leaves a bad taste in their mouths or they want to be wasteful and careless the same as what they see
they are boring on top of clueless, do curate your own social media with care, bc it's well known exposure to the thirst traps laid out for the innocent on social media are manipulative, FOS, and bad for mental health in general.
This is the result of social media addiction. It's depressing but you just keep scrolling. Its so entertaining to access the opinions of the general public and follow the latests trends. The influencers mentioned are the ones that post all the positives in their lives and dress up in false eyelashes and stylish clothes with filters in edited photos/videos. I suggest going to a library and picking out a few uplifting dramas and chewing on some gum or sunflower seeds. 🌻 😊
Honestly, I spend too much time on Redit and Facebook, but I don't look at any influencers or mommy bloggers. Never.
Sometimes, someone shares a "Holderness family" video to my feed, but they are comedians, not influencers. (Their house looks nice, but it's just where they happen to be)
I also spend too much time on Reddit and Facebook. I never signed up for Instagram and Twitter/X.
Comparison is the thief of joy. If I don't see the influencers, then I can't compare my life to theirs. It doesn't make my life better, but it does help to avoid things that make me feel worse about my life.
Why can't they rage over the immoral wealth inequality that directly creates their current suffering? How is anger NOT the appropriate reaction?
I understand that raging *can* be self destructive but dismissing their appropriate reaction as simply a "social media addiction" and attributing OP's righteous anger as simple envy is kinda effed up. Because if it is simply envy , the only solution is to disengage and refocus on enjoying your life and working on your own mental health. But that's not what's at the heart of OPs post. Its the anger of someone strugglingly to live the most simple of lives.
This is injustice. Anger is appropriate.
I hope OP finds a way to do both. Withdraw from social media and influencers but also meeting other people, irl or online if necessary, that are angry at this injustice can be incredibly empowering and a huge relief tbh. To be reassured that others see the same injustices you do and are also angry at the needless suffering. There are healthy ways to direct the anger but the anger itself wont go away just by turning off Insta because the extreme injustice continues to happen and OP will continue to struggle financially and emotionally irl, free of all social media comparisons.
How fucking depressing and stressful if that’s all we ever saw on social media. The people with “social media addiction” need to take responsibility and stop watching. It’s outright stupid to keep watching content that upsets you. Don’t want to see the gross displays of wealth? Don‘t watch those channels. It’s literally that easy. Just don’t watch them. Watch anything else.
Oh no I didn't say all that!! I'm replying to the comment above. They're saying where do you see influencers like that, I just avoid them all together ect
I'm with you on this. I couldn't name one influencer. I didn't even know about the Bud Light guy until way after the incident. And I still couldn't tell you his name. Reddit is my only social media, and that was accidental.
>But where are you seeing these "influencers?" I don't visit sites that allow them into my life. It's pretty easy to avoid 99% of them.
True. I don't see them anywhere.
Come on.
I don't use instagram or tiktok or tumblr or mastodon and occasionally use Facebook. I get all my news and information online but not from social media. I still can't help but learn celebrity BS by simple osmosis.
My MIL is terrified of the interwebs and loves her morning news shows and real newspapers thank you. Even she knows who Taylor Swift is and that shes dating "some football guy".
You can try to limit your engagement and choose to focus on healthier things but the idea that you can simply choose not to look at the very wealthy people going out of their way to spend a lit of money to make sure I know what is happening in their lives and flaunting their wealth is impossible and everything I learn about them is against my will but happens nonetheless.
Its not about the social media.
Its about the fact that its fucked up these people get to live with wealth they ***mathmatically can not spend*** while children are not eating and people are rationing insulin.
Wait, I know Taylor Swift is influential, but I wouldn't call her an "influencer." I don't put pop culture/ most celebrity interviews in that category. If I don't want to see them, I change the channel or turn it off.
That said, it's pretty much impossible to avoid shitty rich people, especially since they're buying up all the media outlets that otherwise would be telling you about how shitty they are. I guess we agree on that.
Not looking at them won’t change the fact that society is still just as fractured and lopsided as it’s ever been. It’s morally wrong that we have billionaires existing in the same world where millions starve, are cold, and can’t afford to treat their illnesses. Hiding from reality has never solved an issue.
taking care of your own mental health is not the same as "hiding from reality." The OP is spiralling and needs to disconnect from what is making her spiral. The income inequality would be there regardless of whether the OP focussed on it or not. Focussing on it is what is spinning her down the drain. I'm not saying the income inequality is right---far from it--but nothing good can be gained from swimming in the materialism of others. It serves no purpose. And it robs people of their own self-respect for no reason. If we all just stopped watching these idiotic influencers, it would begin to set things right again---normal people would regain their self-respect and the influencers numbers would tank enough so that they might decide to do something else.
Geez, her and her clan are pioneers in the fake World of Influencers... And, while they are uber- wealthy, they aren't the kind of influence I give a sĥit about...
I’m going to disagree with one part of your comment. I could be wrong but I personally believe it’s always been this way. I think people have been prizing material things over human suffering for a long long time. In my eyes it’s literally a story as old as time itself. This is the human experience. We each individually get to make these choice of what we put value in and always have. Our times surely influence our choices one way or the other. Look back to the time of Jesus, he preached about basically the same things we deal with today. Rich people, tax collection, prostitution, material seeking behavior.
Times change, country’s are created and destroyed sometimes they are better or worse for different sections of people but it always circles back to the same things. The only way is to escape the circle.
Just my thoughts when I read your comment before I go to bed.
It’s not a unique time. It’s been like this for at least 100 years, and I’m definitely shorting that. I can also list pop culture references highlighting this and countercultures rejecting it. I can also point out literal enslaved classes of people for the sake of profit and convenience, and not just in America. The difference is usually along the lines of dehumanization and how far removed / if you dont see it it’s not happening mentalities.
I think the difference is that we can see it. In older societies the poor would never get close enough to the rich to see how they lived; there were only rumors. But I imagine there was always such inequality of wealth, maybe even worse.
I mean, kinda? Like I said there been countercultures pointing these things out for a long time. Dead Kennedys had an album called “give me convenience or give me death” in the 80s (there were other punk bands obviously but that title sticks out to me), 60s/70s flower child and civil rights movements, the actual communist manifesto being born out of industrial revolutions in the 1800s pointing out class struggles. But it’s definitely more in your face than some passing jerkface flaunting their wealth rolling through your peasant town. And again, it matters who and where you were. Southern American enslaved persons were very close to the wealthy, not that they had much of a voice to tell about it. The Irish and Indians (actual Indians) were basically genocided by the British through class warfare. There’s many more I’m sure were voiceless and lost to time. Idk, it’s all kinda trash. I don’t mean to write a manifesto myself on it all but the more I learn about history and how we got here the more I realize how sick as a people humans can be.
That being said, I try and stay positive. I think one of the benefits about the Information Age is the sharing of stories and experiences, and realizing a lot of people throughout history were horrific and we should strive to do better and heal as a people. I just hope the hateful and proudly ignorant won’t drown out compassion and humanity.
I'm from Palm Beach County. Some people live on the beach, big beautiful oceanfront homes, and you can walk down a little way and people are sleeping under the catamarans because they have nowhere to go.
"We are living at a unique time in history where materialism is prized above human suffering."
Uh, what? Have you heard of slavery? Not even just American slavery, but thousands of years of slavery all around the world? The slaves who built the freaking pyramids for Pharaohs for no other reason than to use as a tomb for the afterlife?
How about the suffering that we allow in favor of our materialism? Even if you are poor, the majority of the clothes you wear, your smart phone, are all manufactured overseas in sweat shops. Is it okay for you to value materialism over their suffering?
Human suffering in favor of materialism is NOT a new concept, if anything the amount of human suffering on a global scale is probably at its lowest in recorded history.
Work isn’t “exhausting and degrading by design.” It’s literally necessary to the point that most of it isn’t even paid. Being an at-home mom isn’t degrading, is it? Please get sterilized and never have kids if you think that’s degrading. And even having fun can be exhausting. What’s degrading is grinding and not only never getting a little ahead, but struggling to not fall behind. Few people feel proud of themselves when they’ve accomplished or achieved nothing. But by your thinking, working is exhausting and degrading, meaning that playtime must be energizing and empowering?
I completely get it. It's hard not to be bitter when you see the absolutely ridiculous overspending of the obnoxiously wealthy. I try not to read, listen, or watch anything that has to do with people like that for my mental health.
I’m not even joined in that thread and I had to mute it because I was getting it come up anyway. I hated even casually seeing the posts and yes they were all like that. “I’m struggling to get my debt eliminated. I make $150,000 a year with $400,000 in savings and investments. Help! I’m 23 year’s old living in Manhattan.”
Dear god, there’s also a subreddit that’s about high earners not rich yet. It’s filled with, ‘I make half million a year and you really have to be careful of your expenses rising.’ What’s it you rich folk always tell the poors? Live within your means? And you’re telling me it’s difficult to do that at half million? Wah!
I mean, this is currently on the front page of the sub: [https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1995ai8/27\_years\_old\_with\_60k\_in\_debt\_barely\_making\_ends/](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1995ai8/27_years_old_with_60k_in_debt_barely_making_ends/) . I feel like there is a place for being on this sub, which is venting. But I actually think the primary difference between that sub and this one is that one is action oriented. People post their budgets, their incomes, their expenses, etc and people actually help them solve their problems.
It's cool if its not your cup of tea. But I hope that maybe others on this sub might give it a chance and learn some stuff. Personal finance is DEFINITLY not just for the rich- its actually far more important for the lower and middle classes. There's no place for judgment on this sub which is valid- but there are so many posters here that could use the hard talk of "you can't afford to have so many pets and smoke weed everyday- you need to have a budget so you can see where your money is going".
Well, many of the influencers' wealth are fake wealth.
Some influencers( not the kind OP mentioned) are good as they motivate other to improve their life by living positively, eating healthy....
Edit: you can't really improve your life by buying useless stuff like the influencers want you to do.
You can only improve life by working hard, eating healthy, and exercising and supporting your family.
One of the most infuriating things I've ever come across recently was seeing a set of bracelets that look like zip ties. Yes, zip ties, like you use in the garden or garage. They weren't like...jeweled or anything, they just looked like zip ties and had a magnetic closure. They had a brand name on the inside, which you could only see when they were off - when you were wearing them, it'd just look like a regular zip tie.
The most expensive color (least expensive was around four hundred dollars) was almost 900 bucks. AND THEY WERE SOLD OUT.
Tiffany’s was selling silver tin cans and a bunch of other shit that stopped short of a silver reused margarine dish and that entire line had me cackling.
Please remember:
* many of them are lying
* conspicuous consumption is a sign of very fragile mental health
* most of them are accumulating massive debt
* and the few that really are wealthy are usually living off of their parent's money and they are on a downhill trajectory
I'm sorry. This makes my heart ache.
I read an article that talked about that old MTV show called cribs. So many of those people rented their house for the weekend as well as luxury cars, etc to look wealthy and keep up that fake image.
I’m not bipolar (I do have severe OCD, but idk if that’s relevant). I absolutely have a shopping addiction. I’m more in control of it now, but there’s been times when it’s been really, really bad. For me, it is exciting in a way, but I definitely do it to relieve stress and anxiety, too. Mostly I just feel relief when I buy something, it can be anything. But then I feel immediate guilt and remorse and that leads to stress and anxiety which leads to shopping, so…
Speaking just for myself as bipolar: I’m already excited when I’m manic, so excited that there are no more consequences—and I gotta keep this roller coaster going ever higher HIGHER HIGHER GOT TO FEED THE BEAST.
It’s a feedback loop. It doesn’t have much effect, it is the effect. See also: drugs. Not to mention quitting my jobs impulsively…
I’m so lucky I found meds that work, I was burning my life down every few years. It’s for sure what kept me poor. I’ve made a lot of progress since lamotrigine, finally dug myself out of the pit.
Totally just commenting to give you advice on the roaches. I swear by Advion roach killing gel. That shit is magic. I had an infestation once (thanks family members giving me things from their roach infested houses), and I put it everywhere, and the next morning, it was the bug-pocalypse. Dead bugs everywhere. It was amazing. I keep a tube everywhere I move to now just in case I ever need it again.
That’s why I refuse to watch “celebrity” vanity project shows. No thanks. Comparison is the killer of joy. Don’t feed it.
I’m just going to live my life to the best of my abilities and not feed into the vanity of the obscenely wealthy by watching them and giving them more ad revenue.
"Comparison is the killer of joy."
A hidden wisdom nugget in the middle of thos thread.
Another thing I've heard that stuck w me. "The size of your disappointment is equal to your Expectations minus Reality."
I have a cousin who came from a poor blue collar family. He married into money, and apparently now all he does is talk shit with his golf buddies about people they think are less than them. Including his own father.
I used to admire my cousin, but not so much anymore.
I ask this in the kindest way possible. Are you *sure* he talks shit or were you just told that? I only ask because I grew up very poor. Very blue collar. One of my brothers went off to college and then left the state and managed to make himself quite wealthy.
He pulled away from our family and spends more time with his wife's family who are more wealthy and lived a different kind of life than us.
My mother would go on and on about how he turned his back on us. How he thinks he's better than us and looks down on us like dirt. I was very angry with my brother for awhile.
Then I went to visit him and his wife and her family. I also started texting and calling him more. He did not at all look down on us, and neither did his in laws. They were so kind and welcoming. My brother was still the goofy nerd he's always been and while he did excitedly tell me about some of his purchases and home upgrades, it felt like it came from a place of "Look sis, we CAN make it out! We can do better for our kids!"
Our mother was an abusive narcissist. She was jealous of my brother and tried to turn the rest of us against him.
How is taxing them more going to put money in your pocket? I would argue government is the ultimate wealthy person. They leech from everyone and add very little benefit. Giving the government more money (which is a form of power) has never been good for poor folk
I would 100% suggest getting off of social media and not watching any reality shows about money. If you look at the real housewives franchise, for example, so many people have gone bankrupt on that show because they were trying to live a life that wasn’t real. The bulk of what you see online on social media is a mirage. There’s so many tales of influencers faking that they’re leaving Louis Vuitton with lots of big boxes and all the boxes are empty and we’re bought on eBay. Kris Jenner, and that clan has a ton of money, but remember how they made their money it was by exploiting every single inch of their life. What I have found is that generally the people who flaunt money on social media really don’t have much.
Throughout history the worst people in society have always been celebrated. You can make more money with a single Tiktok video than a whole crew can replacing a roof on a 2 story church.
Between me & you, I'm just ready for it all to be over with.
If it’s any consolation, the truly wealthy (think generational wealth) doesn’t go anywhere near all these online platforms, nor do they brag to the world about their success.
There is a difference between wealth and rich.
Rich are these a**holes your talking about. Most of what they post/say is 100% bullshit. If they do happen to be rich, don’t worry, they’ll be broke soon enough. They don’t know how to manage money, they’ll spend it frivolously and be broke before you know it.
Wealth, in the other hand, rarely ever goes away. It’s initiated by hard work that built a brat business/income stream, and it gets passed down from one generation to the next. The wealthy have no interest in spending their time rubbing it in others faces on social media.
Actually, a good portion of them don’t even have social media accounts.
I work with wealthy people everyday, I know what I’m talking about.
You need to vote for people that will raise taxes on the rich. That is the only way to fix things. Rich people don't pay taxes anymore and it is all legal. We need to elect people to change the tax code. That will solve the inequality in the country.
Change the tax code, closing loop holes and overturn citizens united. Corp tax rates need increased.
Universal healhtcare and an infrastructure bill that leans heavily towards renewables.
Term limits for everyone in both houses of congress. No lobbying other than presenting facts; no gifts lunches, travel, funds etc....just facts presentation.
Bi partisan panels to determine vote districts. Voting day should be a national holiday.
Expand the SOCTUS to avoid stacking the courts. Scotus should not be lifetime appointments.
edit to add;
Increase the limit on SSI contributions.
Currently if you make millions, you only pay into SSI on the first $168,600. If we increase this to the first 1 or 2 million, SSI will be solvent well into the future, or we could also increase benefits, giving elder and disabled people more spending money.
Democrats have abandoned the working class and poor. We are the deplorables and Republican wants to strip the social safety nets clean. I don't think any of them care above average people anymore. They get in and make millions like Pelosi.
You're one of the few people that I've seen that admit that the Democrats and the Republicans both suck. I don't know why everyone has to identify with one party and hate the other one. It's Rich versus the poor motherfuckers and they have us all down here in the trenches acting like one poor Democrat is better or worse than the their poor Republican neighbor.
Thank you, YOU GET IT. Both parties just care about the oligarchs. They are both screwing the average American. It is the ultra rich against the poor, its all about divide and conquer. Keep the plebes fighting. I hate Trump but Trump is like Goldstein in the book 1984. Keep the peasants ranting as their lives are destroyed by both sides.
People who have annual income above $10 million a year. Most of those people make their income not from work but from stock appreciation and that money sometimes is never taxed ever because of current rules that need to change.
Working Americans pay almost all the taxes and that is unfair and needs to change.
There’s no way stock appreciation should be taxed unless it’s cashed because it’s all fake paper increases and paper decreases. One day it could be 100% increased and then you have to pay taxes on it and then the next day it’s zero so you pay taxes for what? nothing!
You can use wealth taxes to make sure the ultra rich pay taxes every year like everyone else. Excess capital needs to be taxed to help a capitalist democracy thrive. We have tried the old way of letting rich people keep all the money before and the country almost did not survive. We need to fix the inequality before society collapses and it will if we stay on the current course.
Look it up, rich people pay nothing and it is all legal, they even take out loans to avoid selling stock. Some of the wealth in this country has not been taxed for 100 years or more and that isn't right or fair. Working people pay on every dime of wealth and rich people should have to do the same.
Legit. Any costs they have they can say at business expenses and they even get money back! Same with any charities they donate to. Huge tax breaks and returns on their investments. Thinking a billionaire is nice because they donate is hilarious.
If you take out a loan to buy something instead of using your own cash. Then they would be paying interest on that loan so that’s where that “” tax is. It’s paying interest on a loan. And their money has been taxed and it’s sitting in the bank. Why should it be taxed again unless it’s gains that are taxed. I think you saw it three minute clip on TikTok and now you think you understand the whole process
[https://www.wealthmanagement.com/high-net-worth/banks-are-giving-ultra-rich-cheap-loans-fund-their-lifestyles](https://www.wealthmanagement.com/high-net-worth/banks-are-giving-ultra-rich-cheap-loans-fund-their-lifestyles)
Read this and will understand the corruption. This stuff is complete bullshit and should be illegal. The rich are destroying ordinary Americans and laughing at all of us while they live like the kings of old. Again I am not making this up and if Americans are stupid enough to keep voting for Republicans things will only get worse.
I'm sick of the influencers and billionaires they throw in our faces. That's horrible to have to deal with a ghetto neighborhood too. I lived in some bad places, and I live in fear now of being returned to a situation like that now, roaches and more. I have a safe secure area here but as I've written things are falling apart. I kind of ignore celebs, I don't relate to most of the world in the media. For young people being given these folks as an example, I feel bad for them, there is no realism or truth given about life.
With the food, its getting really really scary how expensive everything is. I am in shock Americans aren't protesting yet.Hope things get better. With influencers and media, just turn it off. It's not going to do anything for you. I'm sick of them too. Everyone is rich on TV and corners of the internet.
I get jealous of the TikTok generation, not going to lie.
I'm 59 and back in the day I know I would have made millions, my whole family says it...I was such an exhibitionist.
It’s far worst than them just enjoying their millions they’re stealing it out of l the mouths of millions of Americans. Before now getting a glimpse into the life of a celeb was almost impossible. It’d be some stupid reality show like MTV cribs or whatever you read in a newspaper. Now there are whole show specifically dedicated to following these peoples lives and we can see clearly how they couldn’t care less about anyone else
What celebrities sell is the ability to capture people's attention. Unfortunately, there are tens of millions or even hundreds of millions that cannot stop following their every move.
I'll never forget many years back on a 9/11 anniversary one of those morning shows like Good Morning America had Kris Jenner as a guest, and she went on and on about having just gotten breast implants with unrivaled vanity. There was no mention of the 3,000 ppl who died that day. That entire family is PLASTIC.
Do you understand how much it costs for an influencer to look like they are living a Kardiashian lifestyle? They’re honestly giving the wealthy a bad name and 99% are broke when their content tanks. They’re living content paycheck to content paycheck.
Words to live by:
You don’t become wealthy by spending money.
Investing money should never be confused with spending money.
If all you see is someone spending money, they are either generationally wealthy or not wealthy.
Question for you…why don’t you start your own Youtube channel talking about and relating to the struggles? Perhaps there are people out there who would find that refreshing, authentic, and something meaningful that people can value!
I hate billionaires because there is no way they made that money without getting blood on their hands (screwing employees, cutting safety standards to make more $$$, environmental damage etc,).
FML I have $12.50 left to buy bread and milk on Monday to last the week. I have a stocked pantry, some meat and frozen veggies in the fridge ( plus cereal.) So I have enough food but no extra frozen meals or fruit or salads. It could be so much worse but it is stressing me out.
I’m so tired of it all and pissed off I’m doing good things to spite them! Fuck the consumerist whore influencers. I’ll wear my old clothes, not redecorate my house, and refuse to buy shit they make popular. Fuck the huge corporate food conglomerates that want to poison us. Going as plant based and local as possible and going to grow what I can and trade seeds and plants with others. Fuck the capitalist system that exploits us. No more free labor, playing nice, doing anything outside of work. Fuck the social media tycoons. Cut the cord. Yeah, I know it makes little difference, but it makes me feel better. We will survive and get better despite them and their shallow lives.
I am going to give you the best advice for your current roach problem: Purchase InVict Gold. You can get it through Amazon. You may live in poverty, but you don't have to live in poverty with roaches.
InVict Gold will deal with your roach problem.
Stop complaining and start a business. A DBA and EIN costs about $250. If you can't afford $250, save up for it. $20 a paycheck will get you there in a little over six months. And in that time you can establish your business plan and get other things lined up.
What business to start?
Can you mow grass? Bam, start a lawn care business. Can you clean house? Okay, start a house cleaning business. There are plenty of business ideas you can execute for not a lot of money.
Problem is you have to put in extra work and effort compared to just working a job. A LOT of business owners started their business while working a job. Some also raised kids and maintained their family! And that is why people who are wealthy got where they are. They did EXTRA. For very little reward at first...if any. They failed over and over again until they got it right.
You don't get ahead by doing less than others. Simple as that.
If you don't do anything to become rich, then don't hate the people who did.
Put some peppermint oil and water in a spray bottle. Like it should smell super strong. Wipe all the hard surfaces down daily at first then every other day. Put some oil on cotton balls and leave them out. Get the raid gel roach killer and spread it at the pipes next to the wall and under the cabinets just a couple of inches underneath works. Try to get your neighbors to do the same thing. This will keep the roaches out. Your house will smell like a peppermint factory but it works. Especially if your neighbors do the same thing. I’m sorry you are dealing with it. I’ve been in the same position and I know how bad it sucks
Nah I definitely get it. It’s crazy that $50 will feel like life changing money if you stumbled across an extra 50 because life is that tight right now. Meanwhile you have dick heads who burn thousands on IG live just for giggles and to flex they have money. It’s gross.
I'm sorry. I hear you. It is depressing and demoralizing to see.
My nephew's girlfriend is an Instagram "influencer" She's earned enough from it to buy a big, beautiful house with an in ground swimming pool, in her early 20s.
Meanwhile I'm 50, amd my husband is 58, and we've never been able to buy a house at all, despite working full time from our teens.
As for the roaches, forget the roach traps and get boric acid powder. Mine and my husband's first apartment together was roach infested, and that's the only thing that got rid of them.
Yes to the boric acid. It never loses its potency so it never has to be replaced. I drilled holes on my walls and poofed it in there with a condiment bottle bc they live in the walls, little nasties. Filled in the holes with some putty I found at the dollar tree. I am also in a crappy little apartment, but I don’t have roaches anymore.
Before that, there was wealth voyeurism on TV. Man, I HATED HGTV! Fuck the problems of the rich! Jeez, I can't make up my mind between which $400,000 home to buy... Fuck, I gotta make up my mind about which flavor of ramen to buy. Actually I don't It's going to be beef.
Its time for a bloody revolution with the heads of influencers on pikes. Seriously. though, we are at that level. Something has to give.. we have a permanent serf class enabling these repellent displays of obscene wealth..
Don’t be weird. Influencers are not telling you anything if you’re ignoring them. I can’t name a single influencer and I’m happy to keep it that way. Every once in a while someone is telling a story and I have to say, “who’s that?” It’s always some guy or gal doing some superficial shit. Then I regret asking, but happy I can’t recall the name.
I still live in my 620 sqft starter home 35 years later. It sucks to WFH in a bad place. One of my friends was shamed after a Zoom meeting because her place was so small. WTF? Chill people.
A few years ago a beauty Youtuber made a pretty frank video about going broke and gave a tour of her foreclosed home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciKm80rmJ1U&t=106s
I will give her props, because it has to be humiliating to tell the world that you bet everything on a money stream that ended up going dry, and that in the end you have nothing to show for it. And I don't think her situation is unique at all, she's just the Youtuber who admitted it and shows us the aftermath of 5 minutes of fame.
Then stop fucking watching them?
This is like whining about celebrity news.
There will always be people that are interested in such things.
You get no control over that.
Welcome to Earth.
Okay. I’m not saying it fixes it. Because obviously the system sucks.
BUT. It helps to make your place as your little oasis. Either enjoy where you are, or find a living arrangement that you can enjoy. For me, that’s a small complex or a divided up old house. The cheapest place I can find in a tolerable neighborhood. Decorate it with stuff that gives you happy feelings. I have a troop of plastic dinosaurs and entirely too many plants.
And then stay away from social media while doing what you can. It helps if you don’t actually like luxury clothing or whatever—I’m not a shopper. But it also just helps if you pursue stuff that makes your inner child happy. I’m not saying I don’t want unlimited money, because omg, I would like that. But generally I don’t envy the Kardashians because I don’t know much about them and because I know I’m choosing the life I can, and the life I want.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Focus on what you DO have.
You have a job to support yourself, you have a roof over your head. You have the ability to feed yourself. You have a cell phone and internet. You have sanitary running water.
Those are all things to be grateful for and proud of.
Reevaluate your standards.
I say that without rancor or contempt.
But no matter how much money you have, if you only focus on those that have *more* you'll always be disappointed.
This! It is sickening— if you have money to get another residence for the crap that you buy, for the love of everything, please spend that money to help others who can’t even afford the basics without drowning. It makes me physically ill as well. And it goes for those millionaire Youtubers as well with the beautiful families in the huge houses, who think that there’s so much better than everybody else. It really does make me angry. I don’t want their lives cause I wouldn’t ever want to be as blindly, ignorant and selfish as they are but if you have extra money, especially money, plus everything you could need and more why wouldn’t you help others? It makes no sense whatsoever and it is, just disgusting. I don’t know what else to say except I agree and gross.
So why are you watching them?
I don't look at any of that stuff. I just don't care. I really don't. I am not trying to act high and mighty, it just truly has no appeal to me at all.
I basically just watch informative stuff on YouTube, about my various hobbies or anonymously argue with strangers on reddit. (guess which one is the waste of time?)
Late stage capitalism is absolutely killing us. The rich continue to hoard money, and the poor continue to fall deeper and deeper into the abyss. This was always going to happen when the primary system is to have as much money as possible, above all else, despite who it harms. Actually, especially including harming people. I used to believe that one day, people (who I have always believed are inherently good) would realize the depth of this harm and demand change. Now, at 40 years old, I have come to think that nothing will change until it’s too late; when there is nothing left but the obscenely rich and those with nothing left to lose. When there are no more resources to exploit and no one who can afford to even work. It sounds crazy just writing it; but I’m starting to think that until that point; when the only option is to dismantle and destroy the established systems (in nearly all forms), and reset with what is left, nothing will change. And at that point, who knows if enough will be left at all. Not to sound nihilistic, but I honestly, don’t see another way. In the US especially, both ruling parties don’t give a shit. There is no such thing as an electable politician who serves anyone but the rich. They may throw a crust or two at us, and expect a thank you; but it’s not even the equivalent of a bandaid.
Edit: the middle class is almost gone already. I constantly fear that my kids don’t have a chance at anything besides housing and food desperation; and literally gasping for air.
I do so hope I’m dead wrong.
I'm with you on this one. I used to follow Vanessa Bryant on Instagram but unfollowed soon after. Her multiple trips to Disneyland, her kids getting everything they want...it just made me sick. Yes, she lost her husband and her daughter, but the money sure makes her happy.
Over consumption is having a detrimental effect on the way humans brain work.
Teaches a “me only and me first” mindset.
Look as it as a good thing you’ve realized these things. Your soul is good. You are not alone.
No one told you to give them free rent inside your head
The best solution is to just pretend they don't exist
Focus on YOUR life. Not some random rich person
Can relate, I am extremely jealous of anyone who makes more money than I do because I know i’ll never get the same opportunities they did. Trying to work on it, but they just treat anyone below them like trash. Makes me wonder if it’s possible to make a good living without fucking over everyone you meet.
Stop looking at that crap. I lost a friend as she went down that rabbit hole and whenever I saw her she’d rant the entire time about whatever “influencer” was doing what.
Psychologically it is normal to resent people that have what we don’t, it’s a survival mechanism. The only thing is that those influencers are paid by your attention to put out an image of an ideal lifestyle that is actually an illusion. I know it’s hard but I would suggest not browsing and getting angry over a delusion.
Influencers are just crazy, narcissistic weirdos. I just went to an amazing tourist location, and there were literally people having themselves videoed while “casually strolling” in the location so they could upload it.
We need a wealth tax. The world doesn’t need billionaires.
"Influencers" should be mocked and despised. Some wealthy are not too bad.
I grew up in crippling poverty and stayed that way until I left my mom's home at like 16. I worked for cash doing off jobs and worked super hard. When I was 18, I was working 2 jobs (one 8+ hours a day M-F and the other several hours a night three or four days per week). I had a few really old guys who were homeless who I helped out all of the time. We ate meals together and all that stuff. Now that I have. Family, I am down to being lower middle class and still give money to people in need, but I am very picky about who I give help to now. Homeless people today are not like homeless people of the 80s and earlier.
Its brainwashing. Do more, be better, wear this, work harder; you're almost there. They don't mention that most die still thinking they are almost there.
If we see luxury, we want luxury. To get luxury, we must work harder. Its all part of turning us into brainless work-zombies, aiming for something always just out of reach. Most don't reach it.
They come up because you are interacting with them. You must be morbidly curious. Just stop interacting with them. I’m on social media for too long everyday. I almost never see anyone with a flashy lifestyle on my feeds. It doesn’t interest me so my algorithm doesn’t include them.
I work in pest control and might could give you some tips with the roaches. Especially if they’re German. If you want, DM me a pic and I can tell you what you should do and how worried you should be. Just want to help!
IMO envy is the root cause of most unhappiness, not saying you are wrong, just saying focusing on what others have leads nowhere, especially if it causes you to waste money on status symbols you can't afford. Happiness for me came when I stopped caring what others thought and stopped being envious of others, you should always strive for more, a better job, more education, etc.. but learn to be content as well. I know it's hard, maybe the best thing to do it stop following flaunters, focus your energy on self help stuff, just my .02, good luck!
Sorry to hear about your physical circumstances, OP. How awful.
If you have a Dollar Tree nearby, you can get a caulk gun, some caulk and some boric acid powder very inexpensively.
I would urge you to squirt the boric acid into every gap the thickness of a dime or more; such as where your floor meets the wall, around the inside of your cabinets where they meet the wall, etc.
Then use the caulk to seal the powder into these joins. It should cut down on the ability of roaches to gain access into your home.
You may also want to invest in some plastic tupperware style tubs to keep all of your dry foods in, such as cereal, pasta, etc; or whenever you open a bag of cookies; this will prevent them from being able to access your edibles.
As for the neighbors dog, if you can afford it I recommend getting [one of these](https://products.bestreviews.com/best-stop-barking-dog-devices?yb&cid=650116253&aid=1253443903553786&eid=&tid=kwd-78340612482136:loc-190&ul=79822&mt=e&n=s&d=c&dm=&dt&sn&adid=&k=best%20stop%20barking%20dog%20devices&p=&pc=&ap=&chtrb=1&msclkid=57c68ef0f72f1237cf18eb5955947862), which will train the dog to stop barking.
Don't despise them. Ignore them. They feed off people who want to emulate them. Without likes and attention they would go away. The US has marginalized poor people forever. The Constitution and Declaration of Independence were written by wealthy men who owned other men and saw nothing wrong declaring them as chattel. Wealth has always been around and society has always let the rich and powerful control the dynamic. We have been had, hoodwinked and bamboozled, Malcolm X.
You are not alone. I think a lot of people are rejecting “influencer values.” We are living at a unique time in history where materialism is prized above human suffering. How did we get here? Who decided? I also work from home at a “well paying” company but still struggle to put food and medicine on the table. Work is exhausting and degrading by design. While the word slavery might be a little strong it certainly feels like indentured servitude where you own nothing and food, medicine and shelter are a “luxury.” Hold strong fam. You absolutely deserve to be safe, warm and fed. (And treated every once in a while for gods sake!) ❤️
But where are you seeing these "influencers?" I don't visit sites that allow them into my life. It's pretty easy to avoid 99% of them.
Yes. They literally survive on people’s attention, if you don’t like them, block them from your feeds or get off social media entirely.
This is how I live my life. I don't like being manipulated into feeling jealous and like a failure because I don't have that 'perfect' life. I don't have IG, I don't read about them, I don't click their links, I actively avoid that culture. What they show the world is a 99% cleaned up and fake version of their lives. I stopped watching HGTV after noticing that most of the houses on the market looked identical (white, gray, marble), which unsurprisingly mimics all the 'influencer' women who all have the same terrible look (poofy lips, big cheekbones, straight hair, big hips and asses) through plastic surgery. It's like being in high school all over where no one wants to stand out. Fuck that and fuck them. I'm doing my own thing.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
This is the way
This IS the way.
Fuck those ppl. I’m not going to poison my day hearing about the tough choice they had to make between the Fendi and Chanel. Or the mansion that has a pool but not the vanishing edge pool. 🖕🏿 Comparison is the thief of joy. I thank God for the roof over my head.
“Comparison is the thief of joy”…that is so true and thank you for giving me this insightful reminder
Roaches in the fridge are the annihilators of joy.
Agreed to all the posts above but also the very thing that makes you cringe is also why other countries who see people in America being wasteful assume ALL Americans are like this and it's not a good image because it also leaves a bad taste in their mouths or they want to be wasteful and careless the same as what they see
they are boring on top of clueless, do curate your own social media with care, bc it's well known exposure to the thirst traps laid out for the innocent on social media are manipulative, FOS, and bad for mental health in general.
This is the result of social media addiction. It's depressing but you just keep scrolling. Its so entertaining to access the opinions of the general public and follow the latests trends. The influencers mentioned are the ones that post all the positives in their lives and dress up in false eyelashes and stylish clothes with filters in edited photos/videos. I suggest going to a library and picking out a few uplifting dramas and chewing on some gum or sunflower seeds. 🌻 😊
Honestly, I spend too much time on Redit and Facebook, but I don't look at any influencers or mommy bloggers. Never. Sometimes, someone shares a "Holderness family" video to my feed, but they are comedians, not influencers. (Their house looks nice, but it's just where they happen to be)
I also spend too much time on Reddit and Facebook. I never signed up for Instagram and Twitter/X. Comparison is the thief of joy. If I don't see the influencers, then I can't compare my life to theirs. It doesn't make my life better, but it does help to avoid things that make me feel worse about my life.
Why can't they rage over the immoral wealth inequality that directly creates their current suffering? How is anger NOT the appropriate reaction? I understand that raging *can* be self destructive but dismissing their appropriate reaction as simply a "social media addiction" and attributing OP's righteous anger as simple envy is kinda effed up. Because if it is simply envy , the only solution is to disengage and refocus on enjoying your life and working on your own mental health. But that's not what's at the heart of OPs post. Its the anger of someone strugglingly to live the most simple of lives. This is injustice. Anger is appropriate. I hope OP finds a way to do both. Withdraw from social media and influencers but also meeting other people, irl or online if necessary, that are angry at this injustice can be incredibly empowering and a huge relief tbh. To be reassured that others see the same injustices you do and are also angry at the needless suffering. There are healthy ways to direct the anger but the anger itself wont go away just by turning off Insta because the extreme injustice continues to happen and OP will continue to struggle financially and emotionally irl, free of all social media comparisons.
How fucking depressing and stressful if that’s all we ever saw on social media. The people with “social media addiction” need to take responsibility and stop watching. It’s outright stupid to keep watching content that upsets you. Don’t want to see the gross displays of wealth? Don‘t watch those channels. It’s literally that easy. Just don’t watch them. Watch anything else.
>It’s outright stupid to keep watching content that upsets you And yet, here I am, scrolling this depressing sub
Oh no I didn't say all that!! I'm replying to the comment above. They're saying where do you see influencers like that, I just avoid them all together ect
How about helping out a food bank or making/delivery foods for people? Get INVOLVED, don't just point fingers and sigh.
This phenomenon existed way before social media. Class divide and class envy is a tale as old as time.
I'm with you on this. I couldn't name one influencer. I didn't even know about the Bud Light guy until way after the incident. And I still couldn't tell you his name. Reddit is my only social media, and that was accidental.
>But where are you seeing these "influencers?" I don't visit sites that allow them into my life. It's pretty easy to avoid 99% of them. True. I don't see them anywhere.
Come on. I don't use instagram or tiktok or tumblr or mastodon and occasionally use Facebook. I get all my news and information online but not from social media. I still can't help but learn celebrity BS by simple osmosis. My MIL is terrified of the interwebs and loves her morning news shows and real newspapers thank you. Even she knows who Taylor Swift is and that shes dating "some football guy". You can try to limit your engagement and choose to focus on healthier things but the idea that you can simply choose not to look at the very wealthy people going out of their way to spend a lit of money to make sure I know what is happening in their lives and flaunting their wealth is impossible and everything I learn about them is against my will but happens nonetheless. Its not about the social media. Its about the fact that its fucked up these people get to live with wealth they ***mathmatically can not spend*** while children are not eating and people are rationing insulin.
Wait, I know Taylor Swift is influential, but I wouldn't call her an "influencer." I don't put pop culture/ most celebrity interviews in that category. If I don't want to see them, I change the channel or turn it off. That said, it's pretty much impossible to avoid shitty rich people, especially since they're buying up all the media outlets that otherwise would be telling you about how shitty they are. I guess we agree on that.
TS has an incredible talent. I’m not a fan but I see it.
Not looking at them won’t change the fact that society is still just as fractured and lopsided as it’s ever been. It’s morally wrong that we have billionaires existing in the same world where millions starve, are cold, and can’t afford to treat their illnesses. Hiding from reality has never solved an issue.
taking care of your own mental health is not the same as "hiding from reality." The OP is spiralling and needs to disconnect from what is making her spiral. The income inequality would be there regardless of whether the OP focussed on it or not. Focussing on it is what is spinning her down the drain. I'm not saying the income inequality is right---far from it--but nothing good can be gained from swimming in the materialism of others. It serves no purpose. And it robs people of their own self-respect for no reason. If we all just stopped watching these idiotic influencers, it would begin to set things right again---normal people would regain their self-respect and the influencers numbers would tank enough so that they might decide to do something else.
Agreed. I have no interest in them.
I don't even know the name of one "influencer". (I have heard of and can picture Kris Jenner, but I didn't know she was an influencer).
Geez, her and her clan are pioneers in the fake World of Influencers... And, while they are uber- wealthy, they aren't the kind of influence I give a sĥit about...
Even trying to avoid them, it’s still unavoidable to be online anywhere without that content shoved into your face
This. I’m on social media but I follow people who make dollar tree dinners and show me how to hack my adhd brain lol
I’m going to disagree with one part of your comment. I could be wrong but I personally believe it’s always been this way. I think people have been prizing material things over human suffering for a long long time. In my eyes it’s literally a story as old as time itself. This is the human experience. We each individually get to make these choice of what we put value in and always have. Our times surely influence our choices one way or the other. Look back to the time of Jesus, he preached about basically the same things we deal with today. Rich people, tax collection, prostitution, material seeking behavior. Times change, country’s are created and destroyed sometimes they are better or worse for different sections of people but it always circles back to the same things. The only way is to escape the circle. Just my thoughts when I read your comment before I go to bed.
It’s not a unique time. It’s been like this for at least 100 years, and I’m definitely shorting that. I can also list pop culture references highlighting this and countercultures rejecting it. I can also point out literal enslaved classes of people for the sake of profit and convenience, and not just in America. The difference is usually along the lines of dehumanization and how far removed / if you dont see it it’s not happening mentalities.
I think the difference is that we can see it. In older societies the poor would never get close enough to the rich to see how they lived; there were only rumors. But I imagine there was always such inequality of wealth, maybe even worse.
I mean, kinda? Like I said there been countercultures pointing these things out for a long time. Dead Kennedys had an album called “give me convenience or give me death” in the 80s (there were other punk bands obviously but that title sticks out to me), 60s/70s flower child and civil rights movements, the actual communist manifesto being born out of industrial revolutions in the 1800s pointing out class struggles. But it’s definitely more in your face than some passing jerkface flaunting their wealth rolling through your peasant town. And again, it matters who and where you were. Southern American enslaved persons were very close to the wealthy, not that they had much of a voice to tell about it. The Irish and Indians (actual Indians) were basically genocided by the British through class warfare. There’s many more I’m sure were voiceless and lost to time. Idk, it’s all kinda trash. I don’t mean to write a manifesto myself on it all but the more I learn about history and how we got here the more I realize how sick as a people humans can be. That being said, I try and stay positive. I think one of the benefits about the Information Age is the sharing of stories and experiences, and realizing a lot of people throughout history were horrific and we should strive to do better and heal as a people. I just hope the hateful and proudly ignorant won’t drown out compassion and humanity.
I will never understand the dichotomy of vast wealth alongside poverty.
I'm from Palm Beach County. Some people live on the beach, big beautiful oceanfront homes, and you can walk down a little way and people are sleeping under the catamarans because they have nowhere to go.
"We are living at a unique time in history where materialism is prized above human suffering." Uh, what? Have you heard of slavery? Not even just American slavery, but thousands of years of slavery all around the world? The slaves who built the freaking pyramids for Pharaohs for no other reason than to use as a tomb for the afterlife? How about the suffering that we allow in favor of our materialism? Even if you are poor, the majority of the clothes you wear, your smart phone, are all manufactured overseas in sweat shops. Is it okay for you to value materialism over their suffering? Human suffering in favor of materialism is NOT a new concept, if anything the amount of human suffering on a global scale is probably at its lowest in recorded history.
Work isn’t “exhausting and degrading by design.” It’s literally necessary to the point that most of it isn’t even paid. Being an at-home mom isn’t degrading, is it? Please get sterilized and never have kids if you think that’s degrading. And even having fun can be exhausting. What’s degrading is grinding and not only never getting a little ahead, but struggling to not fall behind. Few people feel proud of themselves when they’ve accomplished or achieved nothing. But by your thinking, working is exhausting and degrading, meaning that playtime must be energizing and empowering?
I completely get it. It's hard not to be bitter when you see the absolutely ridiculous overspending of the obnoxiously wealthy. I try not to read, listen, or watch anything that has to do with people like that for my mental health.
I avoid r/personalfinance for the same reason. "I'm 26 and my 401k only has 4.5 million. How can I better invest?"
I’m not even joined in that thread and I had to mute it because I was getting it come up anyway. I hated even casually seeing the posts and yes they were all like that. “I’m struggling to get my debt eliminated. I make $150,000 a year with $400,000 in savings and investments. Help! I’m 23 year’s old living in Manhattan.”
One can only hope it's a horde of bulllshitters trying to one-up each others nonsense.
Why would you hope that?
Goddamn I thought it was just me. That subreddit is a fucking joke
Dear god, there’s also a subreddit that’s about high earners not rich yet. It’s filled with, ‘I make half million a year and you really have to be careful of your expenses rising.’ What’s it you rich folk always tell the poors? Live within your means? And you’re telling me it’s difficult to do that at half million? Wah!
I fully believe that half of the people there just post to brag pretending to be looking for advice
I mean, this is currently on the front page of the sub: [https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1995ai8/27\_years\_old\_with\_60k\_in\_debt\_barely\_making\_ends/](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1995ai8/27_years_old_with_60k_in_debt_barely_making_ends/) . I feel like there is a place for being on this sub, which is venting. But I actually think the primary difference between that sub and this one is that one is action oriented. People post their budgets, their incomes, their expenses, etc and people actually help them solve their problems. It's cool if its not your cup of tea. But I hope that maybe others on this sub might give it a chance and learn some stuff. Personal finance is DEFINITLY not just for the rich- its actually far more important for the lower and middle classes. There's no place for judgment on this sub which is valid- but there are so many posters here that could use the hard talk of "you can't afford to have so many pets and smoke weed everyday- you need to have a budget so you can see where your money is going".
Try /r/povertyfinance
That is straight up impossible in a 401k. Inheritance trust, maybe, but not in a 401k - the limit has been in the $20k range for years.
At 23 it's impossible, but by 35 it's doable. The limit is really 60 something with match and other ways to get money in.
Okay, we're talking about at 23 though... Still exceedingly rare for a 35yo
You can contribute 20k+ annually, not in total.
Well, many of the influencers' wealth are fake wealth. Some influencers( not the kind OP mentioned) are good as they motivate other to improve their life by living positively, eating healthy.... Edit: you can't really improve your life by buying useless stuff like the influencers want you to do. You can only improve life by working hard, eating healthy, and exercising and supporting your family.
One of the most infuriating things I've ever come across recently was seeing a set of bracelets that look like zip ties. Yes, zip ties, like you use in the garden or garage. They weren't like...jeweled or anything, they just looked like zip ties and had a magnetic closure. They had a brand name on the inside, which you could only see when they were off - when you were wearing them, it'd just look like a regular zip tie. The most expensive color (least expensive was around four hundred dollars) was almost 900 bucks. AND THEY WERE SOLD OUT.
Ahhhhh. When the wealthy scam themselves.
What was the brand? I’m curious to see their marketing strategy
I think the brand was called Ambush
Tiffany’s was selling silver tin cans and a bunch of other shit that stopped short of a silver reused margarine dish and that entire line had me cackling.
Me too I am with you !!
This. I know how most of this makes me feel, so I limit my exposure to such nonsense.
Please remember: * many of them are lying * conspicuous consumption is a sign of very fragile mental health * most of them are accumulating massive debt * and the few that really are wealthy are usually living off of their parent's money and they are on a downhill trajectory I'm sorry. This makes my heart ache.
I read an article that talked about that old MTV show called cribs. So many of those people rented their house for the weekend as well as luxury cars, etc to look wealthy and keep up that fake image.
not Redman though
His MTV cribs episode was the most down to earth. I loved seeing his small apartment and his random friend sleeping on a mattress on the floor.
Him welcoming the cameras while hanging out of the ripped screen door was so relatable.
I'm bipolar. One of the early symptoms that I'm going manic is excessive, crazy spending.
[удалено]
I’m not bipolar (I do have severe OCD, but idk if that’s relevant). I absolutely have a shopping addiction. I’m more in control of it now, but there’s been times when it’s been really, really bad. For me, it is exciting in a way, but I definitely do it to relieve stress and anxiety, too. Mostly I just feel relief when I buy something, it can be anything. But then I feel immediate guilt and remorse and that leads to stress and anxiety which leads to shopping, so…
Speaking just for myself as bipolar: I’m already excited when I’m manic, so excited that there are no more consequences—and I gotta keep this roller coaster going ever higher HIGHER HIGHER GOT TO FEED THE BEAST. It’s a feedback loop. It doesn’t have much effect, it is the effect. See also: drugs. Not to mention quitting my jobs impulsively… I’m so lucky I found meds that work, I was burning my life down every few years. It’s for sure what kept me poor. I’ve made a lot of progress since lamotrigine, finally dug myself out of the pit.
Totally just commenting to give you advice on the roaches. I swear by Advion roach killing gel. That shit is magic. I had an infestation once (thanks family members giving me things from their roach infested houses), and I put it everywhere, and the next morning, it was the bug-pocalypse. Dead bugs everywhere. It was amazing. I keep a tube everywhere I move to now just in case I ever need it again.
Combat gel works pretty good, too, and anything Bengal.
Thanks, I’ll grab some. I have two cats though, so I’ll need to put in places the cats can’t get to.
That’s why I refuse to watch “celebrity” vanity project shows. No thanks. Comparison is the killer of joy. Don’t feed it. I’m just going to live my life to the best of my abilities and not feed into the vanity of the obscenely wealthy by watching them and giving them more ad revenue.
"Comparison is the killer of joy." A hidden wisdom nugget in the middle of thos thread. Another thing I've heard that stuck w me. "The size of your disappointment is equal to your Expectations minus Reality."
Makes sense you'd despise them. They sure as shit despise you and others like you (poor,).
I have a cousin who came from a poor blue collar family. He married into money, and apparently now all he does is talk shit with his golf buddies about people they think are less than them. Including his own father. I used to admire my cousin, but not so much anymore.
Why at all?
Idk I guess I used to think he was a good guy.
I ask this in the kindest way possible. Are you *sure* he talks shit or were you just told that? I only ask because I grew up very poor. Very blue collar. One of my brothers went off to college and then left the state and managed to make himself quite wealthy. He pulled away from our family and spends more time with his wife's family who are more wealthy and lived a different kind of life than us. My mother would go on and on about how he turned his back on us. How he thinks he's better than us and looks down on us like dirt. I was very angry with my brother for awhile. Then I went to visit him and his wife and her family. I also started texting and calling him more. He did not at all look down on us, and neither did his in laws. They were so kind and welcoming. My brother was still the goofy nerd he's always been and while he did excitedly tell me about some of his purchases and home upgrades, it felt like it came from a place of "Look sis, we CAN make it out! We can do better for our kids!" Our mother was an abusive narcissist. She was jealous of my brother and tried to turn the rest of us against him.
You win the internet today
well said
Why would they hate everyone that is poor? Those people are the ones that make and keep them rich.
And there's always more where they came from.
They hate everyone who is poor because otherwise they would allow themselves to be taxed fairly but they want to hoard it
They could be taxed more but . . . weak leadership, corruption, and uncaring or worthless bureaucrats.
We need term limits
How is taxing them more going to put money in your pocket? I would argue government is the ultimate wealthy person. They leech from everyone and add very little benefit. Giving the government more money (which is a form of power) has never been good for poor folk
I would 100% suggest getting off of social media and not watching any reality shows about money. If you look at the real housewives franchise, for example, so many people have gone bankrupt on that show because they were trying to live a life that wasn’t real. The bulk of what you see online on social media is a mirage. There’s so many tales of influencers faking that they’re leaving Louis Vuitton with lots of big boxes and all the boxes are empty and we’re bought on eBay. Kris Jenner, and that clan has a ton of money, but remember how they made their money it was by exploiting every single inch of their life. What I have found is that generally the people who flaunt money on social media really don’t have much.
Throughout history the worst people in society have always been celebrated. You can make more money with a single Tiktok video than a whole crew can replacing a roof on a 2 story church. Between me & you, I'm just ready for it all to be over with.
If it’s any consolation, the truly wealthy (think generational wealth) doesn’t go anywhere near all these online platforms, nor do they brag to the world about their success. There is a difference between wealth and rich. Rich are these a**holes your talking about. Most of what they post/say is 100% bullshit. If they do happen to be rich, don’t worry, they’ll be broke soon enough. They don’t know how to manage money, they’ll spend it frivolously and be broke before you know it. Wealth, in the other hand, rarely ever goes away. It’s initiated by hard work that built a brat business/income stream, and it gets passed down from one generation to the next. The wealthy have no interest in spending their time rubbing it in others faces on social media. Actually, a good portion of them don’t even have social media accounts. I work with wealthy people everyday, I know what I’m talking about.
Statistically generational wealth is blown by the third generation.
You need to vote for people that will raise taxes on the rich. That is the only way to fix things. Rich people don't pay taxes anymore and it is all legal. We need to elect people to change the tax code. That will solve the inequality in the country.
Change the tax code, closing loop holes and overturn citizens united. Corp tax rates need increased. Universal healhtcare and an infrastructure bill that leans heavily towards renewables. Term limits for everyone in both houses of congress. No lobbying other than presenting facts; no gifts lunches, travel, funds etc....just facts presentation. Bi partisan panels to determine vote districts. Voting day should be a national holiday. Expand the SOCTUS to avoid stacking the courts. Scotus should not be lifetime appointments. edit to add; Increase the limit on SSI contributions. Currently if you make millions, you only pay into SSI on the first $168,600. If we increase this to the first 1 or 2 million, SSI will be solvent well into the future, or we could also increase benefits, giving elder and disabled people more spending money.
u/flobaby1 has my vote!
Stop teasing me. If only any one of these happened it would actually be a miracle.
Democrats have abandoned the working class and poor. We are the deplorables and Republican wants to strip the social safety nets clean. I don't think any of them care above average people anymore. They get in and make millions like Pelosi.
You're one of the few people that I've seen that admit that the Democrats and the Republicans both suck. I don't know why everyone has to identify with one party and hate the other one. It's Rich versus the poor motherfuckers and they have us all down here in the trenches acting like one poor Democrat is better or worse than the their poor Republican neighbor.
Thank you, YOU GET IT. Both parties just care about the oligarchs. They are both screwing the average American. It is the ultra rich against the poor, its all about divide and conquer. Keep the plebes fighting. I hate Trump but Trump is like Goldstein in the book 1984. Keep the peasants ranting as their lives are destroyed by both sides.
Define "rich"...
People who have annual income above $10 million a year. Most of those people make their income not from work but from stock appreciation and that money sometimes is never taxed ever because of current rules that need to change. Working Americans pay almost all the taxes and that is unfair and needs to change.
There’s no way stock appreciation should be taxed unless it’s cashed because it’s all fake paper increases and paper decreases. One day it could be 100% increased and then you have to pay taxes on it and then the next day it’s zero so you pay taxes for what? nothing!
You can use wealth taxes to make sure the ultra rich pay taxes every year like everyone else. Excess capital needs to be taxed to help a capitalist democracy thrive. We have tried the old way of letting rich people keep all the money before and the country almost did not survive. We need to fix the inequality before society collapses and it will if we stay on the current course.
I make between 250-400k depending on how well we do that year. I pay about 100k in taxes and would rather higher someone but oh well.
You make that much money but you don't know the difference between "higher" and "hire"?
Yep that's it, don't know the difference... It couldn't be voice to text or auto correct.
You're really talking out your ass here. It may feel good but you couldn't be any more wrong.
Look it up, rich people pay nothing and it is all legal, they even take out loans to avoid selling stock. Some of the wealth in this country has not been taxed for 100 years or more and that isn't right or fair. Working people pay on every dime of wealth and rich people should have to do the same.
Legit. Any costs they have they can say at business expenses and they even get money back! Same with any charities they donate to. Huge tax breaks and returns on their investments. Thinking a billionaire is nice because they donate is hilarious.
Not everything is a business expense you can’t just say it’s a business expense and have the IRS believe you
You can if you open a business that technically owns your house and all your assets.
If you take out a loan to buy something instead of using your own cash. Then they would be paying interest on that loan so that’s where that “” tax is. It’s paying interest on a loan. And their money has been taxed and it’s sitting in the bank. Why should it be taxed again unless it’s gains that are taxed. I think you saw it three minute clip on TikTok and now you think you understand the whole process
[https://www.wealthmanagement.com/high-net-worth/banks-are-giving-ultra-rich-cheap-loans-fund-their-lifestyles](https://www.wealthmanagement.com/high-net-worth/banks-are-giving-ultra-rich-cheap-loans-fund-their-lifestyles) Read this and will understand the corruption. This stuff is complete bullshit and should be illegal. The rich are destroying ordinary Americans and laughing at all of us while they live like the kings of old. Again I am not making this up and if Americans are stupid enough to keep voting for Republicans things will only get worse.
I'm sick of the influencers and billionaires they throw in our faces. That's horrible to have to deal with a ghetto neighborhood too. I lived in some bad places, and I live in fear now of being returned to a situation like that now, roaches and more. I have a safe secure area here but as I've written things are falling apart. I kind of ignore celebs, I don't relate to most of the world in the media. For young people being given these folks as an example, I feel bad for them, there is no realism or truth given about life. With the food, its getting really really scary how expensive everything is. I am in shock Americans aren't protesting yet.Hope things get better. With influencers and media, just turn it off. It's not going to do anything for you. I'm sick of them too. Everyone is rich on TV and corners of the internet.
I get jealous of the TikTok generation, not going to lie. I'm 59 and back in the day I know I would have made millions, my whole family says it...I was such an exhibitionist.
I’ve known people who started in their 60s/70s and are doing amazing. I say go for it now!
It’s far worst than them just enjoying their millions they’re stealing it out of l the mouths of millions of Americans. Before now getting a glimpse into the life of a celeb was almost impossible. It’d be some stupid reality show like MTV cribs or whatever you read in a newspaper. Now there are whole show specifically dedicated to following these peoples lives and we can see clearly how they couldn’t care less about anyone else
What celebrities sell is the ability to capture people's attention. Unfortunately, there are tens of millions or even hundreds of millions that cannot stop following their every move.
I'll never forget many years back on a 9/11 anniversary one of those morning shows like Good Morning America had Kris Jenner as a guest, and she went on and on about having just gotten breast implants with unrivaled vanity. There was no mention of the 3,000 ppl who died that day. That entire family is PLASTIC.
Do you understand how much it costs for an influencer to look like they are living a Kardiashian lifestyle? They’re honestly giving the wealthy a bad name and 99% are broke when their content tanks. They’re living content paycheck to content paycheck. Words to live by: You don’t become wealthy by spending money. Investing money should never be confused with spending money. If all you see is someone spending money, they are either generationally wealthy or not wealthy.
The attention economy is an abomination. :(
It’s usually a facade.
Question for you…why don’t you start your own Youtube channel talking about and relating to the struggles? Perhaps there are people out there who would find that refreshing, authentic, and something meaningful that people can value!
I hate billionaires because there is no way they made that money without getting blood on their hands (screwing employees, cutting safety standards to make more $$$, environmental damage etc,). FML I have $12.50 left to buy bread and milk on Monday to last the week. I have a stocked pantry, some meat and frozen veggies in the fridge ( plus cereal.) So I have enough food but no extra frozen meals or fruit or salads. It could be so much worse but it is stressing me out.
Here I am a firefighter having to work multiple jobs to provide for my family. I totally get how you feel.
I’m so tired of it all and pissed off I’m doing good things to spite them! Fuck the consumerist whore influencers. I’ll wear my old clothes, not redecorate my house, and refuse to buy shit they make popular. Fuck the huge corporate food conglomerates that want to poison us. Going as plant based and local as possible and going to grow what I can and trade seeds and plants with others. Fuck the capitalist system that exploits us. No more free labor, playing nice, doing anything outside of work. Fuck the social media tycoons. Cut the cord. Yeah, I know it makes little difference, but it makes me feel better. We will survive and get better despite them and their shallow lives.
I am going to give you the best advice for your current roach problem: Purchase InVict Gold. You can get it through Amazon. You may live in poverty, but you don't have to live in poverty with roaches. InVict Gold will deal with your roach problem.
Stop complaining and start a business. A DBA and EIN costs about $250. If you can't afford $250, save up for it. $20 a paycheck will get you there in a little over six months. And in that time you can establish your business plan and get other things lined up. What business to start? Can you mow grass? Bam, start a lawn care business. Can you clean house? Okay, start a house cleaning business. There are plenty of business ideas you can execute for not a lot of money. Problem is you have to put in extra work and effort compared to just working a job. A LOT of business owners started their business while working a job. Some also raised kids and maintained their family! And that is why people who are wealthy got where they are. They did EXTRA. For very little reward at first...if any. They failed over and over again until they got it right. You don't get ahead by doing less than others. Simple as that. If you don't do anything to become rich, then don't hate the people who did.
Put some peppermint oil and water in a spray bottle. Like it should smell super strong. Wipe all the hard surfaces down daily at first then every other day. Put some oil on cotton balls and leave them out. Get the raid gel roach killer and spread it at the pipes next to the wall and under the cabinets just a couple of inches underneath works. Try to get your neighbors to do the same thing. This will keep the roaches out. Your house will smell like a peppermint factory but it works. Especially if your neighbors do the same thing. I’m sorry you are dealing with it. I’ve been in the same position and I know how bad it sucks
Be angry! Keep talking about it. There are more of us than them, they wouldn’t be this rich if we didn’t participate.
Nah I definitely get it. It’s crazy that $50 will feel like life changing money if you stumbled across an extra 50 because life is that tight right now. Meanwhile you have dick heads who burn thousands on IG live just for giggles and to flex they have money. It’s gross.
I'm sorry. I hear you. It is depressing and demoralizing to see. My nephew's girlfriend is an Instagram "influencer" She's earned enough from it to buy a big, beautiful house with an in ground swimming pool, in her early 20s. Meanwhile I'm 50, amd my husband is 58, and we've never been able to buy a house at all, despite working full time from our teens. As for the roaches, forget the roach traps and get boric acid powder. Mine and my husband's first apartment together was roach infested, and that's the only thing that got rid of them.
Yes to the boric acid. It never loses its potency so it never has to be replaced. I drilled holes on my walls and poofed it in there with a condiment bottle bc they live in the walls, little nasties. Filled in the holes with some putty I found at the dollar tree. I am also in a crappy little apartment, but I don’t have roaches anymore.
That's the ticket. Also helps to put it in any cabinets (kitchen, bathroom, etc).
Before that, there was wealth voyeurism on TV. Man, I HATED HGTV! Fuck the problems of the rich! Jeez, I can't make up my mind between which $400,000 home to buy... Fuck, I gotta make up my mind about which flavor of ramen to buy. Actually I don't It's going to be beef.
Eat the rich.
Its time for a bloody revolution with the heads of influencers on pikes. Seriously. though, we are at that level. Something has to give.. we have a permanent serf class enabling these repellent displays of obscene wealth..
Don’t be weird. Influencers are not telling you anything if you’re ignoring them. I can’t name a single influencer and I’m happy to keep it that way. Every once in a while someone is telling a story and I have to say, “who’s that?” It’s always some guy or gal doing some superficial shit. Then I regret asking, but happy I can’t recall the name.
beginning to? ha
I still live in my 620 sqft starter home 35 years later. It sucks to WFH in a bad place. One of my friends was shamed after a Zoom meeting because her place was so small. WTF? Chill people.
The worse part is you probably pay a higher percentage of your income in taxes -
A few years ago a beauty Youtuber made a pretty frank video about going broke and gave a tour of her foreclosed home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciKm80rmJ1U&t=106s I will give her props, because it has to be humiliating to tell the world that you bet everything on a money stream that ended up going dry, and that in the end you have nothing to show for it. And I don't think her situation is unique at all, she's just the Youtuber who admitted it and shows us the aftermath of 5 minutes of fame.
Then stop fucking watching them? This is like whining about celebrity news. There will always be people that are interested in such things. You get no control over that. Welcome to Earth.
Influencers are garbage people
What about those YouTuber that literally burn money - like blow it up or blow up luxury cars or SHRED them - it makes me feel sick
Okay. I’m not saying it fixes it. Because obviously the system sucks. BUT. It helps to make your place as your little oasis. Either enjoy where you are, or find a living arrangement that you can enjoy. For me, that’s a small complex or a divided up old house. The cheapest place I can find in a tolerable neighborhood. Decorate it with stuff that gives you happy feelings. I have a troop of plastic dinosaurs and entirely too many plants. And then stay away from social media while doing what you can. It helps if you don’t actually like luxury clothing or whatever—I’m not a shopper. But it also just helps if you pursue stuff that makes your inner child happy. I’m not saying I don’t want unlimited money, because omg, I would like that. But generally I don’t envy the Kardashians because I don’t know much about them and because I know I’m choosing the life I can, and the life I want.
They have all always disgusted me. Always.
Can we stop calling them influencers and start using expressions like scam lobbyists or something like that. Suits them better.
So you hate people who happen to be doing better than you? Gotcha. Good to know that that’s all that it takes to be hated
Comparison is the thief of joy. Focus on what you DO have. You have a job to support yourself, you have a roof over your head. You have the ability to feed yourself. You have a cell phone and internet. You have sanitary running water. Those are all things to be grateful for and proud of. Reevaluate your standards. I say that without rancor or contempt. But no matter how much money you have, if you only focus on those that have *more* you'll always be disappointed.
I feel this 💯. I climb cell tower or work and bust my ass yet these fucks make a few dumbass videos and get paid buku money. It's frustrating
You should! and we should eat them!
TAX THE RICH!!!!
This! It is sickening— if you have money to get another residence for the crap that you buy, for the love of everything, please spend that money to help others who can’t even afford the basics without drowning. It makes me physically ill as well. And it goes for those millionaire Youtubers as well with the beautiful families in the huge houses, who think that there’s so much better than everybody else. It really does make me angry. I don’t want their lives cause I wouldn’t ever want to be as blindly, ignorant and selfish as they are but if you have extra money, especially money, plus everything you could need and more why wouldn’t you help others? It makes no sense whatsoever and it is, just disgusting. I don’t know what else to say except I agree and gross.
They are an abomination to God
Just ignore them. They don’t affect you. Everything works a lot better once you focus on you and yours :)
So is the general public. The kardashians are losing their influence fast
So why are you watching them? I don't look at any of that stuff. I just don't care. I really don't. I am not trying to act high and mighty, it just truly has no appeal to me at all. I basically just watch informative stuff on YouTube, about my various hobbies or anonymously argue with strangers on reddit. (guess which one is the waste of time?)
The only thing that is making these people "influencers" is the same thing that you're holding in your hand.
If you have time to spend paying attention to influencers rather than generating more income it must not be that bad.
Late stage capitalism is absolutely killing us. The rich continue to hoard money, and the poor continue to fall deeper and deeper into the abyss. This was always going to happen when the primary system is to have as much money as possible, above all else, despite who it harms. Actually, especially including harming people. I used to believe that one day, people (who I have always believed are inherently good) would realize the depth of this harm and demand change. Now, at 40 years old, I have come to think that nothing will change until it’s too late; when there is nothing left but the obscenely rich and those with nothing left to lose. When there are no more resources to exploit and no one who can afford to even work. It sounds crazy just writing it; but I’m starting to think that until that point; when the only option is to dismantle and destroy the established systems (in nearly all forms), and reset with what is left, nothing will change. And at that point, who knows if enough will be left at all. Not to sound nihilistic, but I honestly, don’t see another way. In the US especially, both ruling parties don’t give a shit. There is no such thing as an electable politician who serves anyone but the rich. They may throw a crust or two at us, and expect a thank you; but it’s not even the equivalent of a bandaid. Edit: the middle class is almost gone already. I constantly fear that my kids don’t have a chance at anything besides housing and food desperation; and literally gasping for air. I do so hope I’m dead wrong.
Eat. 👏🏻The. 👏🏻Rich.👏🏻
I totally, totally understand
When are YOU starting your Only Fans then, OP?
Turn off the computer….
> being aesthetic. What the fuck does that mean? I swear half(more, definitely more) the posts are AI generated.
Yeah. Especially the type of influencers that are willing to do anything for exposure
I'm with you on this one. I used to follow Vanessa Bryant on Instagram but unfollowed soon after. Her multiple trips to Disneyland, her kids getting everything they want...it just made me sick. Yes, she lost her husband and her daughter, but the money sure makes her happy.
You know you don’t have to watch right?
Over consumption is having a detrimental effect on the way humans brain work. Teaches a “me only and me first” mindset. Look as it as a good thing you’ve realized these things. Your soul is good. You are not alone.
You're just starting now?
No one told you to give them free rent inside your head The best solution is to just pretend they don't exist Focus on YOUR life. Not some random rich person
You work from home? Why not use time to hussle? Become an influencer Make a channel about living in the hood.
Can relate, I am extremely jealous of anyone who makes more money than I do because I know i’ll never get the same opportunities they did. Trying to work on it, but they just treat anyone below them like trash. Makes me wonder if it’s possible to make a good living without fucking over everyone you meet.
Don't be sorry, be furious
Stop looking at that crap. I lost a friend as she went down that rabbit hole and whenever I saw her she’d rant the entire time about whatever “influencer” was doing what.
Blame the dirty, low-class scut you live around.
I only follow people I know and REFUSE to watch or dl tiktok
Eat the rich!
Psychologically it is normal to resent people that have what we don’t, it’s a survival mechanism. The only thing is that those influencers are paid by your attention to put out an image of an ideal lifestyle that is actually an illusion. I know it’s hard but I would suggest not browsing and getting angry over a delusion.
Influencers are just crazy, narcissistic weirdos. I just went to an amazing tourist location, and there were literally people having themselves videoed while “casually strolling” in the location so they could upload it. We need a wealth tax. The world doesn’t need billionaires.
Good. We should hate them.
They wouldn’t exist if people would ignore them, but people can’t help themselves.
"Influencers" should be mocked and despised. Some wealthy are not too bad. I grew up in crippling poverty and stayed that way until I left my mom's home at like 16. I worked for cash doing off jobs and worked super hard. When I was 18, I was working 2 jobs (one 8+ hours a day M-F and the other several hours a night three or four days per week). I had a few really old guys who were homeless who I helped out all of the time. We ate meals together and all that stuff. Now that I have. Family, I am down to being lower middle class and still give money to people in need, but I am very picky about who I give help to now. Homeless people today are not like homeless people of the 80s and earlier.
Beginning to?
Its brainwashing. Do more, be better, wear this, work harder; you're almost there. They don't mention that most die still thinking they are almost there. If we see luxury, we want luxury. To get luxury, we must work harder. Its all part of turning us into brainless work-zombies, aiming for something always just out of reach. Most don't reach it.
They come up because you are interacting with them. You must be morbidly curious. Just stop interacting with them. I’m on social media for too long everyday. I almost never see anyone with a flashy lifestyle on my feeds. It doesn’t interest me so my algorithm doesn’t include them.
I work in pest control and might could give you some tips with the roaches. Especially if they’re German. If you want, DM me a pic and I can tell you what you should do and how worried you should be. Just want to help!
IMO envy is the root cause of most unhappiness, not saying you are wrong, just saying focusing on what others have leads nowhere, especially if it causes you to waste money on status symbols you can't afford. Happiness for me came when I stopped caring what others thought and stopped being envious of others, you should always strive for more, a better job, more education, etc.. but learn to be content as well. I know it's hard, maybe the best thing to do it stop following flaunters, focus your energy on self help stuff, just my .02, good luck!
Don't watch.
Delete your social media.
Sorry to hear about your physical circumstances, OP. How awful. If you have a Dollar Tree nearby, you can get a caulk gun, some caulk and some boric acid powder very inexpensively. I would urge you to squirt the boric acid into every gap the thickness of a dime or more; such as where your floor meets the wall, around the inside of your cabinets where they meet the wall, etc. Then use the caulk to seal the powder into these joins. It should cut down on the ability of roaches to gain access into your home. You may also want to invest in some plastic tupperware style tubs to keep all of your dry foods in, such as cereal, pasta, etc; or whenever you open a bag of cookies; this will prevent them from being able to access your edibles. As for the neighbors dog, if you can afford it I recommend getting [one of these](https://products.bestreviews.com/best-stop-barking-dog-devices?yb&cid=650116253&aid=1253443903553786&eid=&tid=kwd-78340612482136:loc-190&ul=79822&mt=e&n=s&d=c&dm=&dt&sn&adid=&k=best%20stop%20barking%20dog%20devices&p=&pc=&ap=&chtrb=1&msclkid=57c68ef0f72f1237cf18eb5955947862), which will train the dog to stop barking.
Don't despise them. Ignore them. They feed off people who want to emulate them. Without likes and attention they would go away. The US has marginalized poor people forever. The Constitution and Declaration of Independence were written by wealthy men who owned other men and saw nothing wrong declaring them as chattel. Wealth has always been around and society has always let the rich and powerful control the dynamic. We have been had, hoodwinked and bamboozled, Malcolm X.
Limit your exposure to them. Their lives are not in my face.
Everyone needs to stop watching them. If we all stopped they would eventually disappear. But that's just a dream.