I cook at home because of restaurant prices and tip culture. Driving everywhere sucks. Everything feels miles away so good luck walking.

  • TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    3 hours ago

    yeah it is. nobody is forcing you to work a crappy job you don’t like, other than yourself.

    lots of people choose that life, and pretend like they don’t have any other choice. and settle into a life of bitterness and anger and usually a toxic coping mechanism that deprives them of what little disposable income they do have. like alcohol, gambling, or similar.

    if you want to improve your life you have to give up the coping mechanisms, save your money, and invest in yourself. but that is hard and most would rather daydream about a big magic pile of money falling from the sky.

    • idiomaddict@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      3 hours ago

      Many people live in towns with fewer than five companies, with poor internet access. Many people have to keep odd schedules because of family care obligations. Many people are functionally illiterate. Many people have criminal convictions. There are a lot of things that can limit your ability to leave a job you already have.

      Many people do accept work conditions worse than they have to, but not every worker is flexible enough to choose their work.

      • TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        2 hours ago

        Then they have to move. They have to learn to read. They have to change their circumstances. Nobody is going to change it for them.

        I grew up in a small crappy town. I decided from a young age I would leave my community. It sucked. I hated my life there. It was a great motivation to get out, succeed, and never come back. I watched several of my friends make difference choices and move home even if they left and never leave and repeat the same miserable lives their parents lead.

        It’s a choice. You can make excuses for yourself your entire life, or you can make choices to change your life.

        I felt trapped too when I was in that town. But I knew nobody was ever going to save me. but I could save myself, so that’s what I did. And yes, i got punished by parents, my friends, by my former teachers, for being ‘arrogant’ and ‘a douchebag’ for wanting to improve my life and not settle for their miserable existences.

        • idiomaddict@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          1 hour ago

          I’m glad for you. It sounds like you were smart or skilled enough to be presented with opportunities to leave and had the foresight to take them and the dedication to fully benefit from them. Not everyone is or has those qualities and that’s not a moral failing.

          You overcame difficult circumstances, but that’s due to you being an exception, and whether that’s because of qualities inherent to you or luck is impossible to determine. The idea of it being luck is scary, but that doesn’t mean that everyone who doesn’t behave exactly as you did is to blame for their circumstances.

          Surely you know people from your hometown who earnestly tried, but were just too dumb to really keep up in school or with complicated conversations among friends. Do you think they would be able to achieve what you have? What about the smart kids with severe ADHD who were flaky due to no fault of their own? If so, what use is your intelligence or dedication?