And sadly, even fewer are reading.
So why the title of tonight’s rant and why it is 100% germane to the future of the United States and our financial system might seem like a reach; however, it is truly based on my personal observations of human behavior in my past few weeks between debating starting a new business or taking a position again in the professional realm.
For example, we all rant, rave, and honk our horns at the retards who sit at a traffic light 5 seconds after it turns green (I only give them 2.5) and act shocked when we all cuss them out and yell at them for thinking that doing live Face Time videos or texting ten pictures and a video discussion of how their pet pooped this morning while driving is not only selfish but moronically unsafe to everyone else. Personally I think the Florida State Patrol should be permitted to shoot the tires out, or wherever they’d like to disable the vehicle for this behavior, but then again, I am a hard ass.
I was unfortunate enough to have to make a trip to my local Walmart today because my click first, pay attention later better half ordered something she didn’t like and wanted something else. I trudged over there after lunch to get the necessities of life, beer, mixer, oh, and return the stupid item.
While shopping there, I noticed an uncomfortably large number of people who were not employed under the age of 40. But that’s not what this rant is about, it’s about the mass number of souls all addicted and performing activities totally unrelated to social interaction and the former norms of human behavior.
It transcends a visit to Walmart, a grocery store, an airplane flight, or even just picking up coffee at a the local Dunkin’ Donuts.
Let’s face reality, we’ve seen the boorish and rude behavior by Americans in airports both domestically and overseas. The lack of basic common courtesy, moral ethical behavior, and worse, a prancing around as if the “new” society dictates everyone bows down to them and not the traditional rules of politeness.
Yet it transcends travel. Go to a local grocery store and tell this author one hasn’t seen the crudity of a shopper’s children or the shopper themselves opening food containers and eating the product in the store; if not outright stealing it.
Today though, pretty much displayed the frustrations of those of considered “normies” in one visit and it doesn’t apply just to Walmart; it could have easily been a Publix grocery store, Costco, or other retail location.
Imagine standing in the self checkout express line with a few items. The person in front is in the traditional American “I’m too lazy and fat-assed to walk” electric wheelchair (subject was definitely under 40). The individual was using an EBT card to check out, no big deal, whatever, that is nothing new. However the junk food this person had hit the limit and the person had to use a debit card to finish checking out. Also no big deal, but that’s not the issue.
Instead of deciding to complete the transaction, this person had to finish the final 3 minutes of whatever television show or video before cashing out. Rude? Yes. Selfish? Yes. Boorish? Yes. The line needless to say got long in no time flat for what should have been a one minute transaction dragged out for no reason.
Everyone is Looking Down, No One is Listening
Does not this annoying new society where one is dealing with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) answering system that never gets one to the proper individual to resolve a problem or obtain product assistance somewhat annoying?
What about attempting to discuss anything with almost anyone ages 6 to 66 now while they are looking down at their phones?
Americans are so focused on the entertainment aspects of their handheld computers (cellphones), showing off on social media, or just being entertained that they end up with unforeseen consequences. Personally I find the behavior repulsive although on occasion, I must admit I have been guilty of myself in the heat of the moment while dong business or discussing markets with friends.
But in airports, grocery stores, and worse, while driving, there is another aspect of the “entitlement” society where they can put you at risk while driving, act rudely while talking at 98 decibels to a friend during a face time or phone call, or hold up lines at grocery stores while playing video games on their phones.
I swear our society is going to have a rash of permanent neck injuries from this as the younger generations get to my age and yes, I know, I sound like the proverbial meme from the Simpsons.
The larger issue relates to our “new new” more modern education system and the lack of the sharing of moral behavioral values by parents starting with the boomers on down to most, not all, of today’s younger adults. The key society sustaining tool of learning to listen is a massive problem, which is why more accidents are happening as well as the quality of American education is in perpetual decline in many states.
Until we elect to stop looking down and looking up to listen, the problems will only multiply, and the reflection of this can be found not just in our communities, but the very capitalist system which is the bedrock of our nation.
What Does This Have to Do with Finance and the Economy?
Welcome to entitled America.
If anyone thinks this is just a Gen Z, Millennial, or Gen X problem, you’re an idiot. I see this with the “boomers” aka, elderly also, all the time.
The crux of the problem is simple when one analyzes what has happened in the last 20 years and the near brink of total economic collapse which almost occurred in 2008.
The US government bailed out the banks in 2009. This circus show was followed up by President Obama essentially nationalizing the student loan program in 2010. The nation followed that up by passing out free money with the CARES Act approved by President Trump in March of 2020 due to a really bad cold. This inflationary act basically gave those companies that qualified a chance to obtain “free” money while directly mailing checks out to restart a floundering economy which in the end created more inflation.
Then in 2022, President Biden suspended serious action to foreclose on delinquent homeowners with Federally backed or initiated loans which once again, gave a pass to individuals. That was doubled down with the promise to suspend collections on student loans and then an attempt at an unconstitutional loan forgiveness program.
Between businesses and individuals what is the average schmuck supposed to think?
Why pay my bills seems to be the answer. Everyone thinks that you can be rude, obnoxious, and irresponsible because “the other guy does it thus so can I.”
This amazing summary of Google search trends seems to validate that not only has this nation fallen into an era of wanton ignorance and poor education, but that the group think is that it is someone else’s problem and that they are entitled to live how they want, even way outside their own financial means.
If one needs help on how to use a hammer or a mop, then assuming that they can manager their own personal finances is probably a reach also. This explains why so many people were absolutely rude and destroyed their homes or rentals when foreclosed or evicted in the past seventeen years as our society has condoned this type of behavior, at the expense of the capitalist.
What is worse in this modern era is the emergence of the “gambling” society, implicitly given approval by Wall Street and Washington. First it was online sports gambling winning widespread approval but then it expanded. And sadly, many lower to middle class debtors now view not only the lottery as an “out” to getting back to even or ahead, but online casinos, and of course, gambling on crypto and Wall Street.
The societal focus on bread and circus provides the ultimate distraction for personal liberty to be surrendered and financial inequity to expand.
A schism is upon us and unless it is reversed quickly, our nation shall split upon those lines, the haves and have-nots, the able and lazy, the functionally illiterate and the learned. Sadly, society and history dictate that those that can not adapt or learn are exploited throughout history and the most easily manipulated by political exploitation.
For a nation to survive and thrive over the long term, this is not a formula for success.
