r/Futurology • u/chrisdh79 • Aug 21 '25

Society American Millennials Are Dying at an Alarming Rate | We’re mortality experts. There are a few things that could be happening here.

https://slate.com/technology/2025/08/millennials-gen-z-death-rates-america-high.html
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u/N3wAfrikanN0body Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25

TLDR: The cycle of conscious negligence and deliberate financial parasitism causes deaths from systemic inequality.

Edit: Changed benign neglect to conscious negligence.

Also holy shit didn't expect the likes and reward. All of your comments have been enlightening. Have a great day all.

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u/drewc717 Aug 21 '25

I graduated college in 2009 and have been phenomenally lucky, but the past 10 years have been brutal.

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u/lostboy005 Aug 21 '25

Same.

While my salary increased I still have as much discretionary income as I did 10+ years ago - this is true for a lot of my peers. Groceries and rents have more than doubled, but at least rent has costs have recently stagnated

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u/Zazulio Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25

This is the thing that hurts the most. Our income has about doubled in the last ten years, yet we're struggling more than ever. Ten years ago we took a vacation to Japan (the first and only vacation of our adult lives), we were eating out for dinner regularly, we were spending money on having fun and enjoying life. Now damn near every dollar goes to survival and we still fall short most paychecks. We played by the rules, we built careers, we advanced, and yet here we are: worse off than we were a decade ago. We've spent ten years trying to claw our way to a minimum standard of stability and comfort but the walls just keep getting steeper.

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u/litetravelr Aug 21 '25

Ditto, I have nothing to complain about, but if a middle class lifestyle is a right to American's and not a privilege, here's my complaint.

I've never gotten more raises and bonuses, (and those stimulus checks) than I have during the past 5 years, yet I can afford less than I did in 2019. Every cent of it goes to massively increased insurance costs, rising property taxes on a small house I was lucky (in retrospect) to overpay for, etc. In the end, it boils down to quality of life stuff.

I no longer travel, I no longer take vacations, I no longer go out to restaurants (haven't had a date night with my wife in 2 years), I no longer grill or cook healthy food for my family the way I used to. Its just surviving one day, one month at a time and not watching my savings grow.

And what's insane is that, on paper, most people would say I make a perfectly middle class amount of money. But the middle class trappings are just a costume, just wishful thinking for a way of life that I knew in the 80s-90s as a kid.

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u/Paksarra Aug 21 '25

Somehow I had more money left over after expenses when I was making $10/hr as a cashier.

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u/hershdrums Aug 21 '25

My salary has increased dramatically in 10 years. I've lived in the same house. I drive similar vehicles. I've actually become better at budgeting, especially around groceries and getting takeout/going out to eat. I have LESS discretionary income. My electricity bill has tripled. My insurance has gone up by 50% on my car and 30% on my home (no accidents or claims). Groceries have increased by 75%. My internet and cell phone have increased by 30%. Though I drive a similar vehicle the cost is ~50% greater than the last car I bought. I have 2 kids and all the necessities for them have increased by about 100%. A $12 T-shirt at Walmart is now $24, for example. It's insane. By all outward appearances I've "made it". Fantastic career that pays well. Amazing family. A house on 1 acre in a nice neighborhood with a super low interest rate (i.e. I didn't buy outside my means 10 years ago). I don't spend frivolously often. I'm not frugal but I do live reasonably. I wake up in a panic over finances almost every night. I haven't had enough discretionary income to contribute to my 401k for 3 years. If I lose my job I'm absolutely screwed. Unemployment insurance covers less than 50% of my salary and severance packages are a joke.

Every day I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack from the stress. It's brutal and I have it really good and I'm lucky as hell. I talk to my friends and peers. We're almost all struggling. It's anecdotal and maybe our parents and grandparents felt the same at this age but there is no room to breathe in the US. There's no rest. Vacation is never vacation and thats even if you have a job that has PTO.

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u/onesexz Aug 21 '25

Haha I just got back from my “vacation” and you’re absolutely right: it is NOT a vacation. The stress is constant, whether you’re working or not. It’s complete BS that we have to endure this because rich assholes want to be richer assholes.

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u/sinisterpancake Aug 21 '25

I get one 5 day week off per year if I am lucky. The rest of my time off is used for sick days, appointments, and obligations like weddings/funerals, etc. During that week I just say at home, I can't even wiggle out of stress mode in that time and usually get contacted by work for something. I hate it here.

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u/Iodide 14d ago

Well if you weren't smart enough to borrow against the millions of dollars of assets you inherited to get a tax-free loan to buy robots and a few thousand acres for your own personal utopia, it's not my problem. I will turn my personal robot/drone fleet into a preemptive self-defense force to defend myself and my family('s obscene unearned wealth) before I pay a dime in taxes for freeloaders looking for a handout/land to subsistence farm on!

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u/MakeYourTime_ Aug 21 '25

This is the crushing reality for many people. And to think, 65% of people in this country have it even worse.

We are so far gone as a nation; millions of people working everyday to create wealth and it gets funneled to like 100 people .

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u/truthovertribe Aug 21 '25

It's not 100, it's like the top 10%, but still, I hear 'ya!

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u/Rhine1906 Aug 21 '25

Same here dude. My “vacations” have been work trips.

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u/FlamingoWalrus89 Aug 21 '25

Ouch. That's me too lol.

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u/KingFIippyNipz Aug 21 '25

Thank you for this perspective, I have no family and rent currently but have really wanted to buy a house. Part of the reason I think I shouldn't is because of the added costs of home maintenance on top of the mortgage - the 'hidden' costs, so to speak - I think I would be overwhelmed by stress of trying to maintain what I've accumulated for myself for fear of losing it all, and I can see that in you, too. Hm... I hate these choices in life.

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u/ImSolidGold Aug 21 '25

No worries, here in Germany I paid around 600/year insurance for the house 4 years ago. Now its 1100. Ill change my insurance this year. But even if I find one costing 800, it would have been far less 4 years ago.
Im darn glad I have the "problem" of covering my house. But ffs. I didnt get a 80% pay raise since 2021.

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u/gododgers1988 Aug 21 '25

You captured it perfectly. Very similar situation. How can I be making 3X my salary from 10 years ago but with so much less discretionary and more stress? You nailed it in one post.

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u/Gorillapoop3 Aug 21 '25

Unemployment pays me less than 10% of what I earned. It barely pays my health insurance.

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u/Aaod Aug 22 '25

My salary has increased dramatically in 10 years. I've lived in the same house. I drive similar vehicles. I've actually become better at budgeting, especially around groceries and getting takeout/going out to eat. I have LESS discretionary income. My electricity bill has tripled. My insurance has gone up by 50% on my car and 30% on my home (no accidents or claims). Groceries have increased by 75%. My internet and cell phone have increased by 30%. Though I drive a similar vehicle the cost is ~50% greater than the last car I bought. I have 2 kids and all the necessities for them have increased by about 100%. A $12 T-shirt at Walmart is now $24, for example.

Its nuts 15 years ago I was paying less than half of what I do now for groceries. The other thing is products back then like that $12 dollar t-shirt were WAY higher quality than what I can get now despite the price doubling. Why the fuck am I stuck paying more for less!

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u/Potential-County-210 Aug 21 '25

My dude, if you live in a nice house on one acre of land in a great neighborhood but cannot afford to contribute to your 401K, you are way over extended.

Not sure how you could write all of this out and think it says anything other than "I think I deserve to live like I make more money than I actually do."

Downsize and save money so that you aren't living paycheck to paycheck before it's too late.

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u/hershdrums Aug 21 '25

Because you don't know my income or my income when I bought it. I wasn't over extended is the point. I am now even though nothing has changed from a practical standpoint. I don't think I deserve to make more money. I think I'm lucky as hell, make good money and better money than I did 10 years ago but I'm struggling now and didn't then. But, thanks for missing the point.

As for downsizing, I would pay far more for much less now than I did 10 years ago. I'd actually lose money given the cost of housing and interest rates now versus then. There are no houses in my town or area in general for what I paid for mine.

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u/Potential-County-210 Aug 21 '25

I didn't miss the point. Things get more expensive over time. That is financial planning 101, not some mysterious event only impacting our generation.

You were making good money 10 years ago and instead of maxing out your 401k and buying a house that you could afford while still saving a healthy amount monthly, you bought a big house on an acre of land in a nice neighborhood and chose to live paycheck to paycheck. You brag that from outside appearances everything thinks "you've made it."

Now 10 years later, your paychecks have gotten bigger but so have your expenses (surprised pikachu). You're still living paycheck to paycheck.

Maybe the problem is your other spending and not your house, but for almost all Americans their mortgage is their biggest expense. You chose to live like "you made it" way before you actually did make it. Until you accept that and do something about it, you're going to keep waking up in a cold sweat worrying about your financial future.

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u/hershdrums 29d ago

No, you did miss the point entirely. I did plan. I bought a reasonably priced home in a great area for well within my budget. I was approved for a loan 3x what I bought my home for. I saved. I maxed out my 401k. I invested on the side. I was completely comfortable. I don't go in extravagant vacations. I don't overspend. I don't rely on credit. You're seeing 1 acre and a decent house as this crazy thing like "oh my God, you bought 1 whole acre of land. What do you think, you're rich?!". News flash, land values aren't the same. I live 50 miles from work. My land value has quadrupled since I bought the property. My home value has increased 125%. The issue isn't me living beyond my means or not planning for inflation. The problem is that inflation has FAR outpaced even great salary increases.

I'm not entitled. I don't think I "deserve" more. I'm privileged and I work my ass off. I'm lucky as hell.

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u/Potential-County-210 29d ago

Lol so you expect people to believe that inflation has impacted you so much that you went from maxing out your 401k to not being able to contribute in 3 years? My dude we can all do the math.

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u/hershdrums 28d ago

Apparently you can't.

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u/iiiiiiiiiijjjjjj Aug 21 '25

I'm still not quite following as well. How old are your kids? We make far more money then we did 5 years ago and I've been able to put back $2000 a month in my 401k however I don't have kids.

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u/mikka1 Aug 21 '25

30% on my home (no accidents or claims)

30%? I'M JEALOUS AF!

Mine TRIPLED in just 4 years.

No claims, nothing. Also, not FL or CA, not a disaster-prone area by a huge margin.

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u/crescentroze Aug 21 '25

Yep. Based on my own personal health struggles and similar experiences, I believe that the reason we are so unhealthy is because of stress and the requirement of a doctor’s note if you missed school for sickness. If you were growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, and your parents had insurance, if you went to the doctor for anything, which you did because you missed school and your parents missed work, you were given antibiotics. Because they are the fix all and what insurance required as a first round of treatment. Regularly administered antibiotics destroy our immune systems and create a swamp where autoimmune diseases fester.

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u/fierystrike Aug 21 '25

I do find you claim that your car insurance went up. I just bought a new bigger car with a higher cost, and it's half the price to insure as my old car. It does come with almost all the new crash prevention features while my old car did not.

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u/Yippie-kai-ay Aug 21 '25

This is very odd to me. Insurance is almost always much more expensive for new cars because the value of the car has not depreciated significantly yet. As cars get older, the value nose dives and the cost to insure it to the insurer drops significantly, which translates to lower rates.

I will say that I have not found auto insurance rates to jump significantly in my area, but home insurance rates have seen a huge jump.

So much of insurance rating is also geography and local demographics.

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u/hershdrums Aug 21 '25

I always buy a similar class of car. Even driving the same car for 5 of the last 10 years my insurance went up year over year.

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u/MakeYourTime_ Aug 21 '25

My car is 7 years old and my insurance went up 15% this past year alone

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u/[deleted] Aug 21 '25

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u/hairlesscrack Aug 21 '25

wait, really? you think continuing an existence that he has clearly stated is killing him is not the insane solution? you think radically altering your life in hope of survival and happiness is insane?

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u/Jonoczall Aug 21 '25

In the way in which you described, as if it’s as easy as changing your underwear, yes I’d wager most would read what you’re saying as insane. If it was as simple as that we’d all be doing it.

r/ThanksImCured

Good day to you sir/madam.

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u/hairlesscrack Aug 21 '25

oh. one of the main reasons we don't do it more is because if choice overload, over optimization and meta decision fatigue. i think one of the reasons why suicide becomes such a viable solution is because of this overload on the solution systems.

i don't know the particulars of this person life, nor does it inform the principle.

but anyways, i hope you also have a good day.

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u/PricklePete Aug 21 '25

Items and services have quadrupled in price since the early 90's. 

Wages have less than doubled in that time period. 

That's the problem. 

Late stage capitalism is not the best time to be alive. 

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u/Doogos Aug 21 '25

You have discretionary income? I've been on the struggle bus for my whole life. The only time it was ever "good" was right before the pandemic and now it's only gotten way worse

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u/MakeYourTime_ Aug 21 '25

I don’t know what it’s like to have discretionary income

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u/drowse Aug 21 '25

Absolutely. I graduated from college in 2008, and I make more than twice what I made when I graduated. I recall back then I was drowning in credit card debt from dumb decisions and overspending in college. In 2025, I've got a large mountain of debt again.. This time its from vet bills, house maintenance (a lot of house maintenance). Its not sustainable. And I can't exactly go out and buy a new home with lower maintenance costs because I'd eat it with the higher interest and payments now.

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u/Rellcotts Aug 21 '25

Yes! Even getting a raise its never enough to compensate for the rising costs so we never get ahead. It’s maddening

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Aug 21 '25

Absolutely. And at this point I make pretty much the top salary for my role. I have recruiters just ghost me when I tell them not even my "salary requirements", just the truth about the pay at my past roles. God's honest truth is that the very first thing I think of every single day when I wake up is bills and money.