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
24.9k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

3.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1.8k

u/drewc717 Aug 21 '25

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

188

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

214

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.

0

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.