this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2025
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I feel this so deeply, I think my bones are getting sore.
To set the scene: I live in the oldest, cheapest neighborhood in my town -- among single family homes at least. We're centrally located within walking distance of the elementary school. The town itself is well located too, and is growing like crazy and considered a fairly affluent area within the region.
Along with the cheap house, we have two cars both 10+ years old, and my wife is able to be a stay at home mom and help our family stay super involved in the community and the school. It is a pretty great setup, but one that I have been consciously working towards and making sacrifices to reach.
Watching other parents, it is both aggravating and heartbreaking to see how often people with their own young children are starting their day by anger-driving their brand new bulbous luxury SUVs through the school parking lot and on the nearby roads that kids use to walk to school.
It's easy to blame the individuals, and certainly it's in their best interests to work on their issues and goals and priorities any way they can. But we on Lemmy know that there are systemic financial and cultural forces constantly pushing people into the rat race lifestyle and telling them that earn + consume + daycare is the life that a good american strives for.
Speaking of the systemic issues that force people into the capitalist grinder, here is my unfortunate reality check:
What does it take to live that Homer Simpson existence of the working dad supporting his small family in a below-average home with some old cars that have been paid off for several years, while still having some pets and hobbies and occasional vacation?
I'm a middle-aged tech worker with three college degrees, living in the cheap neighborhood full of elderly people, blue collar working class folks, and rental homes with multiple adults sharing it. My car even has a broken windshield right now, lol.
Was homer simpson really in a 'below-average home' though? At least 3 bedrooms (bart, lisa, homer+marge at least had their own rooms, I can't remember if maggie did), big kitchen, a dining room, living room, and a big back yard tell the story of a pretty decent home. Maybe if there was only one bathroom?
That's why Frank Grimes called it "a palace".
A 3 bedroom house in a suburban neighborhood in some random midwest area could be below the national median price for single family homes pretty easily, I bet.
My house is old and small, but it has 4 bedrooms and a level fenced-in back yard and is worth WAY less than the current median that's up in the $400,000s.