Scott Alexander

9.

The Parable of Calvin's Grandparents

Calvin Blick writes, quote, Imagine having to get up at 4am every morning, drive an hour to work, and then run a meat shop single-handedly, dealing with customers, slicing cuts of meat, dealing with all the behind-the-scenes stuff like rent and suppliers.

You get home at 7 or 8pm every night.

You only rarely get to see your kids.

You have a small house in a not-great neighbourhood.

Your wife has to deal with five kids single-handedly.

Money is tight.

Meat is a luxury.

Your husband beats you on occasion, and no one cares.

That was the reality for my grandparents.

Yes, my grandfather owned the business, but it was a really hard life by modern standards.

Obviously, living standards were rising rapidly, which is not the case today, but none of the people complaining about how hard things are now would trade places to take on that life.

End quote.

Scott writes, I like this comment for putting the your life really is different from and better than past generations in ways that are invisible to you argument in stark relief.

But, Lee Face answers,

You have kids, in fact five of them, the wonderful bundles of joy.

You own your own business.

You get to work in person providing value to real people.

Your neighbours talk to each other.