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Australia's happiness divide has been revealed — and one worry stands out (www.sbs.com.au)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/australia@aussie.zone
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Australians are anxious about money — and losing faith things will get better. That's according to a major new survey of more than 15,000 Australians which has found that cost of living pressure isn't just the nation's top worry — it's also bleeding into how hopeful people feel about the future.

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[–] 5 points 4 months ago (5 children)

For most of my 46 years I believed that if I just kept working hard things will keep getting better, and for most of it that was true. But for around the last 4-5 years, things have been getting worse at a faster and faster rate, despite my pay going up significantly. I don't predict that's going to turn around without some sort of massive disruption to the system.

I'm ready for collapse, because society sure as shit isn't working for me or my family anymore.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    My personal feeling is life got stretched wider, the poorest got poorer and the richest got richer, and more people are stretched out like gum between. Not just population increases, the homelessness, and the "dregs" (maybe hopelessness) are more. But there's plenty of people riding the stretch the other way with house ownership protecting those who have, and have more.

    I've felt lucky, I've always been employed and finding more better work, I already owned by tiny flat. Because of that I'm basically the same but I'm watching everyone around me disappear one way or the other. Financially and politically.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago

    I often think about the street I lived on when I was very young. All newish houses. My father was an electrician. Up the road was a young barber with a stay at home wife and 2 young kids. A bit further on was a married couple, both doctors, no kids. All on the same street. Similar houses and lifestyles. Can't imagine that these days.

    I have a long and varied employment history, but I've been a construction labourer, a software developer, a meter reader, and currently a structural engineer for the last 5 years (yes I have multiple university degrees), and I've never been poorer.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    If you're ready for collapse, may I instead suggest peaceful* revolution as an alternative?

    The rich are getting richer at everyone else's expense, and people suggesting that this is the only society possible, that we are at "the end of history" under capitalism is just a lie.

    We deserve a properly democratic society where the workers/people not only have democratic control of their governance without dominance of moneyed interests, but also within the workplace. Basically, we deserve socialism.

    If you're feeling this way, I encourage you to get involved with The Socialists in your state.

    Alternatively, Socialist Alliance is pretty similar, and I suspect at some point the 2 will combine.

    These 2 are anti-stalinist and believe socialism fundamentally must be democratic - which the USSR ended up not being under Stalin and his successors.

    Watch out for some more fringe groups, particularly a number of groups self-described as communists, who think that any enemy of the US should be supported even if the governments there are oppressive (Russia, Iran, etc), and think China is socialist (lol).

    Anyway, wishing you all the best, and just saying: the world won't change itself via apathy, and there are groups of people who will welcome you into the fight with open arms.

    If you're in Victoria, feel free to send me a message via DM.

    * probably not entirely peaceful because it's quite likely the ruling class won't give up their power quietly

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago (1 child)

    I'm with you brother. I'm a huge advocate of democratic socialism and would love to see a stronger socialist movement here.

    I'm not apathetic, I'm pessimistic 😉. But mostly just exhausted, time poor, and proper poor. I hope that my kids or somebody's kids can bring about meaningful change, but I don't think it's going to happen without some significant pain.

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