Going out requires a car. Money to park a car, money for the event itself, money for drinks, money for games, money for food. THEN you can have fun. If you're broke too bad.

Americans are more miserable than ever. The enshitification of basically everything has take a strangle hold on life itself. Something has got to give.

Can someone post the text, please? Recaptcha is tedious as fuck.

I was reading somewhere that gambling has “become Americans favorite pastime”. That’s a sad state of affairs as it means people are trying to recover and make money rather than expanding themselves with art, culture and entertainment.

In my small hometown there used to be a go kart track & mini golf place that closed down a number of years ago. A bank was built in its place.
A few years later a locally popular/famous restaurant unexpectedly closed down, even the cooks & waiters were caught off guard. The owners sold the property to a different bank.

We often blame smartphones and social media for making us feel worse. But most of the world uses these digital tools at least as much as Americans do, and the US still came in 23rd on the global happiness ranking in 2026, down from 13th a decade prior. America’s happiness decline must have another major cause, says report co-editor and University of British Columbia professor emeritus of economics John Helliwell.

How about long commutes that suck up all our time. I used to commute 10 miles one way on a bicycle to work, and ride 10 miles home. 2 hour commute total, 8-9 hour work day. All that was left was preparing meals so I didn't waste money on take out, cleaning and sleeping. Weekends spent on catching up on sleep and more chores we couldn't do during the week. When the fuck are we supposed to spend time with friends? A single drink at a bar costs $20. A 4 pack of the cider I like costs $12-14 dollars. I can't event afford to get proper drunk at home alone. Someone making federal minimum wage would need to work nearly 3 hours to afford a drink in a bar. Concert tickets are insanely expensive, decent seats for a single person $200 - $300. Plane tickets are insanely expensive. Parks and public spaces aren't maintained.

In February 1990, a one-day, one-park ticket to Walt Disney World cost $31.00 for an adult. At Walt Disney World in 2026, standard 1-day, 1-park tickets range from $119 to $209 (plus tax) per person ages 10 and up. All of the entertainment that's out there for poor people is just horribly enshitified and not fucking worth it. When 50% or more of your income is paying rent, fuck it, just gonna stay home and at least get what I pay for.

Fun is now just for the rich and they demonize the poor for trying to enjoy the small luxuries they can afford, like splurging at the grocery store to buy a porter house steak instead of eating rice and beans every fucking day. Millennials and Gen Z are supposedly splurging on groceries because other luxuries are out of reach.

This article talks about price but tap dances around the real fucking issues. Wages have not kept up with productivity and affording basic necessities like food, shelter, healthcare, and transportation are fucking out of reach for so many. Entertainment venues like bars, restaurants, clubs would exist and profit if people actually had disposable income to spend.

Bloomberg can suck ALL THE FUCKING DICKS after they take their god damned smart phones and shove them up their asses until they are choking on facebook adds.

Trying to hang out with my 5 siblings, to spend as little money as possible. Walk around the mall 30 minutes away, or the one 45 minutes away. Done that too many times. So we spend 60$ at a splash pad instead.

Millennials opening another bar+X combo: why don't people come here?

Having friends over for dinner is an underappreciated and affordable form of fun

• dave n busters doesnt even have a pool table, if youre not a ticket-kiddie, dont bother
• both national sports have been commodotized to extract every ounce of revenue, removing any actual enjoyment from the process
• a beer anywhere in public is >=9$. who the fuck can afford that?
• 30% of the country are zombie fascists and dont know it, and theres no way to actually talk to those people. i am out of patience.
• they just turned the only roller rink in 150 mile radius into a pickle ball thing for old assholes who pay more.

just off the top, im sure theres plenty of other anecdotes

The immiseration will continue until morale improves.

too cheap to even give us bread and circuses lol

Having thought about this for a while; I think the decline of fun places is related to fewer people playing in the streets.

And is also related to less people going to bars, churches, strip joints and parks.

I’ve seen this decline for a long time. People visiting from Europe and Asia will often ask why nobody is outside. The streets empty of pedestrians of all ages.

I feel bad for folks.

Fwiw, though, this is a solveable problem. I know, because it's just not a problem in my world. I live in Oakland, California, and the town has constant free activities. We've got music at farmers markets and magicians at the library and dance parties by the lake. We've got free DnD on Saturdays at a movie theater with pay-what-you-want night every Wednesday. And book clubs? We got book clubs for miles.

Although Oakland is constantly struggling under economic dispossession, culturally we're way ahead of the rest of the country. A better future is definitely possible. 🤙

This resonated with me because I'm a chronic worker and I don't get out much. There also seems to be a mindset that you can get that social need fulfilled by people you encounter during work days, and thus, all your needs for socializing are met. That is problematic in itself for a variety of reasons (What if you don't like them? What if you're constantly working and don't get face time with the ones you do like?). When you're at work, you can't relax, and if you work a lot, you have to rest when you're not working, and don't have time or money to "have fun". Gasoline and events are more expensive too.

Time poor and money poor is where most folks are these days, and when everything is too expensive, and we're too tired, it makes sense we aren't having fun. Have you seen our built environment lately? Most cities are too dangerous for pedestrians and bikers, and that's usually a good way to get out and encounter fun or new things.

Rant aside, lots of community groups are meeting this challenge and creating low or no cost ways to establish third spaces to get outside and around like minded people. Be sure to check your local environmental organizations to see what kinds of events they hold, and if they aren't hosting events, maybe there's a place for a volunteer to stand that up!

All work and no play make jay2 a dull boy.

I dunno. lots of sports stuff seem to be doing great business. Its getting to the point where sports stuff makes me ill.

No country is more than 3 missed meals away from large scale rioting. The oligarchy is pushing its luck.

The circuses have been unaffordable for many for a long time. Let's see what happens when the bread is too.