@deprecated_ii@Eiregoat financial burden like this is also a death spiral. Not having enough money is a severe barrier to men dating, and not having long term relationships makes things worse by not having combined income for cost of living.
Even with combined income and both working full time I doubt most people have enough to really get by anymore.
Even with a middle class salary, the cost of living has gotten so preposterously high that saving significant money is just a thing of the past. Every day I move closer to just getting out of the US not only because I see the approaching pogrom, but also just getting to a place where cost of living isn't so outrageous.
@RustyCrab@Eiregoat@deprecated_ii it's not just dating everyone I know online got stick in that rut because they wind up living with mom and dad eternally and gaming and dying alone
@PhenomX6@Eiregoat@deprecated_ii I'm aware it's getting a lot more common and it's definitely a sign of a dying nation. I imagine the Soviet Union probably went through a similar dramatic shift near the end.
It's weird because the soviet union broke down because they started getting visits from westerners and seeing western media and realised they could have it so much better.
Whereas with us it's seeing films and TV from ~30-60 years ago and realising we used to have it so much better.
It's also seeing countries that at least manage to put on the surface level appearance of being better, because America struggles to do that these days.