Hey everyone,
I'm an 18-year-old guy, and I've been thinking a lot lately about the way our society and economic systems are structured, and I can't help but feel like we're being scammed. Hear me out:
- Education System: We're told to spend years in school, accumulating massive debt, with no guarantee of a job that pays enough to cover that debt. Is the education system setting us up for success or for financial enslavement?
- Job Market: Many people work long hours in jobs they don't like, with little to no job security, just to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the wealth gap keeps growing, and it seems like the system is designed to benefit a select few.
- Housing Market: The dream of owning a home is becoming increasingly unattainable for many, with sky-high prices and interest rates. Are we being set up to be lifetime renters, funneling our hard-earned money into someone else's pocket?
- Healthcare System: In many countries, healthcare is a massive financial burden. People go bankrupt over medical bills, and it seems like the system prioritizes profit over people's well-being.
- Government and Taxes: We're taxed heavily, yet essential services like infrastructure, education, and healthcare are often underfunded. Are our taxes being used effectively, or are they lining the pockets of the wealthy and powerful?
- Investment and Savings: Traditional investment vehicles often have high fees and low returns for the average person, while the wealthy have access to more lucrative opportunities. Are we being scammed out of our financial growth?
I know these are broad strokes, and there are many nuances to each issue, but it feels like the system is rigged against the average person. As someone who's just starting out in life, I don't want to be stuck in this system my entire life.
I'm reaching out to older folks here who have more life experience—what advice do you have for someone like me? How can I find an alternative path to avoid being trapped in this system? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.
Is the System We Live In a Scam?
byu/Head-Scarcity-2236 inEntrepreneur
Posted by Head-Scarcity-2236
8 Comments
Yes.
r/Im14andthisisdeep
In my opinion things are definitely rigged, but I personally think entrepreneurship is the way out. My personal philosophy is, I could spend my whole life waiting for others to lift me up through promotions or I could skip all that and just start at the top through entrepreneurship. Of course there’s no guarantee that I’ll make it, but just sitting around working on other people’s ideas is too depressing for me.
Since this is /r/Entrepreneur in an attempt to save your question and tie it into this (and not just a general gripe against capitalism / politics / whatever) money makes money and the first few thousand or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands are the most difficult to make. So sons and daughters of rich parents (or just parents who know this problem) can bypass years or decades of work for their children if they can give them the money without spoiling them. Basically the start is very difficult and after that it gets easier. If you don’t have this head start then you have to work your ass off to get that initial seed money and that could mean years of school and mastering skills and getting others to pay you for your skill. Even with the head start you often need skills to execute. Raising money from investors can be a skill but then you still have to execute so it matters what you can do.
There are many things we can all say to you like invest in S&P500 index funds take as much school as you can stay out of debt don’t keep credit card debt yada yada but at the end of the day a lot is trial and error and even if someone wanted to tell you, you likely wouldn’t be ready or want it.
Success is often the result of repeated failures.
Yes it is.
Build a side hustle or a business. Whatever is “conventional” career/job advice…do the opposite or ignore.
You are not wrong.
Yes, get used to it. You’re not going to change it or find a way around so focus on getting ahead and gaining experience
**Education System:** financial enslavement. Obviously. otherwise the system wont work.
**Job Market:** Same slave system. Its called economy. with many workers the system works.
**Housing Market:** Mortage, means life-time loan. The idea is to keep paying interest and rent from the bank.
**Healthcare System:** This is the only one the USA should do better, you want to keep your work-force alive. See a system like Denmark or the Netherlands.
**Government and Taxes:** Look at the English history with kings and landlords… this one is obviously to give certain people power and money.