Quote Originally Posted by Eric Cartman View Post
I read the other day that to obtain the same standard of living as the average person at the beginning of the 20th century (can't remember when exactly but between 1900-1910 I think) we would only need to work 17 weeks of the year. I am sure you are right, the average standard of living is significantly higher now than the 70's but it is also true that people born in the 80's and 90's will find it hard to create financial security for themselves. House prices are absurd, the average house price in my area was 4x average salary at the end of the 70's, now we are talking well over 10x.
Yes your are right life's new standards are tough to reach ,however the alleged new poor or hard up , seem still to have cars , mobiles and take holidays.

I think the difference now is about exclusiveness and expectation, back in the 70' and 80's folk could not or would not step deep into the world of debt,which takes us back to the clever and derisive financial world whcih has allowed that to happen , which consequently has enabled the property price boom, you can bet your bottom dollar if the extended freely handed out loans were not there ,no one could afford these silly house prices and the prices would drop.