News Blog

People today aren’t so much keeping up with the Joneses as keeping up with our former selves. Things we used to be able to afford are suddenly too expensive. It’s not because we make less money nominally but that everything costs so much more. And so when commentators talk about people not getting a raise in 20 years, that’s what they’re talking about. The earning power of our money is less.

This doesn’t even get into the situation of people’s whose nominal income has been flat — or worse, has slid — but who are still forced to pay higher prices that assume a much higher income level.

For one thing, almost everything has been gussied up with marketing and made to be a luxury item: travel (vacations), sewing supplies, knitting supplies, shoes, souvenirs, appliances, cars, board games, stationery, cosmetics, books, concert tickets, linens, anything you might want beyond the basics of food and clothing.

And sure, you can always get cheap junk at the lowest price big box store, but you didn’t use to have to do that. It’s a step down for most of us to have to bargain shop to that extent. And if we all do it, maybe because we have to, then it becomes a race to the bottom as all the other outlets for our shopping dollars close or get much more expensive.

Then again, does it matter? People do nothing for themselves anymore — they have phones to do everything for them. You could say folks are lazy or distracted or addicted, but in the end, phone-itis may turn out to be a smart adaptation. Real world stuff costs too much money, and with the virtual world at our fingertips, who needs stuff anyway?

Food, drink, and duds are the only physical things we really need. Everything else, we can get from our phone. Bye bye, real world!