Remember when you used to be able to enjoy life? Where it wasn’t taboo to work a 9-5 to pay the bills? When could you have hobbies that weren’t economically viable? When you didn’t have to start an e-commerce site and call yourself a “business owner” while selling informational products you stole from TikTok? We all remember those days; most would consider them pleasant.
"The grift is largely undetectable on the surface, but insidious when you look deeper down."
Economic headwinds in the housing and rental market have led to a psychologically stressed middle class. People have become increasingly desperate to generate additional income to make ends meet, and there are a group of people who are hyper-aware of this fact. It has become increasingly popular to use the internet to mass-market at scale and use human psychology against the consumer who has been conned into believing the dreams that are sold to them. In another age, this would be called “grifting.” The grift is largely undetectable on the surface, but insidious when you look deeper down.
The Fools' Expectations
- Do you enjoy coffee at Starbucks? Cut it.
- Do you work a 9-5 to keep the lights on? You are a slave.
- Do you actually provide something of value to society? You should quit that and build a brand indoctrinating the masses into how they should live their lives.
This predatory narrative has a profound effect on the mental health in our nation. People are increasingly stressed, discontented, and have been heavily influenced into believing that what they are doing to provide isn’t enough. The ironic thing being this is impacting people across the wealth spectrum from the lower middle class to the upper-middle class. Consumerism has evolved from conspicuous consumption of products to conspicuous consumption of information. Indoctrination has been branded “education” and people have lost sight of who they truly are. The constant onslaught of information has single-handedly increased the amount of worry and overwhelm in America.
Online “experts” have drank their own Kool-Aid and oftentimes don’t realize the destructive nature of giving uninformed advice to a broad audience. The self-help industry has become too profitable. Convincing people to hyper-optimize their lives does more harm than good. Constantly buying into this type of content has a detrimental effect on the bank accounts of most people in the form of lost opportunity and savings, while the ones who win, are the ones that are selling the dream.
Set On The Right Path
- Have a system that works for you? Stick with it.
- Have hobbies that don’t make money? Good, that’s normal.
- Don’t have social media? You’re probably leagues ahead of many.
Avoiding this predatory cycle of greed, envy, and fear will increase your resilience and sensitivity to marketing and sales tactics that play on emotions and insecurity. Influence is incredibly powerful, and if you aren’t aware of its impact, it is extremely hard to guard against. This subtle realization will save you money and time and make you happier and more content with who you are and how you live.
