this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2023
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‘Choose drugs?’ 30 years after he wrote Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh says life is tougher now (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 year ago by yogthos@lemmy.ml to c/europe@lemmy.ml
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[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

“People can’t get jobs. People will never buy a house. They can’t buy nice things. Everything is fucked even if you’re not on drugs,” he says.

“It [the book] almost becomes some kind of inspiring clarion call: let’s do fucking drugs, man. We’re fucked anyway. Let’s just go for it.”

Well, that's depressing.

[–] realitista@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The reality is that the chart is meaningless without knowing the quality of the jobs. US has pretty low unemployment too right now, but around 37% of adults have two full time jobs now.

[–] bernieecclestoned@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

lol median wage is pretty terrible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_countries_by_average_wage#European_countries_by_monthly_median_wage

Which is precisely why the standard of living is the way the article in the submission describes.

[–] bernieecclestoned@sh.itjust.works -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah life is terrible in one of the richest countries in the world lol.

Have you actually been to a poor country?

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's incredible that you don't understand that wealth in UK is not evenly distributed. I have been to poor countries, and I've also seen what poverty in places like US and UK looks like with people living in tents and eating out of trash. You are a smug because you won the birth lottery and never had to deal with real hardship, but all that cold change very quickly under the capitalist system you champion. One day it could be you sleeping under a bridge and scavenging for rotten food in the garbage, not gonna be so smug then.

[–] bernieecclestoned@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I didn't say wealth was evenly distributed. But poor countries don't have the welfare state that G7 countries do.

I'm not smug, you're deluded enough to think you know what living under a communist system is like while living in a liberal democracy and ignoring all the economic data that disagrees with you.

Quite frankly, I've seen enough of your badgering of people with shite sources to realise you're just an idiot tankie or troll.

Here's some data that you'll ignore

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There are tent cities all over G7 countries right now. People literally go bankrupt in US when they get sick. Children in UK can't get full nutrition. Meanwhile, I grew up in USSR, so I think I know what it's like to live under a communist system a lot better than some ignoramus from UK.

[–] fedfedfedd@lemmy.ml -4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There are tent cities all over G7 countries right now.

Source? I call bullshit.

[–] ikiru@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What world are you living in that you don't know this and can I be invited? Haha

The only exception is, maybe, Japan because I can imagine them being heavy-handed but I've never visited so I don't know their homeless situation.

[–] fedfedfedd@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Western Europe. You wont find many, if any homeless person on the street here. There are good support systems in place and people happily take advantage of it.

Plenty of expats working here as well, shouldnt be to hard to get a working visa.

[–] ikiru@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, even with support systems, there are still plenty of homeless people in Western Europe. Maybe you are taking tent "city" too literally, it's not so much a city as sometimes a small encampment but they exist.

And if it was affordable for me to move to Western Europe, I would have done it years ago already. It takes a lot of money or support to just go be a working class person in another country on another continent.

[–] fedfedfedd@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago

Maybe you are taking tent “city” too literally, it’s not so much a city as sometimes a small encampment but they exist.

Not really. In western europe they have emergency housing available for free to homeless people. The document you linked will agree with that. In most western european countries you can use those resources as long as you need to, and get a social worker so you can work towards social housing.

Again, you wont find homeless in our cities. There are beggars but those arent homeless. You should visit sometime if you dont believe me. Most americans are surprised to see the lack of homeless people in western european countries.

Living in western europe isnt expensive, with around 3K in income you can live comfortably and enjoy all luxuries. Food is generally cheap, same for utilities. Taxes are heavy on upper middle class.

There are a lot of expats that do IT and live very comfortable with a normal wage.

I personally spend around 600 Euro on my mortgage and around 300 total on utilities + health insurance.

If I can give a couple good spots of how good life can be I recommend visiting luxembourg, belgium or the netherlands.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
[–] fedfedfedd@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Some guy below posted the links to official statistics and it shows you are overdramatizing the situation.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Whatever helps you cope I suppose. Working at a troll farm must be pretty demoralizing.

[–] fedfedfedd@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Everytime we have a conversation about the matter at hand and you start losing the argument you resort to these kind of replies. Getting predictable.

But it shows how much you actually know, and what you blindly copypasta from other commies. Thats nice.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago

Whenever you sealion into a thread, I provide you with sources and references and then you ignore those and continue trolling. The fact that you spend this much time following me around is kind of hilarious though. I love living rent free in your head. 😂

[–] tenebrisnox@feddit.uk 1 points 1 year ago

That data was really interesting and does seem to show that wealth is being progressively transferred upwards after WW2.

I read somewhere recently that since 1945 $50 trillion had been earned by top 1% while wages have remained relatively flat for working people.

[–] ikiru@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago

Well said.

[–] bernieecclestoned@sh.itjust.works -2 points 1 year ago

People can't get jobs? In the middle of a labour squeeze?

In mainland Europe people aren't obsessed with buying a house, renting isn't seen as lower class. Are they fucked?

They can't buy nice things? Materialism is so last century

This article is a puff piece to promote his musical. Fuck off Welsh, you wrote one good book, okay two if you include Marabou Stork Nightmares, and have grifted off it ever since.

[–] ikiru@lemmy.ml -3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

That's how I feel about smoking cigars.

Everything, including the soil and rain water, is fucking polluted to shit so you're deluded if you think you can avoid cancer by not smoking. I was very influenced by that 90's anti-smoking Truth campaign for a long time but I don't give a shit anymore. At this point, just enjoy whatever you can when you can.

[–] Gatsby@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Even the Mona Lisa is falling apart.

How much can you know about yourself, if you've never been in a fight?

[–] pazukaza@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

"Apple seeds have fucking arsenic, I'll just drink it from the bottle then."

[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, smoking is pretty bad for you.

[–] ikiru@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago

I didn't say it was good for you. I said I didn't care.

[–] agentshags@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

A musical? What?!

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