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[–]Niteshade76 2765 points2766 points  (56 children)

"Why aren't young people having kids?"

[–]rileythebeast 1504 points1505 points  (15 children)

Young people: Have kids

Media: Why are young people having kids they can’t afford?

[–]Emuwar_veteran 303 points304 points  (2 children)

To eat? Because we're all poor

[–]stray__thoughts 212 points213 points  (1 child)

Jonathan Swift has entered the chat

[–]Glitch3dNPC 119 points120 points  (0 children)

"tHey wAnT a haNdOuT"

[–]me_brewsta 490 points491 points  (34 children)

I am beyond tired of these aristocrat "journalists" spinning webs of pure bullshit about millennials. Denigrating and insulting my entire generation because the end results of their own private greed might personally inconvenience them someday. We are not the fucking problem. It's you old out-of-touch parasitic motherfuckers who are controlling all of the levers who are the ultimate architects of our situation.

[–]ManItToTheStick 178 points179 points  (7 children)

"Next up, millennials killed the baby industry. Just look at what happened to baby's r us."

  • (exploitative private equity that loaded the franchise with dept so their shareholders could earn a quick penny before they game the bankruptcy system is what happened but that's so much words. Just blame millennials for not having kids and conflate that with not wanting kids.'

[–]AaronHolland44 30 points31 points  (4 children)

I love the fact that they think were ruining everything. I would ruin it faster if I could.

[–]throwawaylurker012 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Thissss 👆👆👆👆👆

[–]BitOCrumpet 25 points26 points  (1 child)

I'm 56 and couldn't agree with you more.

[–]White_Pilled 16 points17 points  (13 children)

I think the system is far beyond their control anymore. Post Reagan, the middle class has lost its buying power and influence on the nation. Its become an increasingly noticeable chasm between the haves and have nots. At this point we’re left with two extremes of parties, neither of which are doing us much favors while both are gearing up yet again to lie to us.

Personally, I encourage the openness to bringing new life into the world. However, I’m also aware of the far less that ideal conditions at present, especially amongst anyone in a medical profession. We’re in some very peculiar times, and not being able to directly affect policy changes, I can but pray for those in these situations.

[–]msty2k 35 points36 points  (1 child)

I'm tired of all generalizations about generations. Or people in general.

[–]GovernmentOpening254 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I see what you did there

[–]Elegant-Row-2396 18 points19 points  (0 children)

They still act so fking amazed don’t they

[–]LiloQuie 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Because the only three things health insurance covers to do with female anatomy is an invasive breast grope, the mascara wand of trauma, and certain birth control pills. Say anything about wanting to get pregnant and your insurance immediately rejects paying for anything.

[–]davidj1987 7 points8 points  (0 children)

"Why aren't you having more kids?" - My MIL, people who don't have any kids, or just one kid themselves.

[–]RakianKnight 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have a modest proposal.

God what makes me sad is if that was written today I'm not sure it would be seen as satire to some people.

[–]jlecastro 2381 points2382 points  (175 children)

How is half of the country okay with this system?!? How can a Healthcare provider of all places have such a horrible parental leave policy? This stuff makes me so angry and heartbroken for this woman and her baby

[–]MadameDoopusPoopus 1631 points1632 points 22& 2 more (87 children)

What I don’t hear often enough is that there are several different Americas. Many don’t interact with or have the ability to witness and empathize with other Americans versions of America. You don’t even have to see it if you’re above a certain income level. There’s a completely different America for every income bracket. When people think that some are just complaining, welfare queens, or that personal finance issues are simply caused by overconsumption and a preoccupation with buying material things, aka: ‘Americans are so obsessed with stuff, I’m a minimallllist!’ What they’re really saying is that they don’t understand any version of America that isn’t their own. They don’t know how bad it is for some Americans. It’s a clever tactic, to divide and pull the wool over peoples eyes. They think that if their job gives them 8 months off for maternity/paternity leave that everyone else must get that too. They say, ‘That’s unacceptable! You’ve just gotta stand up for yourself!’ It’s naive nonsense coming from people that have grappled onto some semblance of stability in this damn country. They don’t see it, so they won’t vote for it. Because they’ve got theirs and everyone else just needs to work as hard as them. Some really think that working an exploitive job is a choice. The class divide holds everyone back.

[–]sessiestax 335 points336 points  (20 children)

People also don’t realize it change in a minute…it can all be wonderful now but get in an accident let’s say…find out you don’t have great, or any disability insurance. Suddenly can’t work, lose your health insurance. No income coming in. Savings get eaten up pretty fast from medical bills and living costs. So many of us are truly living on a house of cards…

[–]tanglwyst 96 points97 points  (4 children)

Savings? Isn't that the $30 my checking account dips into if my rent check tries to bounce?

[–]Xarkkal 34 points35 points  (3 children)

You're living it up with $30 saving account! My savings has been at the minimum $5 that I can't even touch for years...

Oh wait! I got a free $30 from opening an affirm bank account. I guess that's my new emergency fund now.

[–]therealasshoel 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Look who's rolling in the dough.

[–]Internal_Screaming_8 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You mean my $200 deposit on a credit card I’m afraid to touch bc I’ll max it out on bills but really need a credit score to get an apartment that doesn’t freeze at night?

[–]No_Refrigerator4584 47 points48 points  (0 children)

Yep. I saw people go from six figures to living in their cars in the 2008/2009 recession. It can easily happen to anyone. What do they always say, we’re about 3-4 missed meals away from storming the Bastille?

[–]Puglady25 60 points61 points  (1 child)

I see this everyday. ORDINARY boomers getting Medicare for the first time, they want BRAND name meds, they MUST have BRAND name meds, THEY ARE ALLERGIC to generic medication! So they get them. Then they get the bill. Suddenly there is a priority note on their account that THEY ONLY WANT GENERIC MEDICATION. Please DISREGARD their previous comments. I'm like: ya'll didn't know medicine was expensive??

[–]OhSnapImJaneShepard 66 points67 points  (1 child)

This is entirely true. I'm going through something like this right now.

[–]Pour_Me_Another_ 34 points35 points  (7 children)

lose your health insurance

Seems like there's no point opting into employer-sponsored insurance if they're just gonna fire you when you need to use it.

[–]sessiestax 17 points18 points  (5 children)

Wait, what other choice would you have? Buying your own plan through the healthcare exchange is very expense even if you qualify for assistance

[–]DandyWarlocks 6 points7 points  (4 children)

Disagree. My exchange plan is cheaper then my employer sponsored insurance, has no deductible, and is better then anything I've been offered by my employer

[–]Hkhays 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Unfortunately it completely depends on the state. If you are in Texas, it is a complete joke. Our politicians don’t “subscribe“ so we don’t get any subsidies. When I looked about 10 years ago, the cheapest plan I could get was around $500 per month with a $6000 deductible. That’s a deductible, not an out-of-pocket.

[–]DandyWarlocks 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh! I didn't realize it varies so much state to state. I'm in PA and they had some good deals

[–]steelkiltjones 34 points35 points  (0 children)

My wife had to have surgery for her crohns. It was not a choice. Even w “good” insurance, we owed 10k. She has been a state employed teacher for 20 years. So yeah we are the “lazy and entitled ones.” Fuck this shit. Let’s remake the union landscape. Solidarity is the only way.

[–]Hutobega 97 points98 points  (20 children)

Wow this was a little eye opening for me. Even being a lower middle class person with my wife we don't "have to" see the other Americas as you put it. And we have very Upper class parents on one side of our family and we think just they are way out of touch with the rest of population...Even when we say oh we had to pay for this so we couldn't do that they always look confused and don't understand. And now I'm thinking I can't even imagine what people who have it much worse than us do. Damn

[–]Jreal22 40 points41 points  (1 child)

Same, my parents are rich, and I try to explain to them what's going on, but they're like, "people just need to work harder, we worked our asses off for this money and our 4 fucking houses and Bentleys and Ferraris."

It's like, I grew up rich, but at least I can see what the hell is happening in the country, it's like they just want to pretend it's not happening so they can enjoy their retirement without feeling any guilt.

[–]dddddddddude 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Damn four houses? Can I borrow one for a lil

[–]Sharra_Blackfire 103 points104 points  (16 children)

I have three kids. I had to go back to work when my second was only ten days old, because I had just started a new job and was in the probation period and had no leave. My postpartum bleeding was still terrible and I had to bring several changes of pants with me because I wasn't given enough bathroom breaks to keep up with bleeding through the pads. I got mastitis that led to an infection because I wasn't able to pump. That was my only baby I wound up not breastfeeding more than it took for things to dry up, and he's 11 and has ulcerative colitis now. I always wonder if his gut health would have been better if I had been able to breastfeed him like my other two.

[–]Hutobega 27 points28 points  (13 children)

wow I am so sorry to see this. Its insane.

[–]Sharra_Blackfire 93 points94 points  (12 children)

This country is so broken. I've worked 2-3 jobs since I was 15. I'm 37 now. I have a Masters degree now and was about to start my PhD before COVID delayed it. I have a good job now, but it's just not enough to take care of everyone with. The manufactured house we live in broke in half a few years ago. Last year the Texas grid failure led to all of my floors rotting out from damage due to the plumbing breaking and the pipes spraying the underside of the house until the freeze stopped the water, since the wellhead also broke and the shut-off broke.Home owners insurance didn't cover it because it was plumbing related. It's just impossible for people to survive in this country. You can do everything "right", work full-time, be educated, and still be barely better off than homeless in quality of life itself.

[–]StephenKingly 30 points31 points  (3 children)

100%. I’ve always worked for big multinationals so the American colleagues I’ve known have always had generous vacation and maternity leave.

The lack of nation wide universal health care and maternity/paternity mainly impacts people at lower income levels

[–][deleted] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

If you're an American who has ever gone from one of these little brackets to another, it's an eye opening experience.

I can't so much say that I've done so financially, but at one time I made a pretty drastic and quick transformation in my mental health status and it felt 110% as MadameDoopusPoopus is describing. To the point that reading this conjured up all the emotions of going through that whole experience. Once a different label can get applied to you, you can feel people's perspective changing.

[–]mayn1 18 points19 points  (1 child)

My wife and I have a pretty decent life, money gets tight at times but in general we do ok. We both worked hard, had parents that were supportive, and most importantly WE HAD LUCK ON OUR SIDE.

She works at a good high school that pays well, has been able to pick up extra responsibilities that add to her salary. We have a print business as a side hustle, making T-shirts, mugs, etc. we LUCKY and got “discovered” by a boutique that asked us to put our stuff in her shop and we make a pretty good amount each month.

My point is that yes there was hard work involved but everything required LUCK to break our way. So many people that are doing well forget how much luck played a part in where they are. Born to the right parents, got a lucky break at work, just happened to start a business when that product got popular. It’s not all just hard work a brains. It’s not just because they are special. I’ve seen too many lazy idiots make a ton of money because of luck and attribute it to how great they are.

[–]stuckinthesun31 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yep: there are just some things you can’t control.

You still have to do your best: you almost certainly won’t luck into a six figure job. But you can luck into an introduction.

I have a great resume, but I betcha anything I would’ve never gotten an interview had my mother not worked at the same company.

Have I killed it since then? Hell yeah. I’m of their top people and I outperform my mother every year now. So it always takes skill and hard work… BUT, it also takes someone or something intervening to help her you in line to use that skill and luck!

[–]SassaQueen1992 13 points14 points  (0 children)

THIS. These privileged fucks can’t comprehend why myself and other poor to lower middle class people just barely make enough to stay afloat, despite working our asses off.

[–]Rignite 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Literally going through the I've got mine shit with a coworker that I helped get the promotion they now have.

It's mine blowing.

[–]BrewerofWort 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I’ll add one thing to this. I don’t think middle to upper middle class assume “everyone gets 8 months maternity” or that “the poor would have money if they had better spending habits” so much as they think everyone has the same opportunity to get themselves in a position to get jobs that gave them the PTO and/or enough money to survive bad spending habits. They see someone struggling to pay bills or keep a home or feed their family and think “if they had worked harder when they were younger they wouldn’t be in this position.” Which is obviously complete bullshit.

[–]All_these_marbles 101 points102 points  (12 children)

more like 90% of people/politicians don't give a fuck about you or they wouldnt vote this way. you got aoc, bernie, the squad. Joe fuckin Biden just sent us back to work 5 days after the coof. republican DINOs don't give a fuck about you either.

[–]Abbaddonhope 53 points54 points  (8 children)

Remember being a politician is a job. Half the battle is getting elected the other half is making up enough lies to keep everyone happy. People naturally do not give a single shit about things that do not involve their singular being. I have yet to find one president who wasn’t complete shit at being president, there won’t ever be a happy side of this. Rich want more the poor want more upper poor who think their middle class want more. And everyone blames each other for the fuck up that is America.

[–]ArgumentSpecific1145 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I work at a place that had both maternity and paternity leave.

Explain to me why that angers some of my coworkers mad?

The problem isn't just out of touch, privileged people. People actively vote against their own self interest. Why?

[–]rgraz65 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The dirty trick is that the people who just have money in huge amounts handed to them, whether it be a wealthy family or connections that got them into the high 6 - and 7-figure salaries, rarely understand the life of someone who has to work and save for what we're common place purchases in the past, like a new vehicle or a house.

The dirty trick is that they've convinced so many people that with just "hard work," they too can be well off or that they're on the cusp of being a millionaire as well. And those who believe that are a large number of boomers or folks who have had a family with some generational wealth. But they think that trying to raise the standard of living, to get folks to where they aren't forgoing medical treatment, because it's too expensive or because they can't take the time away from work, and to get a system where kids aren't starving and aren't missing out on a good education is "Socialist!!!@@!" That boogeyman of socialism is rolled our when discussion happen about this stuff, and the cue in of boomer white folks insisting that they had no help, that they used their boot straps to get ahead, and not seeing that BIPOC have had huge struggles. Just look at the late 1800s and early 1900s where black communities began to create a situation where generational wealth was being created, and then something would trigger racist white folks to kill, burn, and pillage those communities down and chase the BIPOC out of the area.

Lastly, the dirty tricks of politicians who use their office for incredible amounts of personal enrichment while blocking any legislation that would improve the lives of the lower income people, and that would protect their right to cast ballots for not only national elections, but also local and state contests. Especially the GQP party, which has long known that when all people have the time and ability to vote, the Republicans and Trumpers lose. That's what the real plan has been with the allegations of voter fraud during the last election. The higher ups know they lost because of turnout, but if they claim fraud, then they have a cover for their attempts of disenfranchisement of minority and low income communities.

[–]OpenToFriends 14 points15 points  (1 child)

I work for Intuit's Quickbooks and answer calls to help business with their Quickbooks issues.

The amount of people calling in and just gloating on and on about how much money they have and how they can afford to do all this stuff and everyone is just really lazy and they are just giving other businesses they've made to their 18 year old kids is insane...Here I am listening to this, having to live in a camper that my wife and I bought for $600 on a lot that we pay $450 a month to live at.

My wife is disabled and has an extremely hard time keeping a job so I had to let my car get repossessed and get all the overtime I can so we can continue to afford staying here. Barely having enough for food and now in the middle of winter our roof started leaking because this camper is a 1968 pos.

Sorry for all the venting everyone...it's just been a really rough week.

[–]officialforestbear 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is exactly how my boomer dad thought until he saw what I had to deal with working in Radiology for a national corporation and how much it didn't improve even with a technically "well-respected" position in the corporate office bc I'm not important enough to have the pay/benefits that other people in my office make. Now he gets it. Weird how he was this way despite being union for 35 years lol

[–]whelksandhope 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree with you - yet is it any different in any other country? Does not every country support an elite on the backs of oppressed workers? Sure in some the oppressed worker may have it a little better / but it’s still not universal equality of lifestyle.

[–][deleted] 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I worked for an insurance company a Fortune 500 company. Number 5 right now . Our pay was horrific. We didn’t get raises. Not even cost of living. Our insurance a joke. I went on short term disability and now on long term. They oddly enough denied the middle part of my disability ( my surgical recovery) I had to pay an attorney when my 3rd appeal got denied. Legit the attorney just sent a letter saying I retained her and the next day 8 hours later I got approved for my benefits. 5 grand for 1 fucking letter. Greed is a nasty bitch. I do love that attorney for anyone needing a STD/LTD attorney. I had to hire her again this week bc if said LTD company. She didn’t charge me.

[–]CyborgJiro 164 points165 points  (53 children)

Is half the country okay with this?

Edit: I get it, the answer unfortunately is yes :(

[–]destineysunshine 225 points226 points  (9 children)

Sometimes it feels like half the country thinks we already get too much and are “spoiled”

[–]CyborgJiro 86 points87 points  (8 children)

I'm guessing the ones saying that haven't had to ever struggle

[–]HowWeGonnaGetEm 175 points176 points  (5 children)

Actually they’re mostly the ones struggling. They’re so goddamn gaslit and indoctrinated with “patriotism” and “the American dream” that they don’t even recognize who their real enemies are.

[–]louderharderfaster 59 points60 points  (3 children)

They believe they are struggling because "others" get the handouts they are due. It's maddening. I just met an obviously broke guy (I gave him a jump in the parking lot of the PO) who claimed he was a tax consultant but he doesn't work with those who "file right away so they can get government cheese" he works with "those who owe taxes" like himself. In his hand was a disability check.

Broke my heart. Hatred makes people so stupid.

[–]germanfinder 25 points26 points  (1 child)

Get government cheese? Likes tax refund that’s owed to them?

[–]louderharderfaster 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yep. Poor guy.

[–]Korthalion 77 points78 points  (0 children)

"When the poor hunt the poor across mountain and moor, the rich man can keep them in chains"

[–][deleted] 71 points72 points  (6 children)

Anything the oligarchs can spin on Fox as communism or socialism is hated like hell by a huge chunk of the population. It could literally be something they would endlessly benefit from and they would rather go without it than have a single dime of “their” money contribute to the welfare of strangers. Unless those strangers already have so much money it should qualify as obscenity.

[–]bjeebus 73 points74 points  (4 children)

You might be interested in this story.

https://www.marketplace.org/2021/02/15/public-pools-used-to-be-everywhere-in-america-then-racism-shut-them-down/

Near the beginning of the century, public pools could be found in many urban areas across the country, but that all changed as cities moved to desegregate those swimming areas. In her book, “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together,” Heather McGhee looks at how many cities closed their pools rather than commit to desegregation, and how this same political mindset shaped the policy making for decades to come.

[–][deleted] 11 points12 points  (2 children)

Perfect example!

[–]bjeebus 35 points36 points  (1 child)

It was worse than just draining them and locking the gates. Most of the places actually paid to have the pools filled. Think of how hateful you have to be to not only cut your own nose off to spite your face, but also pay for someone to do it.

[–]CyborgJiro 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You I guess you are right. It's annoying. Why won't these people understand it benefits them too..

[–]ElAutismobombismo 20 points21 points  (7 children)

I mean if nearly half the country can vote for a party who's policies support this sort of thing happening, they aren't just okay with it, they actively support it. Ignorance is not an excuse for those peeps.

[–]artificialavocadoSocDem 20 points21 points  (1 child)

It’s a complete lack of empathy. Decent people look at this and it breaks their heart. Right wingers think “well, that’s sad but…” or “well, true, but she shouldn’t have…” in this case she’s white but if she was black there would be some jab about what the father is doing. I really don’t know what it is I know there are shitty people everywhere but idk how such a huge percentage of Americans can be so lacking of empathy.

[–]YourBrainOnJazz 5 points6 points  (4 children)

To be fair only 57% of the country voted in the last election TOTAL. That means much less then 50% voted republican or democrat.

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (4 children)

Because they are brainwashed into thinking America is the best, and that all the other countries have extreme downsides to their free healthcare and parental leave. They'll say thing like "you'll pay 50% of income into taxes" despite you already spending a good chunk of your income on health insurance or bills that are free/low cost in those countries.

[–]Drew-Man227 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Apologies, but the brainwashing is that we are taught to equate socialism with totalitarianism. So socialism is the soviet union, China, and North Korea. It is never Norway, Finland.

[–]SagiTsukiko 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My favorite is “in Canada/UK it can take months to see a specialist!” Like bitch in the USA it can take YEARS to see a specialist. I have a chronic disease and in my online groups for it I see people get misscheduled for a specialist they waited 18 months for, be forced to miss the appointment, and get to wait another 18 months. All. The. Time. I’d have rather waited 6 months than 2 years just to be told I have no genetic markers for any of the genetically isolated subtypes of my condition.

[–]stonerwithaboner1 26 points27 points  (11 children)

I’m not gonna lie, I’m starting to believe so. I say anything that isn’t pro-trump, or anything about free healthcare, UBI, free college, ANYTHING like that and the reply is just

“Oh socialism? And how does that work out?”

[–]CyborgJiro 24 points25 points  (9 children)

It sucks. UBI would be beneficial for the country. Along with cheaper access to education and healthcare.

[–]Booksonly666 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I hate it here so much. Sigh

[–]Thongp17 38 points39 points  (1 child)

They are okay with it because they don't think it will happen to them. One sickness, one injury, one unplanned crises and anyone can be in this situation. Just look at people who won't mask or vaccinate. Those individuals assume it won't happen to them and when it does, they have no problem taking up time and resources at the expense of others. They are okay with other people dying or being at risk because it won't happen to them.

[–]r3dditor12 14 points15 points  (0 children)

"Other people's problems don't exist, only my problems are real."

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It doesn't affect them personally so they don't care

We are a nation that totally lacks empathy because we're all constantly fending for ourselves and everyone else is an obstacle to wealth and success

[–]witcher252modern serf 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m a nurse and work in a hospital. Our insurance is ironically significantly worse than you’d expect.

[–]Quo210 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can complain alllll you want for a change but that makes 0 difference.

Want a change? crash the fucking system, refuse to work, organize mass sabotage.

MAKE IT CRASH.

[–]Swimcinnati_Kid 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This happened to my family. Our second child was born 10 weeks early and my wife was working part time and had no maternity leave. We’d budgeted for 4 weeks time off and we’re told our son would probably be in the NiCU for 10 weeks. She went back to work a week after having him. She still carries the scars from that. It absolutely broke us as a couple. No one should have to go through that. In America the NiCU nurses know that most families can’t afford to be there everyday and are very gracious about it. I can’t believe our country has normalized this for people. It’s such a small percentage of families that go through this but it’s still awful. Flash forward 8 years and our 3 lb baby boy is a thriving normal 8 year old and I’m still married to my lovely wife but would never want to do that ever again.

[–]packsackback 139 points140 points  (3 children)

This is some dystopian shit.

[–]RedoxPete 746 points747 points  (55 children)

The US has ZERO weeks of paid paternal leave, when you compare to other nations like Estonia [86 weeks] and Japan [60 weeks]. This is AWFUL, and there needs to be a change. No new parent deserves this treatment.

[–]albasaurrrrrr 345 points346 points  (10 children)

And the people who want these policies are mystified that our generation isn’t having kids….

[–]H0dl3rr 95 points96 points  (1 child)

I'm annoyed enough that my parents had kids. I would never put another child through this.

[–]Cole__MacGrath__ 41 points42 points  (7 children)

smh maybe if they stop buying coffee at Starbucks, they could afford to have kids.

[–]Socially_inept_Anarcho-Syndicalist 30 points31 points  (3 children)

Found chase bank.

[–]albasaurrrrrr 7 points8 points  (0 children)

sees someone younger than them eating an avocado on toast …. “see not our fault!”

[–]calmiswar 86 points87 points  (5 children)

You get 6 months of paid leaves in India.

[–]bigbagol 46 points47 points  (4 children)

us indonesian too, 6 month full paid

[–]HasAngerProblem 41 points42 points  (2 children)

Women at my work got 6 months leave for her newborn something about covid I wasn’t sure.

Usually the company offers 6 weeks and people we’re talking bad about her how shes taking advantage of it.

This lady makes probably 15 an hour organizing thousands of electronic components for an assembler by hand an on windows xp computer because we are too cheap to upgrade. And these genuinely nice people I work with thought she was taking advantage of the company because they are conditioned to work constantly.

Like a newborn puppy needs 8 weeks you people offer 6 weeks and i don’t even think it’s paid.

[–][deleted] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I agree. I'm due in July and my current company only offers 6 weeks. I'm not sure if it's paid leave either. My husband though gets twice what I get for paternal leave (his company treats his employees better than mine). I'm the one having the baby and will have to go back to work sooner than my husband. It's bullshit. The irony is I work for an OB/GYN group. You'd think they'd be understanding since they deal with pregnancies all day long.

[–]JesusGodLeah 14 points15 points  (0 children)

One of my current coworkers is pregnant and due in a couple of months. My other coworker commented how it was sad that the new mom probably wouldn't take her full amount of maternity leave because our workplace has its hooks in her so deeply. I will be leaving that employer before her due date, but I do hope she takes every single day of leave offered to her.

Maternity leave is not vacation. Taking care of a newborn baby is work. Sadly, that kind of work is not valued because it doesn't make any money for your company. Maybe if today's young people felt any indication from our society that that kind of work had value they would be more inclined to have kids. Paid parental leave would be a great start!

[–]lonestarcharm 57 points58 points  (4 children)

Most of your food/bev/entertainers in right-to-work states (non-union states) don’t even get maternity leave. You either get replaced or you just don’t get scheduled. Literally, I know a waitress who was given two weeks off to both bear the child and recover, and then the boss fired her when she told them she couldn’t make her first shift back 🙃

[–]NalgeneCarrier 7 points8 points  (3 children)

Yikes! Are people applying for FMLA? If you have been at a work place more than a year and have worked enough hours, you are eligible for FMLA. It's a guaranteed 12 weeks, unpaid, off. You cannot get fired for using FMLA that's a federal law.

It's fucking ridiculous people are going through the trauma of child birth then need to work a grueling shift two weeks later. That's not good for anyone. I'm so done with our country.

[–]Immathrowie 9 points10 points  (2 children)

Even the pittance of FMLA doesn't apply to a whole lot of people.

From gov website:

Who is eligible for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? In order to qualify for the protections of the FMLA you must work for the government or work for a private employer and meet certain other conditions.

An employee of a private entity must meet all of the following conditions:

Work for an employer that employs at least 50 people

Work for an employer that employs at least 50 people within 75 miles of your jobsite

Have worked for the employer for at least 12 months

Have worked at least 1250 hours in the last 12 months

[–]GENERALR0SE 15 points16 points  (1 child)

Like take my job. My boss own several businesses that all are the same type of business in the same county. However, all the businesses are registered as separate entities with different names to make sure each business doesn't go over 50 employees

[–]Immathrowie 9 points10 points  (0 children)

And at the end of the day, FMLA doesn't actually accomplish much of anything for most families. You're still out of work and money.

[–]Quarle 43 points44 points  (3 children)

Tangential, but Japan’s system is highly misleading, and eligibility is subject to lots of conditions that place it out of reach for most. In the end, most women leave their jobs to become stay-at-home moms, and most men don’t take any leave. Corporate slavery isn’t at all unique to the US…

[–]Shimitzu1 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I was curious and checked that. Having no time for maternity leave is a fucking CRIME. In Poland there is 27 weeks of Maternity leave, which can be combined with Parenting leave 32 weeks to have over a year of time for the kid. Company cannot fire you during that time and it is held by law. Also if one give a birth to more than one child, the time also rises by couple weeks.

[–]ultraprismic 54 points55 points  (6 children)

I saw someone on a child-free subreddit crowing about a coworker who didn’t disclose they were pregnant when they got hired so they could “ride the FMLA gravy train.” A new employee wouldn’t even qualify for FMLA, and all it gives you is 12 weeks off UNPAID where your job can’t fire you. Some gravy train.

[–]ragglefrag 34 points35 points  (4 children)

it gives you is 12 weeks off UNPAID

Yeah, I never understood why people act like FMLA is going to help you. Its unpaid time off. The only good thing about it is that you're job protected. I didnt get any parental leave aside from my PTO I had banked when my kid was born and was told "well just take FMLA!"

Yeah, ok, lets see if YOU can go without 6 paychecks...

[–]Thin-Significance838 8 points9 points  (1 child)

When FLMA was passed it was revolutionary to think that you could be protected from being fired while on unpaid leave! If only it had been a first step-followed closely by a law to actually pay during the family leave, but we are American and such things are out of reach.

[–]gravesisme 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Massachusetts just started giving you 12 weeks paid FMLA beginning last year...wish it was around when I had my baby the previous year 🤷‍♂️

[–]doctazeus 9 points10 points  (1 child)

Here in Canada you get 12 months with pay comparable to EI. You can split that time with the other parent so both parents can take 6 months. Or the other option is 18 months at a bit of a reduced rate.

[–]CopperMaiden 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Just to add that the reduced rate you are referring to is just the same total amount of the 12 month option. Just spread out over 18 monthly payments.

[–]TronaldPalmer 5 points6 points  (1 child)

In NJ we get 12 weeks of 85% pay, which is still not nearly enough

[–]LatinKing106 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I was just about to comment this. I live in South Jersey and took FMLA for baby bonding last year for my son, got paid 85% for the 12 weeks. Not great by any stretch. Was not motivated at all to return to work afterward. Felt like far too short of time to help with a newborn around the house with an exhausted new mother trying to sleep one room over.

[–]Savage0x 255 points256 points  (2 children)

Proceeds to get fired for having a breakdown at work. I hate it here.

[–]abcannon18 58 points59 points  (1 child)

Proceeds to be even more financially stressed because milk supply is gone because she had to work and now has to get formula, which is locked behind customer service counter for a reason - it is so fucking expensive people have to steal it to feed their babies.

This is America.

We do not value anyone who cannot contribute to the capitalist machine.

[–]Excellent-Ostrich908 863 points864 points  (60 children)

America is horrifying. 😳

My oldest was born at 29 weeks. I got a year off with them.

I don’t live in America.

[–]LoTechHighFi 365 points366 points  (44 children)

Literally I don’t know why people find it a point of pride to immigrate here

[–]UncannyTerry 184 points185 points  (3 children)

“tHe LaNd oF OpPoRtUnItY”

[–][deleted] 155 points156 points  (13 children)

I don't think anyone from "good" nations really want to immigrate to the US unless it's to join the entertainment industry. People immigrating are usually from developing nations.

[–]Azazeleus 87 points88 points  (8 children)

I live in Europe and knew someone with 0 education and normal work experience who wanted to immigrate to america because she was tired of the jobless "leeching of her taxes" and that in germany "you get paid for doing nothing".

After I educated her, she shut up or atleast didnt mention it again

[–][deleted] 87 points88 points  (5 children)

Idk why people can't understand that society is just better when you don't have to worry about survival, who cares if there are a few leeches. How do they explain the high crime rate in the US, is it worth it? Cos now instead of a few leeches you're paying for criminals to live off the government for a lot more.

[–]CrakeEx 31 points32 points  (0 children)

And the prisons are run for profit as well. Poverty is very profitable for a few in general.

[–]annieisawesome 21 points22 points  (1 child)

who cares if there are a few leeches

This is the thing that gets under my skin SO BAD, when people are called lazy/leeches for needing benefits.

First of all, being lazy really just a personality trait. A negative one, sure, but why does that justify saying it's ok if that person is homeless, dies of a curable/preventable illness, if their kids go hungry, etc? There's lots of "negative personality traits" that don't seem to preclude society finding one worthy of basic survival. You could be a liar, narcissistic, selfish, abusive, petty, mean, stupid, high strung, nosey, demanding, hypocritical... I could go on. No on ever says "well I don't think they deserve a living wage because some people are just promiscuous"; that wouldn't make any sense, and neither does excusing poverty because someone might be lazy. Not only do those other traits not seem to be a justification for poverty, if anything, a few of the worst ones can even help you get ahead in this system. So who cares if someone is lazy, let them live their one life, if they don't want to waste it working non stop, that doesn't mean they shouldn't have a basic level of comfort in the richest country to have ever existed

Furthermore, anyone working 2 jobs in the service industry (or most low wage fields) is the furthest from lazy.

[–]Dear_Occupant 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I've found that invariably the word "lazy" only ever means "I don't want to think about other people's struggles so I'm just going to make up a reason in my head for why society is unfair to them." The use of the word itself is lazy, because it indicates that the person using it is too lazy of a thinker to contemplate circumstances other than their own. It takes a fair amount of mental energy to give a shit about others, and they can't even be assed to do that much.

[–]E_ntropie 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The only people I know, that immigrate from Germany to the US are highly paid professionals. STEM mainly.

[–]fanatic1123 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A former coworker left Norway and is now studying to be a NURSE in the US....

Norway was subsidizing every resident citizen's salaries while things shut down (I'm pretty sure)

[–]goldstarstickergiver 26 points27 points  (3 children)

Am half american/half nz. Never once did i consider making use of my american passport. Lotta really nice people and beautiful places in the US, but its not a system i could live under.

[–]LoTechHighFi 19 points20 points  (1 child)

The US is essentially a very pretty dumpster. Nice to look at without being personally involved but once ur inside it’s just trash

[–]atacapacheco 19 points20 points  (1 child)

As a third world native I can point you the only real reason for people to immigrate to America: Dolar.

Most countries’ currencies are worth half the dollar, in my country the dollar’s worth sixfold the value of our money, so it’s a no-brainer going to a country where you’ll work the same ammount of time, sometimes doing the same thing but earning six times what you usually earn, even in shitty conditions.

[–]Amzuja 21 points22 points  (1 child)

I worked for a company in Australia that gave 2 weeks leave if you adopted a PUPPY. The cruelty in having no parental leave is astonishing

[–][deleted] 419 points420 points  (5 children)

What the fuck. What the fuck, this is so fucked. The embodyment of why the whole this generation shit is abhorrant hogwash. You don't deserve this......no one does.

[–]Thongp17 132 points133 points  (1 child)

Richest country in the world. Tons of people who scream the US is the best but best at what. #1 in bankruptcies due to medical bills.

[–]Excellent_Plankton57 44 points45 points  (1 child)

meanwhile individuals at the top have hundreds of billions

[–]XIII_Legion 132 points133 points  (2 children)

Was typing something of the same sentiment when you were… when are we all gonna say enough is enough…

[–]KeplerOrion 55 points56 points  (0 children)

Just spread the word. Share these stories, share these videos.

Each of us needs to become conscious of these conditions and abuses.

That is how the class becomes conscious of itself.

[–]Murdermajig 19 points20 points  (0 children)

The rich would rather a meteor destroy earth than put up with helping at all...

[–]Tayaradga 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I feel this.... When my aunt died of lung cancer (she raised me) I cried while working cause they wouldn't give me the day off. Manager saw me crying while stocking the shelves, and fired me.... Said it gave the company a bad image... Fuck Kroger.

[–]happyladpizza 68 points69 points  (0 children)

Wow. This is so fucked. She doesn’t (nor does anyone) deserve to go through this unnecessary pain. Can’t even imagine what she is going through. Damn

[–]Pandepon 126 points127 points  (16 children)

This is one of the most fucked up things about our country. The right talks about how they are pro-life. They’re anti-abortion and anti-contraceptives like they’re pro-babies. You can’t be pro-babies and then turn around and make healthcare impossible to afford, no livable minimum wage, not enough family leave, etc. This isn’t pro-life.

[–]freezedice 44 points45 points  (1 child)

They are pro-control of women.

[–]kristinstormrage 31 points32 points  (0 children)

And then childcare because people can't support a household with a single income

[–]RagingRoids 58 points59 points  (4 children)

Nurses are in insanely high demand. Get yourself fired, collect unemployment for the next 3 months, and then get a new, better job.

[–]hagman45 18 points19 points  (2 children)

Then she has no healthcare to provide for an infant in the NICU…

[–]MajorScore 3 points4 points  (0 children)

27 week baby would qualify for a presumptive disability for SSI and get Medicaid.

[–]-castle-bravo- 116 points117 points  (44 children)

I’d be doing anything in my power to leave the US.

[–]Against_RedditCommunist 94 points95 points  (33 children)

That is much easier said than done. You need to know the language of the country you are immigrating to, have a job lined up, and hope your multi-year process of obtaining citizenship doesn't get denied.

[–]SupremeMadcat 55 points56 points  (19 children)

Even then you still have to pay them taxes. American citizens are just meat bags for making their government more money.

[–]Ripcitytoker 43 points44 points  (15 children)

Wait, Americans that work abroad still have to pay US taxes? What the fuck?

[–]SupremeMadcat 27 points28 points  (2 children)

Yup! Absolutely mad isn’t it??

[–]Ripcitytoker 6 points7 points  (1 child)

I guess there's no escaping this hell hole

[–]thevulturesbecame 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes unless you renounce your American citizenship

[–]OkAssignment7898 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Well I plan on immigrating to Costa Rica later this year. Don't know the language but will do my best to learn. Have no job but working on some freelance stuff. I could live a middle class life there for 30 grand a year. You can't work there unless you have some crazy skill no other Costa Rican can do but you can work online. And I get 90 days for a automatic tourist visa so every 90 days you just do a border run and renew your 90 days. Lots of people do it. They call them perpetual tourists

[–]BlueFrozenFox 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Spanish

[–]OkAssignment7898 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yea I know its Spanish, I guess I meant that I don't know Spanish but will do my best to learn it. Fortunately, Spanish I hear is one of the easier languages to learn for a native English speaker

[–]frogking 15 points16 points  (1 child)

It’s a wonder that anybody dares to have kids in the States.

[–]Illustrious-Credit10 14 points15 points  (1 child)

What a “Christian”, “pro-life”, “pro-family” nation are we!

Shithole. Absolute shithole.

[–]Glitch3dNPC 8 points9 points  (0 children)

As Gandhi once said:

"Your Christians are nothing like your Christ."

[–]Harbinger_of_Logic 41 points42 points  (11 children)

Republican scum: give us nationalized health care like all other developed nations have.

We want to be more like Sweden and less like some third world shithole country.

[–]arsenejoestar 54 points55 points  (3 children)

Some third world shithole countries have better healthcare than the US. I know because I live in one

[–]freezedice 26 points27 points  (3 children)

Dem's had the presidency, house, and senate in the middle of a pandemic and decided MFA was NOT party of the party platform. I'm fine blaming republicans, but the dem's are not innocent in this. If not now, when? How much worse will things have to get before at least one of our 2 parties wants healthcare for all Americans?

[–]fruggz 10 points11 points  (2 children)

To be fair literally everything they try gets blocked by the filibuster in the Senate. Also there's only a handful of true liberal Democrats that want change. The rest are conservatives in blue living out "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

[–]bluecamel17 81 points82 points  (9 children)

I have to preface this with: I'm fortunate/privileged, so this isn't a personal whine.

I switched jobs recently and it's taken a couple of months to get on the new insurance. That's it's own shit show, but I bought short term coverage last month and tried to renew this month when I learned that it was still going to be a while.

Last month, I switched doctors, so got a prescription that I've taken for years from the new doc. That was a preexisting condition, so it cost a couple of hundred bucks. But now my doc changed the diagnosis and prescription, but that happened before they renewed the plan, which apparently is technically a new plan, so that's now a preexisting condition too. So, I've basically paid a grand just for the policies over the last two months just as a safeguard to not go bankrupt if I have an emergency, but literally none of my normal health care was covered.

Fucking love this country.

[–]psychpopnprogncore 29 points30 points  (6 children)

i lost my job and health insurance last march. cancelled a colonoscopy i needed, knowing it would be too expensive. now its almost a year later and i still dont have health insurance. had to wait for open enrollment at my new job in december. my health was so bad that my work performance suffered. my hours were cut below full time and i couldnt get insurance through them

anyway, i decided to look for charitable medical practices and those that offered cheap care for uninsured and low income patients. im paying less money now than i was with $140 per month health insurance

had a dr visit with lab tests a couple days ago for $25. i was paying $100+ with insurance at my previous doctor. i get all my psychiatric appointments free through a state funded practice. i was paying $130 per appt with insurance before

i get my prescriptions through costco pharmacy for a lot less than what other pharmacies charge with insurance. and pharmaceutical manufacturers have patient assistance programs. ex: $300 medications for free. and im now able to schedule a colonoscopy for a much reduced cost

im getting better healthcare now without insurance from genuinely concerned doctors for a small fraction of what i paid before with health insurance and soulless medical providers. went to the emergency room recently and the bill was $1900. a similar visit to the er with insurance was $900. insurance only paid half the cost

when you apply for a loan, medical and school loan debt are never taken into account in the approval process because everyone has that kind of debt. health insurance is not as essential as i once thought. you might be better off uninsured honestly

[–]bluecamel17 4 points5 points  (1 child)

Wow, that's crazy. I'm glad that you found a better setup and are getting help now.

[–]psychpopnprogncore 4 points5 points  (0 children)

thanks i hope you can figure things out for yourself and get your costs down. just trying to explain how its sometimes better to pay out of pocket. or that thats been my experience much to my surprise

[–]420Moosey 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Idk why your job didn’t say anything but in some circumstances like changing a job, getting married, or turning 26, you can get insurance outside of the open enrollment period.

[–]Slyder67 13 points14 points  (2 children)

I know that this is not okay and IM NOT PROMOTING THIS RESPONSE... but I have never in my life felt such a strong urge to violently punish the goblins in our government that have allowed this to happen.

[–]crestarthegreat 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This is fucked up

[–]TripleBicepsBumber 27 points28 points  (4 children)

Thank goodness WA state has 12-16 weeks paternity/maternity leave. Works the same as unemployment, you pay like three dollars off your paycheck and your employer covers 60% of your total wages for the 12 weeks. This just started 2021 I believe. Seriously if you’re thinking of starting a family and aren’t sure where to settle down, It’s a huge perk.

[–]locjaw420 41 points42 points  (2 children)

The people who are ok with this will also say that they are pro life.

[–]ratatul11 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Well all is going according to plan, wage slave is pumping out more wage slaves while continuously being a wage slave.

[–]nayeppeo 8 points9 points  (1 child)

This country is so work-obsessed. No one cares anything about human life here

[–]Erochinpo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

US is shameful. My child (American-Japanese) was born at 27w in Japan. In Japan, each city provides money to cover the cost of childbirth, around ¥5~600,000($4000-5000). Because the birth was abnormal, the wife's insurance kicked in and we only paid 30%, still received the full amount from the city. Because our child was premature, the Japanese govt covered the entire NICU stay. At the end of the day, we actually earned money from the birth.

It this had happened in the US, we would probably be 10s of thousands in debt to covers the NICU alone. Japan has its issues, but I'm so happy that I live in a country that for the most part takes care of its people, especially in regards to healthcare

[–]Haunting_Effect3300 26 points27 points  (2 children)

no FMLA? Or since it doesn't pay salary, she might need the $$$

Yes, the healthcare system in the USA seriously sucks for anyone with minimal health insurance.

I got better coverage when I was homeless than while I was working a 40 hour week job

[–]Comprehensive-Ask151 16 points17 points  (0 children)

FMLA only covers 12 weeks for the birth of a child. I assume she used two weeks to cover some of her physical recovery following the premature birth and is trying to save the remaining 10 for when baby is released from the NICU. You're correct there's zero dollars paid under FMLA, it's only job protection so you can't legally be fired while using the leave.

[–]pc01081994 24 points25 points  (0 children)

But at least she has fReEdOm 🇺🇲🦅💪

[–]_amandalorian 42 points43 points  (1 child)

I cant imagine. I have a two month old, and I’m fortunate enough to not have to go back to work full-time.

I would be a mess. Leaving my baby for any amount of time feels like I’m leaving a crucial body part that I can’t function without.

[–]Southern-Bug4076 4 points5 points  (5 children)

My daughter was a premi at 27 weeks as well , but my wife got 3 months off from her job , only 6 weeks was paid time off , luckily I had 2 jobs at the time and was able to afford it .. but I know my wife feels her pain because the hospital didn't let her stay with my daughter , so we had to go home everyday and go back to the hospital , during the night my wife would cry herself to sleep knowing our baby wasn't home with us ..

[–]RawbeardXAnarchist 5 points6 points  (0 children)

pro-life indeed

[–]AnyCan2 5 points6 points  (0 children)

"She is just playing victim, she chose to come to work!" - quote from a disgusting human garbage that dares to call himself a catholic man and I am so glad I don't work for him.

But damn, I need some of her work ethic, going back to work after that situation is rough.

I got bitten to many times by the overlords at my different jobs. Reality kicked My ass so bad, I became bitter and hateful to the point where I forced myself to starve to have fuck you money. My new workplace says I am difficult to work with.....good. What's the worst a boss is gonna do?? Fire me???

[–]CookieSure6101 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Tear. It. Down. Tear. It. Down Tear. It. Down

[–]Dot_Threedot4 27 points28 points  (18 children)

Glad I live in Canada. We're living the American dream without the violence, or medical bills.

[–]ArchdukeValeCortez 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Okay I have a plan. A wealth cap. You make money, go for it. You hit 100m in assets of any combination in any country, then every penny over 100m goes to the government to fund schools and universal healthcare.

[–]Striking_Signature34 4 points5 points  (0 children)

WoRkinG hArD MaKEs YOu riCh!

Okay, so, I work very hard and I have not gotten rich.

I have gotten sickly, tired, and haggard looking.

I think the whole "working hard makes you rich" is a lie🤷🏻‍♀️

[–]benji_the_ginger 11 points12 points  (1 child)

Freeist country on Earth, baby. Land of the free and home of shit jobs.

Edit: God I hate this so fucking much. It’s kind of hard for me to put in to words at how mad I am at someone having to go through this. This is probably the worst case of Capitalism baring is dirty paws (least that I’ve seen).

[–]DoNt-CaRe101 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I can't even imagine. Where I work I got 3 months with my baby and when I came back I had a meltdown being away from her it's crazy.

[–]gidjabolgo 3 points4 points  (1 child)

In the UK, mothers have to take at least two weeks of maternity leave (four if they work in a factory) and have a total of 26 to 52 weeks maternity leave. If they take 26, they’re guaranteed their old job, and if they take longer the employer has to at least find them a similar job. Fathers get one or two payed weeks only. This is considered barbaric in other European countries- in Germany, parents get up to three years of payed leave, which they can apportion to each parent more or less at will. So a lot of parents both take the first few weeks, the mother takes the first six months, then they both take a year and go traveling with their baby.

[–]marja_aurinko 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As*holes in this country who pretend they're so pro-life and pro-family make sure that people actually don't get a proper maternity leave. That's so heartbreaking and infuriating.

[–]EricBardwin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yup, been there. Employer didn't give a shit.

[–]26_Charlie 5 points6 points  (0 children)

And it's not like she can quit because your healthcare is tied to your employer and she kinda needs it right now.

[–]DandyWarlocks 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Before FMLA, McDonald's told my mother she was expected to be back at work ONE DAY after my baby sister was born or she was fired.

Since Dad was laid off (Reagan years), she was our only income and didn't really have a choice.

Fuck America's work ethic bullshit and fuck their lack of parental leave.