I realized that I was selling myself a story based on a fantasy. FDR and Kennedy sold us on a dream, but the truth is that the US is and has been ruthless, racist, and a bit fascist since its inception. With the exception of Obama (and even then it’s iffy), every administration since Carter has been very right-leaning and short of compassion (Clinton was basically a moderate Republican).

Looked at from that perspective, what gains we have made are something to be proud of. What stings is that some of those gains are going to roll back. Sisyphus something or other.

Barring special circumstances, the looks you are born with matter very little. What matters more is your presentation.

First, take care of your skin suit. It is the only one you own, it’s the one you have to wear, and it is the one everyone else interacts with. Hygiene. Grooming. Basic fitness. This doesn’t mean that you have to have a specific body type. This means that whatever body type you have, it has to be healthy. You can be heavy built and be fit and healthy. If you do not take care of yourself, why would some trust you to take care of them or their stuff?

Second, you have to prepare excessively. I always assume that I am not ready, so I over prep. Being prepared fills you with confidence. Being confident makes other comfortable and helps them trust you. There is no such thing as being too ready.

Third, keep your mouth shut and listen. Do not just hear…listen. This helps you better understand your situation, what others need, what to avoid, etc. When you do finally open your mouth, speak clearly, succinctly, and with confidence because you now know what is needed and you came prepared.

Bottom line is that, like all magic tricks, it is all about the prep work.

Of course, but first you need to figure out what your true definition of “better off” is. What would bring you true quality of life. Also, what would you trade off in order to achieve that quality of life? The answers to those questions are very individual.

Your forties are around the corner.

Bob Odenkirk is not amused.

Depressed middle-aged appeal is apparently a thing. Never in my life was I hit on more (by women and men) as I did when I hit my forties and my hair turned gray.

Come to think of it, that diagram is super accurate. When I was in my teens (elvish) and twenties (line cook) it felt like was living in a sex avalanche, but when I hit my thirties, I became invisible. Thirties doesn’t meet any of the three criteria.

I think this entire response thread is too young. Back when you connected to the Internet with 14.4k and 28k modems (mid to late 90’s), websites were as OP described. Simply put, there was no bandwidth for too much extra crap.

Not a joke.

https://youtu.be/0FyKQ3HrmII

FYI: The consensus among health experts is that condoms should ideally not be stored in wallets for more than a few days, if not just a few hours. If you must carry a condom in your wallet, it’s best to use it the same day to ensure its integrity.

All of the above plus moka pot, Aeropress, cold brew, french press, and instant.

Just like with OS selection, I hold no allegiance and use the tool that best fits the requirements.

As someone that spent half their life very poor, I always take offense with the “just move” answer. Many people, if not most, in the US cannot afford to emigrate. It is also very likely that OP or someone else in their situation, cannot afford to get a STEM degree.

OP said that they are disabled.

TL;DR: The following is going to be dark and harsh but it all comes down to one thing. Life doesn’t get better, you get better at dealing with shit. Hang in there.

You need to disconnect and find a way to focus on you.

It feels like the entire system is a scam and it’s pointless to even try.

It has always been a game where the only way to win is to cheat. Always.

It feels all but certain that I won’t be able to enjoy a prosperous life or get to retire.

The system is not setup with rest (retirement) as its main goal. The system is setup for you to play until you die. Even if you hoard more money than you and your descendants could possibly spend in a hundred years, you would likely still want to play, because you are winning. If your end goal is mere prosperity and retirement, then you should prepare to be under the boot and a slave until you die.

All of the wealth is going straight to the top.

Always has been the case. It hasn’t stopped people from finding a way.

All of the opportunities to move up in the world are being rug-pulled.

This has always been the case. You have to make your own opportunities and expect others to drag you down. We are all crabs in a bucket.

All of the federal agencies that help keep us safe and healthy are gone. The social safety net is getting flushed down the toilet.

Fantasy. These things has never existed in this country. At best, FDR gave us a yoga mat to land on when we fall off a cliff, where before it was a bed of nails. Fall hard enough in this country and you will get wrecked no matter what. It has always been that way.

We will live in disease and squalor, and the most vulnerable of us will die.

Same as it ever was.

Because I dared to not be a sociopath, I and anyone else who voted for sanity will be deemed enemies of the state and hunted down - which won’t be hard, because it would be trivial to build the most robust surveillance state in human history if it doesn’t exist already.

Take a breath. Here is a truth that will sound harsh but it is meant as a kindness. You do not matter. Just about nobody knows you exist. Nobody is coming to get you. This fact applies to almost everyone.

Since all we can do is live the life we perceive with the meat in our skull, we tend to see ourselves as the main character in the story of life. We’re not. We barely qualify for NPC status.

I myself have disabilities (which I don’t think qualify for benefits) that make it hard, but not impossible, to find a job.

That’s a problem, I am sorry. All problems have a solution, but one unlikely to be found here, with Internet strangers.

The problem is that I just can’t bring myself to do it because I don’t get what the fucking point is anymore. I have to work so hard to get out of this rut just for some fascist fuck to kill me or toss me into a torture facility before I can even experience life on my own.

Again. Breathe homie. That’s not going to happen.

Have you been in a similar headspace and were able to escape it?

100%…often. I have lived with chronic, sometimes crippling, depression and fairly severe PTSD since 1989. Long story short, a lot of trauma broke my brain. Combo that with ADHD, borderline personality disorder, heart disease and cancer, and we are living the life baby! Still, I have been able survive and rise from poverty to wealth without hurting too many people…I hope.

If so, what snapped you out of it?

Nothing did. I just kept getting up out of spite and contempt for this life. As time went on, i got used to it. The bullshit bothered me less until it just became background noise. A nuisance from time to time.

I always say
“two thousand”
“Oh one, oh two, oh three…”
“Twenty ten, twenty eleven…”

My ADHD manifests in the complete opposite way.

Me: “Let’s go to sleep.”
ADHD:

I have been an IT professional since 1995. Never have I ever had a personal PC that wasn’t either a refurbished laptop or some sort of Frankenstein abomination that I put together from whatever was on sale and upcycled parts.

“The Onion is proud to acquire Infowars, and we look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the site’s users with lies until they fork over their cold, hard cash,” said The Onion CEO Ben Collins. “Or Bitcoin. We will also accept Bitcoin.”

From the CNN.com article.

Those ladies were likely in their early to mid twenties.

And I still don’t want one. They could sell them for $1000, and I still wouldn’t want to be seen in one.