There's a term for this in sociology/economics: privatized Keynesianism. The idea is that one of the reasons that debt levels are so high is that people are trying to maintain what a "middle class life" looked like (or should feel like) via debt. This hit a little close to home.Here’s the thing — and this confused me for a long time — premium mediocrity is not a consumption aesthetic, but a financial hack powering a deliberately crafted illusion that is being strategically crafted for a purpose.
The essence of premium mediocrity is being optimistically prepared for success by at least being in the right place at the right time, at least for a little while, even if you have no idea how to make anything happen during your window of opportunity.