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kleinbl00  ·  2724 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: This Is Why The American Dream Is Out Of Reach

'k.

One of the fundamental things that irks me about The Last Psychiatrist is he speaks from this position of ultimate, unassailable authority that scornfully dismisses all other explanations without so much as the barest investigation. It's not "I'm right, I'm absolutely right, you might think I'm wrong but I'm right" it's "Of course I'm right because this one snarky point is the only logical interpretation of the facts at hand and anyone who disagrees is beneath contempt."

And he's manic. Like off-his-meds-florid-episode manic.

In short, he's my mother, about three days before she downs an entire box of wine, hides the cars up other peoples' driveways and threatens to kill the dogs. So while you might see razor-sharp insight and a jocular wit I see a crazy person dangerously unaware of their oncoming crash. And while you might see a certainty of rhetoric and nimble argumentation, I see narcissistic delusion driven by self-deification. And once you wipe away the pretense it's just bullshit. Here:

    Scott, a 24 year old dean's list college grad, is smart but unemployed. According to the New York Times, in five months, only one job has given him an offer: $40k as an insurance claims adjuster.

NO, FUCKER. That's not what it says - but skipping around and cherry-picking parts of sentences to be offended by are hallmarks of mania so whatevs. But what it does say is that Scott has been looking for a job for two goddamn years. It's actually the subtitle of one of the photos TLP linked. Yeah - he's gotten one offer in the past five months and he turned it down and that's kinda questionable but "I graduated Colgate in 2008 and here it is, 2010 and all I can find is 'insurance adjuster'" is hella different than "I'm not taking a job because I prefer my parents' couch." So

    a) the recession ended last year;

NOT HERE IT DIDN'T ASSHOLE. THAT'S THE POINT OF THE ARTICLE. But go ahead. Take a swipe at the kid for drinking iced tea, of all things. Point out that he's not getting laid while living at home. Got any other cheap shots?

    This is a guy whose entire job search is conducted online in the mornings. Anybody want to hire this go-getter?

Four or five resumes a week for two years ain't nuthin', asshole, particularly when the gist of the argument is there are no jobs available. Hey, what do you do?

    Here's a little factoid about the medical school I work for:

Riiiiiiight. Let's cast stones from the biggest glass house on the block - academia. And you don't even teach. That means you're a big part of the problem.

But okay. What's the basic point?

    The problem with Scott and his generation-- and this is most decidedly not Scott's fault but is the fault of his dad and grandfather's generations-- is that Scott just can't imagine playing without a net.

Fucking please. You're going to cast aspersions on Scott for wanting health insurance? YOU WORK AT A HOSPITAL. Scott's got an undergrad degree in business from Colgate. In 2007, that was a pretty bitchin' degree. Now? From the NYT Article:

    Scott Nicholson also has connections, of course, but no one in his network of family and friends has been able to steer him into marketing or finance or management training or any career-oriented opening at a big corporation, his goal. The jobs are simply not there.

Ohh, right. But he's a young go-getter. What sort of options has he? Here's the part you linked, bootz:

    Scott and his friends at the Irish Pub are in the best position imaginable: young, smart, living debt free with their parents. Four of these guys, each borrowing 10k personally (at 4% -- $400 a year to pursue your dreams?)

So for starters, that's $200 a month for a 5-year term. Times four dudes, that's $800 a month. Ten grand a year. Also, that gets you $40k. Which, I don't know if you've checked, gets you half a used food truck.

I'ma guess cgod is $40k easy into his coffee shop. I'ma guess he might be double that. And that's coffee. Know what a business major from Colgate doesn't know? Coffee. cgod has another advantage - he need not divide his profits amongst four people. $10k is a micro loan. It buys half a goddamn Honda Civic. It starts a business, if that business is selling vintage bullshit on Etsy. But clearly, there's something wrong with the kids. They lack drive or some shit. Right?

    No one told them how to open an office, hire three therapists and three NPs, bill insurances. But you know who owns all the private psych group practices? Foreign medical graduates, i.e. people who were comfortable "playing without a net," improvising, seizing opportunity. (Sigh. Now I sound like my own father.)

RIGHT. People with rich fucking relatives overseas willing to extend the cash to keep a practice floating for three, four, five, six years until it turns a profit. See, my wife hung up her own shingle. And her outlay was miniscule - all she needed was an office and some furniture and some insurance and it was like TWENTY FUCKING THOUSAND DOLLARS above and beyond the medical degree and know who has two thumbs and supported her for four years while she got profitable?

this guy.

Doctor.

Midwife.

Billing four figures at a time.

So sure. go get a loan to open a medical practice. It's not like there aren't any out there already, and it's not like the banks aren't going to ask how you're going to differentiate yourself. And that's why most doctors buy a practice and why it costs an easy million or more to do that because you know what? those jobs aren't there either.

Which this asshole would know, if he wasn't hiding in academia slagging on everyone else.

    'm not here offering a solution for the 45 year old guy with three kids. I am offering encouragement to a crop of college kids infantilized by terrible advice from parents and TV who have the freedom and opportunity to try something; while simultaneously describing the only long term solution to America's economic problems: more businesses.

No you're not. You're slagging the shit out of them because their reality doesn't conform to your fantasy. You actually suggested that Scott isn't getting laid because he doesn't have a job.

Fuck you.

On behalf of every person who has ever been unemployed, everyone who has ever been underemployed, everyone who has ever taken a risk, everyone who has ever had to have someone vouch for them before they could get a foot in the door, fuck you in the neck you entitled, manic, off-your-meds bullshit artist. The world is not what you think it is, which you might realize if you'd take your fuckin' pills and stop filling the world's alt-right with bullshit.