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Faking Wealth is Like Faking Orgasms
Americans are drowning in debt, not for survival but for show
A lot of Americans blow a lot of money, and mostly they blow it on status-symbol stuff that does not make their lives better.
Maybe it’s because we (thankfully) don’t have an aristocracy or caste system so we dreamed up the idea of signalling status via spending money instead.
If you’re wealthy, I have no advice for you. You can spend whatever you want and still have enough for other needs. But for people who are not wealthy, I have an important message for you: You aren’t any richer if you spend money you can’t really afford to spend. Worse, you are making yourself poorer.
Here’s how this is like faking orgasms
If you fake an orgasm, you’re teaching your partner to keep doing the wrong things, and never discovering what actually works for you.
It’s a recipe for bad sex.
If you fake wealth by performatively spending money on the things that are marketed to you, you’re teaching yourself and others to chase things that don’t satisfy, and you may never figure out what truly does.
