Is This is What Americans Consider Sacrifice These Days?
If you get a Sunday paper, you may have seen the annual "what do people make" issue of Parade magazine.
They included results of a survey, and these two questions really caught my attention.
Q: Have you had to make sacrifices over the last year to make ends meet?
A: Yes = 74%
No = 26%
Q: What have you had to sacrifice?
A: Vacation plans = 68%
Dining out = 67%
Home improvements = 52%
Going to the movies = 50%
Designer clothes = 34%
Jewelry = 32%
Am I the only one who doesn't see a single sacrifice on that list?
These are the sorts of things I would consider a sacrifice:
- Having to forgo a necessary medical treatment
- Not having enough to eat to meet my basic nutritional requirements
- Giving up my home and going and living in my car
The answers people gave to what qualify as a "sacrifice" are mind-boggling to me. They are talking about scaling back on unnecessary luxuries. Since when does that qualify as a sacrifice?
Sorry to rant, but after reading those poll results I felt quite dismayed ... Are Americans really that out of touch with reality?
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“May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a road downhill all the way to your door.” - Irish Blessing
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