The Way We Live Now: freezing our balls off. And by balls we mean "a metaphor for jobs," because jobs are what give Americans of all genders, thank you, the "cojones" to keep on truckin'. Castrated, economically, by a snowblade!
The Way We Live Now: better than we used to. Despite everything, our living standards are rising! Can you believe it? Even with no jobs or pensions, we're seeing improvement. We pay for it all on credit!
The Way We Live Now: requesting a do-over. We made our best guess, and it didn't work out. Let's run it back. Let's try again. Let's make a different bet. Let's get a refund, and re-invest! Repay us, immediately!
The Way We Live Now: giving up on dreams. They're complicated, they're expensive, and you never get your investment back. Why bother with dreams when you can find nearly as much satisfaction from tax rebates, gambling, and condos? Settle, settle.
The Way We Live Now: using all of our powers of sleight of hand. Congratulations on your democracy, Egypt! Please install a dictator as your economic overseer at once! Stability at any price—that's the American Egyptian dream!
The Way We Live Now: expanding and contracting. It's natural, like inhaling smoke from menthol and fiberglass. The economy grows; the economy shrinks. People on the margins get crushed. The only way to survive: go crying to your rich uncle.
The Way We Live Now: in a state of total war. If we must sacrifice a portion of this nation in order to more thoroughly dominate another nation, well, that sounds like a good deal to us. Suck it, Japan!
The Way We Live Now: conflating a concatenation of concurrent consequential...things. Just circumstances, really. We accept responsibility for our mistakes. We pray never to repeat them. Then we run off and do whatever! Whooooo, good times!
The Way We Live Now: scrimping and saving. To get into Davos! Davos ain't cheap, you know. They don't let just anyone into Davos. Only the big shots make it to Davos. Do I know you from Davos? Oh, sorry.
The Way We Live Now: just messing with you, but seriously. Sometimes you hear something so crazy you're like, "You're just messing with me." And they're like "Yea—but also, it's true." We can't even afford to die any more.
The Way We Live Now: laying down our burdens. Until we're chased off seconds later by a stick-wielding security guard. When will all the indebted people out there grow some perspective? At least you're not trying to sell a yacht!
The Way We Live Now: starving. For employment! Also for food, but that's a totally different issue, although kind of related to our unemployment, now that we think about it. Airfare's up. Taxes are up. Crooks are up. Us? Down.
The Way We Live Now: grumbling unnecessarily over pennies. It's just human nature. It matters not how righteous the cause may be; it matters only that the cause will cost us money, which is unacceptable. Do farmworkers need another penny?
The Way We Live Now: wasting money. Just absolutely blowing scrilla like there's no tomorrow. We're on a paper chase—chasing it right out the door, into a fire or something! Wasting money's great. Until you run out of money.
The Way We Live Now: putting our head right through the ceiling. We are giants. We grow a foot every day. Our ceiling's only seven feet high, and we're eight feet tall. Should we raise the ceiling? Nah. Risk it!
The Way We Live Now: cutting corners. Corners are expensive. You want a 90-degree angle? Pay up. Otherwise you get a ragged, crumbling edge, just like everyone else.
The Way We Live Now: blinking. As some opportunities fade out, others blaze prominently. Win some, lose some, ups and downs, one door closes and another opens, etc. As long as you're not poor, weak, or European, you'll survive. Probably.
The Way We Live Now: aspiring to livability. That would be great, to be able to afford to live. Having an adequate amount of a stable currency? That's it. Gives us a warm feeling, like the heroin rich people get.
The Way We Live Now: reflecting on the long-term implications of our situation. And they ain't good. They just ain't. There's no getting around it. The currency's not bouncing back. The wages are down for good. And Haiti's fucked forever.
The Way We Live Now: going from poor...to profitable! If we're going to be sitting around being poor anyhow, why just waste time twiddling our thumbs? Get to know the poor subculture. Online begging! Bail bond harassment! And much more!
