So, my friend Amanda told me once that in college she wrote a paper about how the washing machine destroyed our society, or something like that. I can't remember exactly what she said, but it seemed that the premise was that women used to spend all day long doing laundry, but after the washing machine, they had so much free time, that they went out and got part-time jobs and messed up the economy.
Amanda, pleasee correct me if I'm wrong.
And, I totally agree with her. It seems that the definition of a healthy economy is constant growth, constant consumer spending, and constant job increases. I think that having two parents working has created an artificial inflation of consumer goods because women are the main consumers and as long as women want to buy more stuff, then more stuff will be created, and as long as women are working and have money to buy it, the cycle will continue until the earth is filled with useless "stuff."
Did you see Wall-E?
If women work to buy things for their families that are immaterial, I think it's great. Like to pay the mortgage or save for college, or pay the insurance bill, or go to Disneyland (??). But once there is a lot of extra income, and it goes toward buying more clothes and toys and electronic devices, it does nothing but destroy the earth and create the need for false jobs that weaken the economy because once the demand is gone (maybe the supply runs out?), the economy will crash.
All you economists out there, please correct my logic, because these are just the ramblings of an uneducated housewife.
2 comments:
I love reading your opinions, Angie. They're so honest and refreshing. I'm not sure I would say the washing machine caused the downfall of our economy, but in many ways I agree with the concept. I think the two-income family has led our society to spending more than we should. I took a finance class and my professor mentioned how people get in trouble because they buy a house based on two incomes, but then someone loses a job or decides to stay home and they can't keep it up, etc. People have bigger eyes than their wallets. Our society is very material and I know I buy into it more than I'd like to.
I agree w/ this 100%! (I'm Kristy Ricks' hubby btw). Back in the 50s, a guy could graduate from HS (college if lucky) get a job at the local whatever, work there for 30 years, save up a nice nest egg, buy a few cars, pay off a mortgage and send his kids to school, all while mom stayed at home taking care of the important stuff. When women entered the workforce en masse, it drove salaries down because you effectively doubled the # of people looking for jobs, so employers could pay less.
Fast-forward 50 years...now it requires 2 people working full-time to afford the same basic necessities that were commonplace 50 years ago (2 cars, mortgage, savings, college, missions, etc.). So now women are forced to work just to make ends meet, which means they're not at home taking care of the important stuff, which means the children, and by extension families and our futures all suffer.
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