The Gay American Dream Doesn't Exist Anymore

[00:00:00]The gay American dream just does not exist anymore. Like the American dream for anyone doesn't exist anymore, but it definitely does not exist for gays.

[00:00:14]Everything is just too much. Everything. Like there's nothing that is cheap anymore. There's nothing that is affordable anymore. It's like every single thing that we have to buy, like just necessities, is out of our price range, and an entire paycheck goes to bills.

[00:00:37]Then what?

[00:00:38]There's no money left for fun. There's no money left for vacations. There's no money left to save. Like what is our generation even going to do?

[00:00:49]Like I'm a millennial, and I'm feeling this way. I can only imagine how a Gen Z feels right now.

[00:00:56]Like how are you feeling? Because while millennials aren't necessarily on the right track savings-wise either, at least in our 20s we got to like enjoy life a little bit. I could make nothing and still have a really good time and still have money left over after my bills. But now you go to the grocery store to get like 10 things, it's like $100 minimum. 100.

[00:01:26]I I don't even know how anyone does it.

[00:01:29]Let alone somebody that has like kids or someone they're taking care of. Like there is no American dream anymore.

[00:01:37]There is no way to build this life that we want. Because even if you get a good job, and you get benefits, and you get a pension, and all this stuff, it could be gone in 5 years. We see the rate of how AI is going.

[00:01:56]Like your job could be gone in 5 years.

[00:01:59]A lot of jobs are already being replaced by AI. And I know that like ChatGPT lies and it's still not where we want it to be. There is a lot of AI technology out there that is way better than ChatGPT and will take people's jobs. Like coders for example, done. Their jobs are completely going to be obsolete. The only jobs that will be available for that are the ones that like maintain the AI. And people that people that know how to prompt. If you know how to prompt, you can get a good job. Like all the jobs that we don't want, like physical jobs like electricians, plumbers, and all of that kind of stuff are going to be the jobs that will pay you and aren't going to be taken by AI that quickly.

[00:02:43]Even if you get a good job like that, it's like what happens in 10 years? What if it's gone? Then what? What if you didn't save anything? Then what?

[00:02:54]Like nothing is affordable anymore.

[00:02:57]Nothing.

[00:02:58]Even Planet Fitness went up to like 15 or $20. They used to be $10 for like ever.

[00:03:04]Like and I'm that's not a lot of money, but it's still that's like it's everything's doubling. Everything's doubling.

[00:03:11]I've talked about this in other videos.

[00:03:13]Like I can't even take someone on a date anymore because I'm just like I don't feel like spending $150 just to date them and then like a week later I get ghosted or we just stop talking. Like I don't want to waste my money like that.

[00:03:29]Like if there were guys that were okay with just going to coffee or going for a walk, that'd be one thing, but I swear every guy that I date wants me to like woo the hell out of them and I do that naturally anyway. I'm always trying to spend all my money on the guys that I'm dating.

[00:03:45]But I'm done with it. I don't want to do it anymore because I can't afford it anymore. I used to be able to like go all out with guys because it'd be like a dinner and drinks would cost me like $50. It's like, "Yeah, that's not that big of a deal. That's like an hour, a few hours of work, right?" But now, it's like minimum 100 150 to take someone out. Like, I'm sorry.

[00:04:06]Not going to do it. Not going to do it.

[00:04:08]And like, you know, life is hard for everyone right now. It's not just gay people that are dealing with the economy. It's everyone. No one can afford [ __ ] right now. But it's really really difficult for the gay community because we are held on this like higher standard for some reason. Like, I'm talking between like a gay guy and a straight guy. Like, a gay guy definitely has to spend more money than a straight guy does. Depending on, you know, whether the straight guy has a family or not. That's like a different story, but let's just say a single straight guy and a single gay guy, the gay guy has to spend more money. They do. We have to spend more money on how we look. We have to spend more money on going to events and stuff to be able to like convene with the community.

[00:04:55]Whereas, straight guys can just sit at home jerking off playing video games all day, not really spending that much money on how they look. Whereas, we have to spend money on $200 gym memberships and gym classes and Botox and and eating healthy and going out every weekend and all these other things. And I've talked about it in another video about being, you know, being gay is super expensive and I'll link it below. But like, being gay is more expensive than being straight for the most part. I'm, you know, there's situations where it's a little more for some people. But for the most part, gays have to spend more money to live up to the pedestal that we are on and to not, you know, not be judged by the other gay men in the community. And you know, visually look good for other gays in the community so we can date and and and we can make friends and it's unfortunate that we have to, you know, have this certain look or aesthetic about us in order to be accepted in the gay community, but that's just how it is. And so with the economy the way it is, being gay is way more expensive and it [ __ ] sucks because shit's not cheap anymore. It's not cheap anymore. I can't just go to a bar and get, you know, a $3 well cocktail. It's like, "Oh, you want a cocktail? It's It's well, but it's going to be $15."

[00:06:27]When I can just go buy the entire bottle of well vodka for $15. Like, what do you mean you want me to spend $15 on this mixed drink that is watered down and doesn't even really give me a buzz. I might as well just go buy the whole bottle and chug that [ __ ] before I come to your bar and not spend a [ __ ] dime there.

[00:06:48]You know, it's like you're going to the bar to meet somebody. You're going to the bar to like mingle with your friends. What do you need to buy a drink there for? Just drink before you go.

[00:06:56]Like, why are we like continuing to fund these bars when they're just like gouging the [ __ ] out of us? Like, [ __ ] you. I'm going to just drink before I come to your bar and I'm going to use your bar for free. And if you try to charge me a cover, I'm not going there.

[00:07:10]You know?

[00:07:12]I'm like the worst patron ever. I'm like, I'm not spending a [ __ ] dime in your place. But it's just like it's getting out of hand. Like, why are we you know, I get that these companies want to make money and like they saw an opportunity during 2020 and beyond where they could kind of gouge us for a little bit and it was like fine cuz we were just dealing with life and whatever, but that [ __ ] is say it that [ __ ] has passed. Can we go back to just like normal prices? why are y'all not lowering your prices? Like, why is everything so [ __ ] expensive?

[00:07:49]Like, I just I just want it to change. And I have like a lot of goals that I'm working toward to kind of get out of this rat race in America because I think that one, I'm not going to I'm not getting the American dream. Like, I don't even What is the American dream anymore? It's like buying a house, having a car, having a family. Like, first of all, I don't even want to buy a house because the interest rate is so high, it's not worth it. You actually can save more money if you just rent and put the extra money that you'd be spending on all the house [ __ ] that you have to spend and invest it and actually come out better.

[00:08:36]And your money's not locked up like it is in a house.

[00:08:40]I don't necessarily Like, I don't want a car anymore. It just depends where you live, obviously. If I you know, if you can have a car, but if I could go without a car, I would because I think it's a unnecessary expense. If you're in a place where it's walkable, just walk or ride the bus or Like, I don't know why we've gotten so afraid to take public transportation.

[00:09:00]Like, having a car is so expensive and it's not even just the monthly expense, it's just the I'm trying to get rid of all the expenses, the like, what ifs. Like, what if my tire goes out? What if my engine goes out? Like, I don't want those what if expenses anymore because it's just like I don't know. I'm just tired of having that. And so, like, that's out of out of the picture, too.

[00:09:26]So, like, what is my American dream here? I don't want a family. I don't want kids. So, what is the American dream? What is a gay American dream?

[00:09:35]Have we even thought about that before?

[00:09:37]What do you think the gay American dream is? Because I don't know what it is anymore. And I don't think I want it. And I think I just I I want to continue to grow my income online.

[00:09:52]And I have a plan for that. So, currently my income comes from my day job, my YouTube channel.

[00:10:02]I have a side website business that brings me some income each month.

[00:10:07]And my family's actually starting a travel agency. So, I will be making extra income from that travel agency.

[00:10:15]You know, whether that'll be a substantial income, I don't really know yet.

[00:10:19]But, that's kind of where I'm at with like my income streams. I'd like to kind of bump out the in-person income again, because I do like working for myself, and I like the idea of living wherever I want. But, I also like how I've been more of a homebody lately, and I like that I've been building a home where I'm at right now. So, there's like a part of me that like wants to have this home life American dream, but then there's the other part of me that wants to just be a digital nomad and go explore the world.

[00:10:55]Because while I'd like to be able to move back to Las Vegas one day, that's kind of like my end goal is my is moving back to Vegas, and that being kind of where I retire, but then still kind of travel wherever. But, right now it's just so expensive that I'm like, I don't I don't want to spend like for some reason, I I value my online income more than I do my in-person income. And I don't want to spend all of my online income for in-person bills and necessity bills and rent and all of that stuff.

[00:11:33]And so I don't know that I want to live in America if I become a digital nomad.

[00:11:39]A part of me still wants to just move to somewhere like Vietnam or Thailand where I can get a nice place for like 500 bucks a month or less. And I could literally live completely like pay bills, have a life, go shopping all the time. That kind of life for like 1,500 or 2,000 a month total. Total.

[00:12:05]Whereas that doesn't even pay all of just my bills here.

[00:12:09]You know what I mean? Like I have to pay all my bills here.

[00:12:14]And then I don't have anything left over for fun or anything else just to enjoy life a little bit. Like there's really I don't see the point of working all the time just to pay bills.

[00:12:26]I don't I don't see the point. So moving to another country where it's like five times less I can actually like live my life. I can actually grow a savings because I'm 35.

[00:12:40]I've got a lot to catch up on. I've got to catch up. And living in another country where it's dramatically cheaper like even if I make only three grand a month. Like I could make only three grand a month, live in Vietnam or Thailand, and save 1,500 to 2,000 plus depending on how much I make.

[00:13:00]If I make more than 3K, it's even more.

[00:13:03]And I could catch up that way. Like I can't save $1,500 a month in America right now.

[00:13:10]That's like that is insane. I mean unless I I'm starting to hit a 100K and stuff like that, but a part of me is okay with just making just enough.

[00:13:19]But just enough in America is not just enough. It's just enough to pay bills and that is it. There's no like extra anything. And I'm just like if I'm going to work the same amount whether I live here or somewhere else, I'd rather live somewhere else because I'm my money will go farther. Like I don't understand the point anymore. The American dream has died. Like I don't understand the point of living here just to say I live in America, just to be like around the people that I know.

[00:13:56]So so I'm spending all of this money just to be normal and be comfortable.

[00:14:05]But like my comfortability is coming at a price, a really high [ __ ] price, and I don't want it anymore.

[00:14:14]Like I don't want it. Like I want it, but I don't. You know what I mean? Like if I could reverse like 10 years and I was making the money that I'm making now I'd have a great life.

[00:14:27]I'd be able to like live my life. I don't need to make six figures, seven I don't need to make all of that to have a happy life. As long as like the prices reflect that. Like I'm making the same amount that I was making 10 years ago but it doesn't go anywhere. I used to be able to go to Coachella. I'd go shopping every weekend. I'd do all of these things. I'd drive to LA. I'd fly to San Francisco. I'd fly to Chicago. And I could spend my money and like I had it.

[00:14:58]And I still wasn't even making that I was still making under 100k, but I was living life. And now I'm making the same amount but I'm not living life. I just come home every day and I goon and I go to bed.

[00:15:15]Like I I don't see the point.

[00:15:18]I don't see the point. I don't want to hit 50 and be like, "Oh, now I'm going to try to like better my life." So, that's why I'm doing it now. That's why I'm trying to build these like systems and and my online incomes now because I want to be able to live my life. If for some reason America becomes cheap again, it just all of a sudden comes cheap again, I'll stay here.

[00:15:44]But, other than that, I want to leave.

[00:15:49]It's not worth it anymore.

[00:15:51]The American dream, the gay American dream, is dead.