>>81796932 (OP)>you weren't expected to be perfect and have an expensive car, wear expensive clothes live in a big house etc, you just needed to be you.because it was super easy and expected for any retard who could hold a hammer or a shovel to be able to earn enough to buy a house and feed a family as long as they didn't drink or gamble away all their money.
https://dqydj.com/historical-home-prices/
source: Federal Housing Finance Agency
>median home value USA 1974: $28,789.00>median home value USA 2025: $419,200.00https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015021301612&view=1up&seq=406
source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
>Data for production workers / nonsupervisory employees in various industries>Total, gross hourly earnings (1974) by Industry:>Manufracturing: $4.41/hour>Mining: $5.21/hour>Contract construction: $6.75/hour>Transportation and public utilities: $5.43/hour>Wholesale trade: $4.49/hourUsing median home value as inflation metric for 2025 dollars:
>Manufracturing: $64.21/hour>Mining: $75.86/hour>Contract construction: $98.29/hour>Transportation and public utilities: $79.07/hour>Wholesale trade: $65.38/hourYeah, no shit people didn't care about jobmaxxing etc when any random highschool dropout could show up to any random construction site in his area, give the bossman a firm handshake, no CV or complicated interviews required, and just start the next day for todays equivalent of 60-90 dollars per hour.