Going out requires a car. Money to park a car, money for the event itself, money for drinks, money for games, money for food. THEN you can have fun. If you're broke too bad.

Americans are more miserable than ever. The enshitification of basically everything has take a strangle hold on life itself. Something has got to give.

Can someone post the text, please? Recaptcha is tedious as fuck.

I was reading somewhere that gambling has “become Americans favorite pastime”. That’s a sad state of affairs as it means people are trying to recover and make money rather than expanding themselves with art, culture and entertainment.

In my small hometown there used to be a go kart track & mini golf place that closed down a number of years ago. A bank was built in its place.
A few years later a locally popular/famous restaurant unexpectedly closed down, even the cooks & waiters were caught off guard. The owners sold the property to a different bank.

Trying to hang out with my 5 siblings, to spend as little money as possible. Walk around the mall 30 minutes away, or the one 45 minutes away. Done that too many times. So we spend 60$ at a splash pad instead.

Millennials opening another bar+X combo: why don't people come here?

Having friends over for dinner is an underappreciated and affordable form of fun

We often blame smartphones and social media for making us feel worse. But most of the world uses these digital tools at least as much as Americans do, and the US still came in 23rd on the global happiness ranking in 2026, down from 13th a decade prior. America’s happiness decline must have another major cause, says report co-editor and University of British Columbia professor emeritus of economics John Helliwell.

How about long commutes that suck up all our time. I used to commute 10 miles one way on a bicycle to work, and ride 10 miles home. 2 hour commute total, 8-9 hour work day. All that was left was preparing meals so I didn't waste money on take out, cleaning and sleeping. Weekends spent on catching up on sleep and more chores we couldn't do during the week. When the fuck are we supposed to spend time with friends? A single drink at a bar costs $20. A 4 pack of the cider I like costs $12-14 dollars. I can't event afford to get proper drunk at home alone. Someone making federal minimum wage would need to work nearly 3 hours to afford a drink in a bar. Concert tickets are insanely expensive, decent seats for a single person $200 - $300. Plane tickets are insanely expensive. Parks and public spaces aren't maintained.

In February 1990, a one-day, one-park ticket to Walt Disney World cost $31.00 for an adult. At Walt Disney World in 2026, standard 1-day, 1-park tickets range from $119 to $209 (plus tax) per person ages 10 and up. All of the entertainment that's out there for poor people is just horribly enshitified and not fucking worth it. When 50% or more of your income is paying rent, fuck it, just gonna stay home and at least get what I pay for.

Fun is now just for the rich and they demonize the poor for trying to enjoy the small luxuries they can afford, like splurging at the grocery store to buy a porter house steak instead of eating rice and beans every fucking day. Millennials and Gen Z are supposedly splurging on groceries because other luxuries are out of reach.

This article talks about price but tap dances around the real fucking issues. Wages have not kept up with productivity and affording basic necessities like food, shelter, healthcare, and transportation are fucking out of reach for so many. Entertainment venues like bars, restaurants, clubs would exist and profit if people actually had disposable income to spend.

Bloomberg can suck ALL THE FUCKING DICKS after they take their god damned smart phones and shove them up their asses until they are choking on facebook adds.