oldecon

This article argues that the “Old Economy Steven” meme, which depicts older generations mocking younger ones for their struggles, is actually a propaganda tool created by the CIA and wealthy elites. The author, who identifies with some aspects of the “Old Economy Steven” persona, contends that these memes aim to divide younger and older generations, diverting attention from the real culprits behind societal problems: the very wealthy and powerful entities who have manipulated systems for their own profit.

The author challenges specific “Old Economy Steven” tropes, such as ease of college affordability, job progression, and financial handouts. Instead, he argues that significant tuition hikes, stagnant wages, and a rigged economic system are the true issues, driven by entities like investment groups and banks, not by the average older person. He also criticizes the excessive military spending by the United States and the UK, suggesting this diverts funds from essential areas like education and social programs. The article urges Millennials and others to reject this propaganda and unite to challenge the wealthy elite and the systems they control, including corporations, universities, and the media. The author also touches upon the decline in food quality and the shift towards disposable products as further examples of the negative impact of unchecked wealth. He asserts that people should direct their anger towards the actual sources of these problems, rather than falling for divisive narratives.

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The author graduated high school in 1981 and was born in 1963, not fitting the Baby Boomer category. He mentions a friend named Steve McCutcheon. He notes that college tuition was about 20th of what it is now and he had no student loans, while his wife did. He tested out of about two years of college, saving money, and his parents paid for his in-state tuition. He never lived with his parents after high school, though his brother did until age 30. He graduated Summa cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa but never got an office job, having worked as an artist and having waited tables. He feels sorry for Millennials and is grateful he is not one, seeing things as steadily worsening since the 1950s. He looks back on the 1970s and early 80s with nostalgia, despite junior high (1976-1978) being a misery for him personally. He contrasts the music, propaganda, fake events, cellphones, computers, and fashion of the past with today’s. He urges Millennials not to blame “average older people” for current issues, stating that most people have been swept along by decisions made by a few people at the top. He notes that the same families have always played the system.

He critiques comments about Old Economy Steven such as:

Working from an entry-level position to CEO, calling it a Wikipedia myth.
Paying for college with a summer job when tuition was around $400. He blames the very wealthy investment groups who have bought up the university system for the 20x tuition hike.
He references an article from Money.cnn.com (2016) comparing tuition at Oxford ([[~ $11, 500]] / ye a r) t o [[H a r v a r d]] or [[St an f or d]] ([[$ 48,000]]/year).
UK universities started charging tuition in 1998 (about [[ $1300]] / ye a r f or n or ma l s t u d e n t s, f ree f or p oors t u d e n t s), r ai se d b y [[T o n y Bl ai r]]^{'} s [[L ab o u r P a r t y]] in [[2003]] t o [[$ 3900]]/year, despite promises to revert to zero tuition.
He criticizes UK defense spending (~$50 billion annually) and intelligence funding, suggesting this money could pay for teachers and staff.
The US spends 13 times more than the UK on defense, 65% of what NATO spends, 11 times more than Russia, and 5 times more than China, despite China having 4.7 times more people.
The US defense budget is around [[ $700 bi ll i o n]] ann u a ll y, w i t ha dd i t i o na l [[I n t e ll i g e n ce]] f u n d in g p oss ib l yre a c hin g [[$ 200 billion]], $500 billion, or even a trillion dollars.
He blames this spending for a lack of funds for “real art, real education, real science, real history, or real social programs,” instead pointing to drug pushing, poisoning the water supply (fluoride), [[poisoning the food supply (Monsanto and others)]], poisoning the air, and turning waters into dumps.
He suggests boycotting universities, chemical companies, the military, intelligence, and the entire system.
He criticizes the idea of supporting the troops over spending federal tax dollars on needs like “free education that teaches something besides propaganda,” “art that isn’t just a money laundering front,” “science that isn’t just a steal-from-the-treasury project,” “literature that isn’t just a conduit for wannabe writers at Langley”, and “music that isn’t just an Illuminati nightmare.”
He discusses the food of the 80s compared to today, noting the absence of “modern garbage food” and mentioning avoiding Nabisco, Nestle, or Taco Bell. He contrasts the higher cost of organic food with the “fake food prices” of regular markets like Walmart.
He compares his parents’ lives before 1990 to his own 27 years before it. His parents married in 1962 before the “war by the government on marriage, women, men, and happiness.”
He contrasts his grandparents’ lives, who lived through the Depression and two big wars, with the 50s. He lists concepts his grandparents wouldn’t have known: the Matrix, AIDs, trannies, cult murders, fake Moon landings, cellphones, computers, 1000 channel TVs, gender feminism, poststructuralism, postmodernism, LGTBQIA+.
He contrasts presidents FDR (a spook but educated) with Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Trump.
He contrasts military perceptions of doughboys and liberators of Paris with current actions in Afghanistan, fake Seal teams killing Osama bin Ladin, and copter teams napalming Vietnamese villagers to the “Ride of the Valkyries.”
He identifies a meme referencing a 2.0 GPA, alcohol and cocaine abuse, and inability to hold a job, being elected president, with George W. Bush, and questions his election, implying it was due to being a Bush and perhaps being “given” the election by Gore.
He dismisses the idea that union workers think unions are ruining the country, attributing this sentiment to “wealthy company owners and the media they own.”
He criticizes a meme that blames Millennials for competition with women or minorities in the job market, seeing it as an attempt by the Langley committee to broaden divisions.
He refutes a meme stating that “Socialists ruined this country” by claiming strong unions, financial regulations, and high income tax rates were Republican policies designed to protect “the little guy.” He argues the US has always been fascist, with top-down control benefiting the wealthy, and that after 1980, resource vacuuming by the wealthy has become more brazen, especially after 2000.
He discusses the historical Pecora hearings after the 1929 stock market crash where J. P. Morgan admitted he and his partners paid no taxes in 1931-2. He notes that even with current high income tax brackets (e.g., 37% for over [[ $500, 000]]), t o p e a r n ers p a y l i ttl e, w hi l e t h ose makin g l ess t han [[$ 10,000]] pay 10%.
He attributes manufacturing moving overseas to “heads of big corporations,” a few thousand people from old families, not “Old Economy Steven.”
He challenges the idea that “Life handed him everything” to Old Economy Steven, stating that life only hands everything to those from rich families, a situation exacerbated for Millennials with families being 20 to 50 times richer.
He debunks a meme about receiving [[ $10, 000]] f ro mhi s f a t h er t o b u y hi s f i rs t h o m e, s t a t in g ah o u secos t a ro u n d [[$ 20,000]] in 1982, and that those buying houses at 22 for $20,000 in 1982 weren’t receiving them from their fathers. He notes his parents’ house was worth about that in 1982 and they never considered buying him a house or making a down payment. He states his own financial situation was a bit above middle class, and his grandparents had helped his parents financially, but “nothing like buying houses.”
He states that the big banks own all the houses and are responsible for greed, being around 50 times richer than forty years ago.
He dismisses the meme “They don’t make ‘em like they used to. YOU MADE THEM.” by stating manufacturing is now overseas and only “big dogs” use foreign labor.
He interprets the meme “Accuses those making Old Economy Steven memes of being lazy and entitled. IS LITERALLY OLD ECONOMY STEVEN” as a failed attempt to predict an enemy, and highlights his own accusation against “Langley writers working for the man.”
He critiques the meme “Saved money at a bank. WAS ACTUALLY PAID INTEREST,” attributing the lack of interest to banks assuming people are too passive to demand it.
He relates the meme “Worked overtime. GOT OVERTIME PAY” to the idea of a general strike.
He refutes the meme “Drove a V8 for four decades. Wonders why gas is so expensive,” stating gas is not expensive and has not kept up with inflation, unlike in Europe.
He questions the meme “Steven says Save your money. MONEY BACK THEN WAS BACKED BY GOLD,” noting the gold standard was abandoned in 1971.

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