My Autistic Perspective on the Cost of Living
They can't take it with them, but what do they care?
"The cost of living rises again (up it goes). The peso gets so low it is no longer seen...and beans may not be eaten, nor a pound of rice or quarter pound of coffee. Nobody cares what you think. Is it because we do not speak English here? Ah ah it's true...ah ah it's true. ah ah it's the truth. Do you understand? Do you? Do you?" - Juan Luis Guerra, The Cost of Living
Because of the social anxiety I suffer due to my autism, I have a strong dislike for grocery shopping. Grocery stores are always a zoo. Shopping cart traffic jams are annoying. The self-service check-outs, which have mostly replaced human cashiers, are confusing to operate. On top of all that, is the added stress of surging prices and shrinking products. Ah, yes, inflation, and its equally ugly sibling, shrinkflation, which were said to be born during the pandemic. However, such phenomena are nothing new.
Anytime there's been a depression or recession in history, employment rates drop while prices rise. Unfortunately, those who are lucky enough to keep their jobs aren't lucky enough to see their paycheques keep up with the surging price of groceries, products, gas, restaurant meals, etc. I haven't studied business and can't fully grasp all the inner workings occurring behind the scenes, so pardon my ignorance, but it seems the big monopolies and conglomerates are the only ones profiting these days, getting richer by charging more for less.
In my hometown of Toronto, Canada, there's an old, haunted lighthouse. According to legend, during the War of 1812, the lighthouse keeper would rip off the British soldiers stationed nearby, selling them bootleg liquor he secretly watered down. The British soldiers' eventual realization of this shady practice is what ultimately led to the lighthouse keeper becoming a ghost. Even way back in 1812, shrinkflation was a thing, and it was just as immoral back then as it is today. Financial injustice is a tale as old as time. Just look at all the legends of Robin Hood standing up for the poor during the Middle Ages.
I've been told that the current wave of inflation and shrinkflation are a direct result of the pandemic, global warming, and war. Fair enough. If it's difficult to import goods in these uncertain times, why not stock your shelves with food from local farms? Why did you close all your manufacturing plants and layoff your employees in favour of setting up sweatshops abroad operated by child labourers? The evil of globalization.
Also, you now have more self-service check-outs than human cashiers. We, the consumers, are now responsible for scanning and bagging our own groceries, at no additional cost to you (you now even charge for the bags). Doesn't that save you some money? You know society is struggling, so why must you sell your consumers less product for more money? If you're putting less in the box, why continue charging the original price, or worse, raising it? Why kick people when they're down?
Another example is video games, which have always been expensive, even in the '80s and '90s. Back then, you could at least rent games from your local Blockbuster to see if you liked them enough to warrant a purchase. Nowadays, you must either take a leap of faith with a blind purchase or fork over a few hundred bucks on annual, Netflix-style subscription services.
Here in Canada, physical and digital video games both cost $79.99. Digital games don't have the added manufacturing and shipping expenses associated with physical media, so shouldn't they cost less than their physical counterparts? What incentive do I have to buy a digital game? The convenience of avoiding a trip to the mall? I can just as easily order a physical game online and have it shipped to my front door.
Oh, and housing. Let's not forget housing. When I was growing up in Toronto, millionaires lived in lavish mansions in exclusive neighbourhoods, such as Rosedale or Bridal Path. Thanks to gentrification, property developers and millionaires have driven the middle and lower classes out of their communities, transforming formerly affordable neighbourhoods into Rosedales and Bridal Paths, minus the lavish mansions (run-down, fixer-uppers are the new million-dollar dream homes). Toronto has joined other big cities, such as Vancouver, New York City, and San Francisco, in being only accessible, affordable, or inhabitable for the rich.
I wish there was a solution to inflation, shrinkflation, gentrification, etc., but I don't think there is one. Our elected officials could get involved, but how effective can they be regarding the rules of economics? Doing so would create too much of a stir, since businesses want total freedom from the government, unless they need a bailout. I guess if you avoid shopping as much as possible, then the monopolies and conglomerates would have no choice but to lower their prices. Maybe buying some crops, chickens, and goats, and starting a mini farm is the way to go?
I try to end my more serious posts with some positive suggestions on how such situations could be improved, but in this case, I just don't know. Perhaps my learning disability prevents me from grasping the full scope of this complex issue. I only hope prices go down or paycheques go up, sooner rather than later. It's brutal out there. If you're struggling in these financially difficult times, hang in there. To quote Little Orphan Annie: "the sun will come out tomorrow". Until next time, love, peace, and chicken grease.