昔はよかった・・・

ザ・シンプソンズの登場人物

出典: フリー百科事典

The most famous dysfunctional family of 1990s television enjoyed, by today’s standards, an almost dreamily secure existence that now seems out of reach for all too many Americans. I refer, of course, to the Simpsons. Homer, a high-school graduate whose union job at the nuclear-power plant required little technical skill, supported a family of five. A home, a car, food, regular doctor’s appointments, and enough left over for plenty of beer at the local bar were all attainable on a single working-class salary.

Adjusted for inflation, Homer’s 1996 income of $25,000 would be roughly $42,000 today, about 60 percent of the 2019 median U.S. income. But salary aside, the world for someone like Homer Simpson is far less secure. Union membership, which protects wages and benefits for millions of workers in positions like Homer’s, dropped from 14.5 percent in 1996 to 10.3 percent today. With that decline came the loss of income security and many guaranteed benefits, including health insurance and pension plans

The purchasing power of Homer’s paycheck, moreover, has shrunk dramatically. The median house costs 2.4 times what it did in the mid-’90s. Health-care expenses for one person are three times what they were 25 years ago. The median tuition for a four-year college is 1.8 times what it was then. In today’s world, Marge would have to get a job too. But even then, they would struggle. Inflation and stagnant wages have led to a rise in two-income households, but to an erosion of economic stability for the people who occupy them.

 　シンプソン一の主人公は高卒で原発ではたらいて、妻と子供３人を養っていたんだけど、生活はそこそこで、医療にもかかれたり、バーでビールを呑んだくれたりすることもできた。これは１９９０年代の話で、彼の給料をいまに引き直して現在に生きてもらうとするとそうはいかない。給与は現在に引き直すと中央値の６０％くらいにはなるが、現在では所得保障もないし、健康保険や年金制度など社会保障も利用できない。購買力も減っていて、家は当時の２．４倍、医療費は３倍、４年制の大学の授業料は１．８倍。現在なら妻も働きに行かなくてはならず、こうして、インフレと賃金の停滞で共稼ぎの家庭が増えていったのだ、と。