ALABAMA, UNITED STATES: Jessica McCabe, a mother of two adult children from Alabama, has garnered widespread attention with her candid expression of frustration about life in today's America. McCabe’s outburst about the financial challenges her millennial and Gen Z children face has gone viral on Twitter.
McCabe took to 'Fox & Friends' on August 8 to further elaborate on her apprehensions and respond to the criticism she faced from some quarters. Meanwhile, her scathing TikTok tirade has garnered an impressive view count of 11 million and counting.
'Where did the American dream go?'
In the video captioned 'Where did the American dream go?', McCabe says, "It's not 1988 anymore. We have to, as parents, realize that the economy has changed. I understand inflation, prices always go up. But I think that lately the wages are not keeping up with how big the inflation has gotten."
"And we have to listen to our children," she continues. “I am so tired of feeling helpless as a parent."
"Yes, my kids are grown adults. My oldest is 28. My youngest is 25," she revealed. "And I thought by teaching them what I learned, which is, you work hard, you get a good job, you're going to get the things in life that you need. Alright, worked for me. Why wouldn't it work for them? Because it doesn't. Because the world has f-----g changed.”
“Yes, I understand. Struggling is a part of life. We all struggled. But there's a difference between struggling and drowning,” she added.
McCabe voiced her apprehension regarding how attainable the American dream was for the younger generations, particularly in light of the prevailing conditions of the US economy.
“The reason why I made the video is because I was so frustrated. I went out yet again with my son to go trying to find an apartment he can afford. Half the places I felt like should have been condemned, that he could afford," she recounted.
McCabe also noted, "And the other half, they're running four times your rent. They want you to show that you can have like four times that. So, it was getting frustrating."
'The American dream disappeared 3 years ago'
Meanwhile, McCabe's video received several comments online, with some users even poking fun at the apparent hollowness of the ideal of the American dream.
One user wrote, "When white, middle class folks can’t make it, and they see why, maybe it’s time we all stopped pretending the American dream ever existed?" Another penned, "The American dream disappeared 3 years ago."
A Twitter user wrote, "Raise standards of education, more after school programs, get rid of single family zoning and parking laws that increases living expenses by causing housing scarcity and forcing people to have cars just to do basic things. Anything else?"
Someone else commented, "1 bedroom in Portland is actually about $3k probably lol." Another said, "It's not capitalism you're complaining about. It's mega corporations controlling government to enrich themselves."
