Gen Z American details 'struggle to survive' in viral rant: 'I cannot afford to live'
TikTok creator @nicsmnrs sounded off on the high costs of living that make it a "struggle to survive." (Credit: TikTok/@nicsmnrs/Photo illustration)
With hot inflation numbers to prove it, one hacked-off Gen Z American took to TikTok, where he detailed a "struggle to survive" and pay for everyday items.
"Can somebody explain to me in crayon-eating terms why I make over three times the federal minimum wage and I cannot afford to live?" the user named Nic started to say.
"And I do not want to hear the ‘Pull yourself up from your bootstraps, work 90 hours a week.' That's not the goal, guys," he continued ranting. "A one-bedroom apartment, $1,800. Two-bedroom apartment, $2,200. Who the f*** can afford that? It is embarrassing to come out and say that it is a struggle to survive right now. But I know so many people are struggling."
The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.
Meanwhile, consumer price index data released by the Labor Department on Wednesday showed inflation accelerated in March for the third straight month, keeping prices painfully high for millions of Americans and likely delaying any interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
HIGH INFLATION IS COSTING AMERICANS AN EXTRA $1K A MONTH
Other parts of the report also pointed to stubborn price pressures within the economy. Core prices, which exclude the more volatile measurements of food and energy, climbed 0.4%, as they did in January and February, for an annual gain of 3.8%. Those figures are also higher than estimates.
Housing and gasoline costs were the biggest drivers of inflation last month, accounting for more than half of the total monthly increase.
In a more recent TikTok that was posted four days ago, Nic expanded on his initial viral video and said he previously voted in favor of the Republican Party.
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"I just now realized that regardless of which side I vote, it won’t be fixed," Nic said. "They continue to pull this bulls---. The spending budgets that they keep approving, the foreign aid they keep sending out when we need that in America."
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"How many homeless veterans are out on the street right now?" he added in the recent post. "Government overreaching, government overspending has continued to happen and it is getting worse and worse."
High inflation has created severe financial pressures for most U.S. households, which are forced to pay more for everyday necessities like food and rent. The burden is disproportionately borne by low-income Americans, whose already-stretched paychecks are heavily affected by price fluctuations.
FOX Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.