Slashdot Mirror
Silicon Valley Thinks It Invented Roommates. They Call It 'Co-living' (theguardian.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: Have you heard of this cool new trend called co-living? It's a bit like co-working, except instead of sharing an office with a bunch of randoms you share a home with a bunch of randoms. Oh, you might be thinking, is it like ye olde concept of "roommates"? Why, yes. Yes it is. As a viral tweet pointed out earlier this week, "co-living", which has inspired a spate of trend-pieces in recent months, is actually "called *roommates* ... you invented ***roommates***." Now, to be fair, co-living isn't just living with a bunch of roommates. No, it's rich millennials living with a bunch of roommates in a fancy building in a recently gentrified part of town. The co-living space is also full of cool amenities like yoga classes and micro-brew coffee bars, meaning you can minimise unnecessary interactions with the outside world. In startup speak, this is what is called "community." The Collective, for example, a co-working space in London, describes co-living as "a way of living focused on a genuine sense of community, using shared spaces and facilities to create a more convenient and fulfilling lifestyle."
Welcome to the progressive wet dream. Home ownership is for the 1% only (and optional). The rest get to live in shared housing, tied to it by monthly rent that is just high enough to ensure they can't accumulate wealth, and just low enough to ensure that anyone can get a 12x12 ft box for themselves. You don't need a bathroom - you can share. You certainly don't need a kitchen - you won't be doing any cooking of your own. And you surely don't need a garage because you'll use public transportation, or god forbid rent once in a while. Everything is disposable... and you're dependent on your betters for every aspect of your life. You won't even have a job of your own - you'll get free money from the government.
Welcome to the future, we've renamed everything to make it better.
Nope they didn't just rename it, they did something. First, it was co-located spaces in the office to save money, then it was co-located spaces where multiple companies can share the cost of office space now it's co-living spaces where the employees pay all the cost of the office space AND receive a lower salary and benefits because you know, it's nerdy and cool to be in the exclusive club of Silicon Valley douche bags. This is one reason among many I will NEVER live in California. Another big one is CARB gas cans, you know that don't actually work and break after 2-3 uses so you can supposedly save the planet from gasoline fumes going into the atmosphere. California is a bunch of elitist, spoiled, entitled, greedy idiots.
We'll make great pets