Today I learned that my stepfather is planning on becoming a landlord. I’m absolutely devastated.
My mom visited me today and as we were talking I told her how I planned to move out of the province I live in, as at this point it’s a lost cause. She agreed with me and told me she planned to move back to the Azores with my stepdad, of course. She then mentioned how they’d be financially well off due to my stepfather wanting to set up businesses. I didn’t know what this business was until she told me how they wanted to make money off of renting properties out.
She told me this in relation to how when she and him are gone (dead) their house and the one I live in will be mine to do with as I please. Because the house I live in is a property they own she made reference to other properties they would invest in in the future.
I don’t think my mom really understands this whole ordeal but my stepfather definitely does and it breaks my heart that he would resort to doing something so evil. I’m incredibly lucky that my parents were more than willing to help me move out of a horrible living situation by paying the down payment for a home while I pay the mortgage. Most people can afford mortgages, it’s the down payment that stops anyone from being able to afford to buy. So I’m lucky and incredibly privileged. I feel like I don’t have the right to be angry at them since they’ve done so much for me but at the same time it hurts to know they want to exploit people for profit.
I didn’t know what to say to her. Was I supposed to lecture her on the nature of landlording? I don’t think she deserves that since she’s never been savvy with this stuff. Do I lecture my stepfather? Maybe, but he’d fight me hard on that and it might screw me over. My stepdad has always been a hyper individualist and has little to no hope in the world improving, anytime I’ve talking about dense housing and better public transit he treats it like a childish daydream. He also hates unions so there’s that. It makes sense why he’d want to be a landlord but I don’t want to be tied to such a deplorable act.
But I look over this whole thing and ask: Does it make me a hypocrite?
As a communist, but I’m living in a house bought by my parents. I’ll have landlords as parents too. What then? Am I disqualified? I’m in genuine distress over this whole thing. I’m scared and confused and I don’t know what to do but cry.
Does anyone have any advice? Anything at all? I feel so alone…
I think I fear is that once I get going more publicly some reactionaries will bring up the fact that my parents are landlords as a “gotcha.” I know I shouldn’t worry about petty arguments but sometimes I find it hard to think logically when my anxiety takes over. I’m taking deep breaths and reading everyone’s replies has definitely calmed me down.
Take a step back and understand that you are having that argument right now, with yourself. I do this when I’m becoming anxious over something too. It’s like a rehearsal of sorts, but often for a show that never airs. If anything this thread will have armed you with information and points of view that can aid you on having that conversation if it comes around. Also remember you are not alone in your situation. Undoubtedly you’ll find others in a similar state and it drove them to action and advocacy too.
✌️♥️
These people exist. In droves, unfortunately.
They come out when there’s a strike. The first thing they say is, ‘Don’t X get paid enough?’ Where X are the higher paid workers in the union (or sometimes just the industry, where they’re used as the quintessential model of a union member but are rarely in it or interested in industrial action when they are). Like the train drivers or the consultant doctors. These lickspittles fail to understand the crucial thing: solidarity. Fuck them.
Then there are the ones who are in the union and use the same argument as a reason to cross the picket line. These are even worse! Like, thanks for taking your full inflated salary while the rest of us lose pay for those who can’t pay their bills. Fuck them as well.
(As for the difference between a salary and income from a little capital, in the global north there’s not always much difference as those on higher salaries functionally exploit the poorest workers.)
Don’t pay them any attention. If they bring it up, ask them what they’re doing to improve the world. The fact that you’re even thinking these things through shows you have more backbone than such betrayers.