“美国人要想不欠债，要么当富二代，要么联姻豪门”

“我认识的人里，不欠债的不是富二代，就是和有钱人结了婚。”一名美国受访者说。

"I don't know anyone who isn't in debt unless they're a trust-fund kid or married rich."

《纽约杂志》（New York Magazine）旗下的生活时尚杂志The Cut最近做了一项调查，采访了102名读者，了解他们的负债经历——从怎么欠下债务，到还了多少。结果显示，大多数人只能在债务的深坑中挣扎，难以自拔。

这项调查让我们得以一窥美国人是如何在经济并不宽裕的情况下依然大手大脚花钱的。这种超前消费的习惯，也从侧面揭示了美国贸易逆差背后的深层次社会原因。

美国人深陷负债泥潭

调查显示，关税阴霾笼罩下，美国人民正面临前所未有的债务压力，信用卡债务已突破历史新高，2024年总额高达1.2万亿美元。

"Tariffs are coming, a trade war is looming, and most of us are overwhelmed with more debt than we can handle. Credit-card debt is at an all-time high, hitting a record $1.2 trillion last year, and people are having a harder time paying it off."

受访者的债务从5000美元到150万美元不等，其中房贷是高额负债的主要来源。大约一半受访者的债务在5万以下，集中在2.1万至5万美元之间，多数为信用卡和学生贷款。

"Our readers reported a wide range, from as little as $5,000 to $1.5 million. The higher spectrum of debt, in the $200,000-plus range, often included mortgages. Roughly half of readers have $50,000 or less in debt, with most landing somewhere in the $21,000 to $50,000 range, either from credit-card debt, student loans, or both."

债务都是哪儿来的？

从吸脂到婚礼，从碧昂斯演唱会门票到戴森美发器，美国人的信用卡账单正承载着沉重又五花八门的“现代生活成本”。几名受访者分享了自己欠下债务的经历：

▌Three years ago, I got "lunchtime lipo." Put the purchase on two separate credit cards, $6,000 on one and $2,000 on another. I've gained all the weight back and currently have $1,500 dollars in interest on top of the original $8,000 payment. And I got botched.

三年前做了“午餐吸脂”，用了两张信用卡，一张6000美元，一张2000美元。效果很失败，体重回来了，利息也涨到了1500美元。

▌My wedding. I took out a $20,000 personal loan.

我的婚礼花销。我申请了2万美元的个人贷款。

▌$4,000 of my credit-card debt is from concerts and vacations. My friend and I bought Beyoncé floor seats for Renaissance — now I'm going to do it all again for Cowboy Carter.

信用卡上那4000刀欠债，都是看演唱会和度假旅游欠下的。我和朋友买了碧昂斯“文艺复兴”巡演的内场票——现在“牛仔卡特”巡演我准备再冲一次。

▌I spent $600 on a Dyson Airwrap. Then I bought a Dyson vacuum. It seemed like the right thing to do.

六百美金的戴森卷发棒说买就买，后来觉得该配齐一套，又入了同牌吸尘器。反正刷卡的时候总觉得这钱该花！

也有许多人坦言，为了“像朋友们那样”生活，不得不负债：

▌My personal credit card has about $25,000 in debt and most of that is from a combination of vacations, fancy dinners, clothes. All things I objectively don't need, but I want to feel like I'm able to afford the same things that my friends do. Even though I clearly can't.

我的个人信用卡上有2.5万美元的债，大部分来自度假、豪华晚餐、买衣服。明知道这些我根本负担不起，但我就是想看起来过得还不错。

▌I accrue around $250 extra debt a month just by going out with friends a few times a week.

我每个月大概会因为和朋友出去聚餐玩乐，额外增加250美元的信用卡债务。

▌At least half of my debt is trying to keep up appearances.

我背的这些债，起码有一半纯粹是为了装门面。

债务怎么还清？

许多欠债的受访者坦言，自己仿佛陷入了一个无解的恶性循环。也有人表示通过嫁入豪门、回家啃老，或是寻找专业债务协助服务才缓解了债务困境。

▌I have paid off about $15,000 in credit-card debt over the years, but it always creeps back up.

这些年我好不容易还掉了1.5万美元的信用卡债，可不知不觉又欠了一屁股债。

▌I paid off $20,000 in credit-card debt, then got $30,000 in debt right after.

我还清了2万美元的信用卡债务，但很快又欠了3万。

▌Luckily I married into a wealthy family, and my husband used some of his trust fund to pay off my student loans.

幸运地嫁入豪门，丈夫用信托基金还清了我的学生贷款。

▌Two years ago I moved back in with my family to save on rent. My parents live in a wealthy neighborhood where everyone wants to show each other how much money they have. I feel like my life is just this game of make sure everyone knows you have enough, dress like it, drive the car like it. I can keep up these appearances to an extent, but beneath it all, I'm drowning in debt.

两年前，我为省房租搬回家。父母住在富人区，周遭人人攀比。我的生活成了维持光鲜表象的游戏——穿得体面、开豪车。表面风光，实则债台高筑。

▌For the last two years I've been working with a debt-management company to get out of what I did. You make regular payments into a savings account with them and they negotiate your debt with creditors. Once they reach a settlement amount, they'll pay it off with what you've saved and take a percentage of what they settle. These debts still follow me and I'm throwing money at them, but I have a bit of relief that someone with more knowledge is handling them.

过去两年与债务管理公司合作：定期向其储蓄账户汇款，他们代表我与债权人协商。达成协议后，用我存入的储蓄金还款并收取佣金。虽然债务仍在，但有专业人士处理让我稍感轻松。

美国个人债务问题愈演愈烈，信用卡债务和学生贷款的激增让许多美国人陷入难以摆脱的财务困境。随着美国对全球发动关税战，物价上涨将进一步加剧民众的偿债压力。普通美国人想要摆脱债务深渊，面临的困境或将愈发严峻。

编辑：左卓

见习编辑：裴禧盈

来源：The Cut

China Daily精读计划

每天20分钟，英语全面提升！