Why Is Everyone in Berlin So Poor? Like, Genuinely Asking

Not trying to be rude (okay, maybe a little), but… is being broke part of the Berlin aesthetic?

I swear every third person I meet here is a “DJ,” “visual artist,” or “freelance consciousness curator” living in a Kreuzberg flat with six roommates, two of whom are definitely squatting. And yet they somehow always have money for €12 cigarettes, €6 oat milk lattes, and enough black clothing to blend into a void.

How are you broke but also at Berghain every weekend dressed like a cyberpunk apocalypse priest? How do you survive off unemployment but have a better skincare routine than me?

Also, what’s with the refusal to get a “real” job? Someone told me working for a startup is “selling out” and I think they meant it seriously. Another guy tried to pay for a beer with a hand-drawn NFT.

At this point I’m convinced rent is a social experiment, and everyone’s just living off vibes, existential dread, and Club Mate.

No hate, just confused. Is this financial minimalism? Anti-capitalist performance art? Or did I accidentally move to a really cold Burning Man?

Let me know, Berlin. Enlighten me. Preferably in a zine.