Discussion for article #230999
an economic system rigged
Don’t hold your breath waiting for our modern media to see the obvious…
Even in my studies of Midwestern artists living and working between 1890 and 1930 it becomes screamingly clear that the traditional American paths leading to personal economic opportunity for the many no longer exist in our modern society. In fact, I see this lack of opportunity every day while driving. Just twenty or so years ago it was a safe bet that if you saw a man riding a motorcycle that man would have been a young man. Today, if you see a male motorcyclist that fellow always looks over 50 years old. Why? Today’s American youth can’t afford what used to be a cultural cliché.
Donovan, I sympathize, I really do. I have two children among your cohort, and it grieves me to know their standard of living probably won’t match my own. That is not the way things are supposed to work in America, or so we’ve all been led to believe.
Trouble is, you are the only ones that can change that trajectory, no one else is really motivated to do it for you. For many, if not most, of your parents, they’ve seen any hope of actual retirement diminish or disappear entirely. For the 0.1% things are working exactly as planned. Why can’t y’all be bothered to fight back? Is OWS the best you can do? Seems to me you gave up way too easy.
IMHO, unions are the only reason the boomers had the success they did. Even those of us who never had the opportunity to join a union had advantages because of union collective bargaining. I don’t really care what you think of unions, there is power in organization. I always thought that was obvious, but most just don’t seem to get it.
My advice, maybe you should all turn your gaze away from your electronic devices and take notice of what’s happening in the world around you. It might help to learn a bit of history.
You could start by voting. Don’t like the candidates, or what they are saying? Get better ones. It’s within your power, but only if you’re organized.
You are the only ones who can change this trajectory. Don’t expect anyone else to come to your rescue. If millennials voted at the same rate as my age group you could influence all of the things you (so rightly) complain about.
It’s a process that takes time. Probably a lot of time, given how screwed up this country has become. That’s unfortunate, but if your generation doesn’t wake up soon, the only thing you can be sure of is…
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
I wish you luck, and I’m sorry if it’s not the answer you want, but as a certain politician once said - You are the ones you’re waiting for.
Broke + you can’t put a house on a credit card
Grandpa and Grandma Bacon laid their lives on the line to organize the Steelworkers Union. If either one of them were alive today, they would tell millennials to organize. Keep organizing. Get militant. Fight back. Never give an inch!
Oh, and by the way - the Boomers aren’t your problem. I’m really tired of hearing that.
The problem is that the 0.1% are hoarding all the cash. Leaving less for all of us. There are plenty of boomers who have nothing to look forward to but working until the day they die.
I’m with you 100%, but I’m old and tired. Get off your butts and organize!
I fall under the Millennial category and always find it hilarious when people say we’re lazy etc. I graduated college early, worked in politics for a few years, now work a full time job, write for multiple websites in my free time and vote in every election. God, I’m so lazy.
I have two sons who are “Millennials.” They both work very hard. My elder son earned a business degree from a state university and took a job as a manager with a major box store chain. He’s seen the underbelly of the beast and understands how the cards are stacked against him. I also live in a state that just reelected a conservative governor who will likely turn our once progressive state into a Right to Work for Lower Wages state. Until those who are victims of this system rise up and throw off the demagogues who tell them that they are putting the state on good footing by cutting taxes and gutting the social safety net, along with education, they will continue to see prospects dim. I worked on phones during the gubernatorial election, but I can’t fight the battle that the younger generation needs to take up for itself.
You are kinder than I would be.
I am so tired of hearing how bad off the millenials are and their blaming boomers for their problems. They own every fricking gadget on the market. They sit in line for hours to buy $500 phones, They live at home, pay no rent and don’t have any bills.
The point is not all millenials are lazy but blaming Boomers who are still working past their retirement age because they have no choice isn’t the answer either.
We’re frequently labeled as lazy.
And endlessly irritating.
Yes millennials are frequently labeled as lazy and boomers are frequently labeled as the milllennials’ reason for not having a job. Both labels are ridiculous. I blame the republicans for all of our problems. LOL
The issue of the high cost of a college education is more complicated than the author recognizes. On the one hand, state universities have received substantial cuts from state government over the past two decades, forcing them to charge higher tuition. (Call it the public deciding that a college education is not worth investing public funds.) At the same time, colleges and universities have engaged in a battle to provide perks that will attract students. Forget cafeterias that offer two choices of meat and vegetables (as when I was in school). Food courts now cater to students’ varied tastes. That’s nice, but expensive. And while many dorms remain spartan, the off-campus housing most students transfer to after their first year is very pricey (thanks to landlords who target a captive audience), while new buildings add amenities to entice students to pay high prices for housing. Let’s recognize, also, that the variety of counseling and academic support services institutions have added over the years (all of which are worthwhile) cost money. College is a much different enterprise than it was when I attended in 1969-73, I am acutely aware of this because I am a university professor who has observed these changes over a 25 year career. Believe me, the rising costs are not rooted in the classrooms.
Scott Walker has espoused a “divide and conquer” approach to dismantling long-standing worker protections. That is essentially what’s afoot here: get Millennials and Baby Boomers to blame each other so that the real culprits escape notice.
Oh please - stop it already. Boomers are not the problem. Try blaming big business and the politicians who helped them send most of our good jobs overseas for a start
Perhaps I’m missing something here, but the article states that median income for a Millennial with a bachelor’s degree is $50k and describes this as a “sad statistic.” The current median household income in the US is $51k. Seems like Millennials are doing pretty OK, actually. Sure, college debt is obviously a huge problem that is cutting into Millennials’ paychecks. But if you as an individual are earning the national household median by the age of 34, you’re not broke.
In terms of home ownership: yes, this is becoming a major issue. Housing is expensive, especially in the metropolitan areas that are attracting Millennials and that have jobs that can offer salaries of $50k to folks in the 25-34 demographic. And this isn’t just an issue for major cities. I live in a mid-sized, Midwestern college town and housing here, at least in the parts of the city with safe neighborhoods and good schools, costs far more than most middle-class people can afford, let alone Millennials who are just starting out. A household income of $100k will just barely qualify you for a decent home in this city. That’s insane. If you’re trying to purchase a home in a major metro area, then yes, you’re going to feel like you’re on the low-end of the income ladder. But you’re not. You just live in a really expensive area.
They might have more money if they didn’t buy every gadget that comes on the market
This sounds like a personal rag you squeeze every day. Almost as sad as the admonishing young people getting fat having no self respect, when we’ve raised them in an economy that pushes and relies on expanding corporate profits in the food industry. You know what else you call someone who doesn’t own/understand modern technology, or what you call gadgets? Unemployable.
I’ll happily blame the big business and politicians…most of whom are Boomers!