Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

[Rajiv]

For Bad Juju and others

Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

Our recent article entitled "A Record Number Of Young Americans Are Unemployed – Are They Just Lazy Or Are There Simply No Jobs Available?" has generated some absolutely outstanding comments. We have held back on publishing the best of those comments until now because we wanted to feature them all in one place. The truth is that this economic downturn is having a disproportionate impact on young Americans. So why is this? Well, that is what we want to explore. In today's economic climate, it can be very difficult to get that first job. In fact, in some areas of the U.S. today it is close to impossible to get a great job even if you have tons of experience. But there are some young Americans who are making it out there and who are doing very well despite what the economy is doing.

Certainly when you talk about any very large group of people there are going to be exceptions. There are some young adults in America today who are absolutely shining examples of what it means to be a hard working American. But are they the exceptions or are they the rule?

Some would argue that we have raised a generation that is spoiled, lazy and who expect everything in life to just be handed to them. Of course one could very easily say that is now true of the American people in general.

The American people have had it so good for so long that most of them have no conception of what it means to suffer. This is especially true of our young people unfortunately. But now hard times are coming.

Will our young people be able to make it?

Will we be able to make it?

The following are four excellent comments that were left by readers of this website. They all make excellent points and they all touched us on an emotional level. Especially Brian's story. Never give up Brian.
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[j4f2h0]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

I am 28, i have a couple different businesses in the medical marijuana industry. I got involved years ago seeing this would be a blossoming area of opportunity. I assume you are talking of my generation in this post. There will always be a certain amount of people in any generation that "get it." I have introduced everyone who will listen to hard money silver and gold. There are more than enough lambs lining up for the slaughter, it will be ugly. I am here to tell you the real problem is my younger brother's generation, he is 18. I have never in my life seen a more entitled individual capable of doing nothing! And the cycle continues!

[Serge_Tomiko]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

It is the young who have the physical stamina and drive to fight. The scenario described in this article is a necessary prerequisite for revolution everywhere. Those with nothing to live for have everything to die for.

[metalman]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

It is the young who have the physical stamina and drive to fight. The scenario described in this article is a necessary prerequisite for revolution everywhere. Those with nothing to live for have everything to die for.

ready to defend the constitution at a moment's notice... make that two years.

[unlucky]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

-- attributed to Socrates (469-399 BC)

Good to see that the youth of today are upholding ancient traditions.

[c1ue]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

IMO, I think the many of the younger generation are not given enough credit.

While I don't interact with huge numbers of them, I do know about a dozen quite well.

The economic realities of the future that they share is very different than what I personally felt 2 decades ago, and in turn my own attitudes at that age were likely very different than 4 decades ago.

If indeed American youth feel (instinctively or otherwise) that their futures are going to be less bright with less opportunity than their parents, why then bust their collective a$$es?

[thriftyandboringinohio]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

For Bad Juju and others

Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

"The Fourth Turning" by Strauss and Howe explores exactly this question. Not a bad read, but overly long. The authors draw the hopeful conclusion that this generation of twenty-somethings is perfectly prepared to meet these challenges and are a cohort like the greatest generation of WWII.

[sunskyfan]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

Younger generation? How about the giant loser generation called The Boomers. They are bingeing on resources like there is no tomorrow. Oh, that is right, there is no tomorrow for them. Could we have picked two better representational Boomer Presidents than Bill Clinton and W?

The young won't be trapped by the illusions of a suburban home, commuting an hour to work each way, and the fantasy of retirement.

[vinoveri]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

"The American people have had it so good for so long that most of them have no conception of what it means to suffer. This is especially true of our young people unfortunately. But now hard times are coming. "


Somehow, a tightening of one's belt does not imply "suffering" to me. Hard times to me means a situation where one doesn't have a warm/dry bed, doesn't know where their next meal is coming from, puts their children to bed hungry, etc. To the extent this occurs, we as a society have failed in view of the massive wealth and technologies potential accumulated over the last 50 years.

But yes, the era of "free lunch" and getting something for nothing is coming to an end for a large segment of the population.

[sadsack]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

Younger generation? How about the giant loser generation called The Boomers. They are bingeing on resources like there is no tomorrow. Oh, that is right, there is no tomorrow for them. Could we have picked two better representational Boomer Presidents than Bill Clinton and W?

The young won't be trapped by the illusions of a suburban home, commuting an hour to work each way, and the fantasy of retirement.

Hear, hear.

Indeed, the Boomers are the end-all consumers, but they are only doing what Madison Ave had programmed them to do.

Rajiv had posted about "The Century of the Self" earlier:

http://www.itulip.com/forums/showthr...hlight=century

I went through my own phase of boomer bashing, but after seeing this, I feel more pity than anger (which I now reserve instead for the propagandists).

[Serge_Tomiko]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

-- attributed to Socrates (469-399 BC)

Good to see that the youth of today are upholding ancient traditions.

This quote is bogus. If anything, it represents British morals - certainly not those of antiquity where hubris was the highest crime and worst social vice.

[sishya]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

ready to defend the constitution at a moment's notice... make that two years.

you always seems to have these photo's or video handy at a moments notice for any issue. Anyway this is an extreme caricature on the other side

[unlucky]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

This quote is bogus. If anything, it represents British morals - certainly not those of antiquity where hubris was the highest crime and worst social vice.

The quote may be bogus, I believe there it has been challenged before. Nevertheless I'm sure countless similar examples can be found down through the ages. My point is that those of middle age have always made these criticisms against the young. (Those who are older are usually a lot more lenient... they've seen it all before).

As for ancient hubris ... well, the classic structure of ancient Greek tragedy is hubris, followed by nemesis. Why did Greek playwrights warn against hubris? Presumably because they could see it all around them. Check out Alcibiades, a young man who through pride and arrogance either destroyed Athens or saved it, depending on who you believe.

[flintlock]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

Where did that quote show hubris? Seemed to me it was showing exasperation with youth who lacked humility and manners, as any good ancient Greek would.:confused: Though it may well be bogus, it doesn't change the fact that elders have been bemoaning the youth of the day for centuries. Some things never change.

I certainly think you could say PEOPLE today are not as physically hardened as they used to be. And this does not just apply to the Youth. You could also say many are not MENTALLY hardened. But then again, some are quite hardened. Depends who you are talking about. It's a more complex life for sure. We are a soft culture, but time and again humans show they can adapt when they really have to. I've been pretty impressed with the ability of our service men and women for instance, to travel across the globe and have their lives uprooted multiple times and they usually still have a good attitude about it.

[flintlock]

Re: Will This Generation Of Young Americans Be Able To Make It In Hard Times?

Younger generation? How about the giant loser generation called The Boomers. They are bingeing on resources like there is no tomorrow. Oh, that is right, there is no tomorrow for them. Could we have picked two better representational Boomer Presidents than Bill Clinton and W?

The young won't be trapped by the illusions of a suburban home, commuting an hour to work each way, and the fantasy of retirement.

Amen. The most entitled generation in history. And I'm one of them.