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Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,176,969 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979
When you call someone "gimmie" generations, its an attack. I am actually a member of what many would say is that generation they are attacking.
So I think its funny that someone would call my generation "gimmes", when the facts state that Baby boomers are drawing more government money then any other age group right now, and that number only stands to increase over the next 20 years.
Its a bit insulting, not only to my generation, but to any readers intelligence.
Doesn't it seem hypocritical that you bash a whole generation of boomers for generalizing about another generation? Pot -- meet kettle....
I don't feel that the whole younger generation is in fact "gimmie". Hell, my son is part of the youth we are talking about.. but you sure don't see him on here whining either. What I'd love to see is a young adult come on here and say, "hey boomer, we know you didn't have it easy, we don't either, so hey... what do we need to do to fix it." Instead we get.. Hey old guy.. get the hell out of the way, go die or something, your a leech on society. Never once taking into consideration that the one thing in life that really matters... life itself.. was given to him by the blood, sweat, and tears of an older generation. Boomer or X'er most likely.....
I am in Generation Y, a bit older than these students, but still in the same generation by most people's definitions. As a member of this generation who has mostly interacted my Gen Y peers, I feel more capable than most on this thread of speaking about my generation.
A common misconception about Gen Y is that we want it all right now. I've seen numerous posts on C-D and elsewhere that we somehow feel "entitled" to the good things in life our parents have without working the 30 years to get to that point.
But want what? A McMansion? Sorry, not on most of Gen-Y's wishlist, at least for now. Most of my friends rent an apartment or townhome, and some are married with kids living in a house, but I don't know anybody who thinks they NEED a granite countertop and media room. A nice car? Maybe, but you have to take into consideration that Gen-Y is less likely to own any car than previous generations. Again, most of my peers drive used cars, some the same they drove in high school...and most seem content with that. If anything, I would say we are less likely to be materialistic than other generations.
What do we want? Jobs, and especially those "becoming" of us. Almost all my peers went to college, and most of them graduated. Many of them now work in occupations that could be done equally well by a high school graduate, and some of them are even turned down from those because they are "overqualified". Most people attended university principally because they wanted to work in a position that required at least a bachelor's degree - a position that pays decently (but not extravagantly - just enough to pay the bills with a little left over for fun) and actually has benefits. You did not see many new grads - the first of the Gen-Y'ers - whining about finding a job back in 2005 or 2006. Then the housing bubble burst, the stock market sunk, unemployment rates jumped, and we entered a recession - which we are still seeing a pitifully slow recovery from. Who caused this? I don't think Generation Y is mainly culpable.
Likewise, an adequate salary and/or benefits package is necessary to pay for health insurance like it never was before, as health insurance is far more expensive than it ever has been - haven't costs doubled in the last 10 years? The cause of rising medical expenses certainly is not attributable to Gen Y. My generation sees this trend, sees the misery of medical bankruptcy, and also sees the government health insurance regimes that every other developed country has instituted ... no wonder why some of them want government-run health insurance.
Likewise, with student loans...college tuition has went wild with increases over the past few decades. It's increased at like 200% or 300% of inflation. Yet the jobs we were promised by all the authority figures for just doing good in high school and proceeding to graduate from college in our lives (who certainly weren't Gen Y) are not there. No or insufficient job, and student loan debts become unbearable.
I've also heard from many of the same threads that we are "lazy". Stop that. Almost all of my peers in high school started working jobs when they were 15-16. Some even started businesses in high school. In our spare time, many of us volunteer.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,176,969 times
Reputation: 2678
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdxer
I am in Generation Y, a bit older than these students, but still in the same generation by most people's definitions. As a member of this generation who has mostly interacted my Gen Y peers, I feel more capable than most on this thread of speaking about my generation.
A common misconception about Gen Y is that we want it all right now. I've seen numerous posts on C-D and elsewhere that we somehow feel "entitled" to the good things in life our parents have without working the 30 years to get to that point.
But want what? A McMansion? Sorry, not on most of Gen-Y's wishlist, at least for now. Most of my friends rent an apartment or townhome, and some are married with kids living in a house, but I don't know anybody who thinks they NEED a granite countertop and media room. A nice car? Maybe, but you have to take into consideration that Gen-Y is less likely to own any car than previous generations. Again, most of my peers drive used cars, some the same they drove in high school...and most seem content with that. If anything, I would say we are less likely to be materialistic than other generations.
What do we want? Jobs, and especially those "becoming" of us. Almost all my peers went to college, and most of them graduated. Many of them now work in occupations that could be done equally well by a high school graduate, and some of them are even turned down from those because they are "overqualified". Most people attended university principally because they wanted to work in a position that required at least a bachelor's degree - a position that pays decently (but not extravagantly - just enough to pay the bills with a little left over for fun) and actually has benefits. You did not see many new grads - the first of the Gen-Y'ers - whining about finding a job back in 2005 or 2006. Then the housing bubble burst, the stock market sunk, unemployment rates jumped, and we entered a recession - which we are still seeing a pitifully slow recovery from. Who caused this? I don't think Generation Y is mainly culpable.
Likewise, an adequate salary and/or benefits package is necessary to pay for health insurance like it never was before, as health insurance is far more expensive than it ever has been - haven't costs doubled in the last 10 years? The cause of rising medical expenses certainly is not attributable to Gen Y. My generation sees this trend, sees the misery of medical bankruptcy, and also sees the government health insurance regimes that every other developed country has instituted ... no wonder why some of them want government-run health insurance.
Likewise, with student loans...college tuition has went wild with increases over the past few decades. It's increased at like 200% or 300% of inflation. Yet the jobs we were promised by all the authority figures for just doing good in high school and proceeding to graduate from college in our lives (who certainly weren't Gen Y) are not there. No or insufficient job, and student loan debts become unbearable.
I've also heard from many of the same threads that we are "lazy". Stop that. Almost all of my peers in high school started working jobs when they were 15-16. Some even started businesses in high school. In our spare time, many of us volunteer.
Very nice post! And I think you hit on a very key point. Authority figures. We need to all (boomer's, X'ers, Y'ers) hold those authority figures responsible. And I too agree that Gen Y'ers are not mainly culpable for the housing problems. There are enough representatives from each generation here that may have some but not all the responsibility on this one. Once again... nice post and thank you!
match the amount of money the average 25 year old collects in govt aid versus the amount of money the average 65 year old tea party fool collects in aid.
End of thread
Match the amount the average 25 year old, who claims they can't find a job,has paid into the system ($0) vs the $350,000 the average 65 year old has paid into Social Security. I'm sure this will be completely behind the comprehension of the average liberal, the person who WORKED their entire life and PAID into the system should be getting more than the person who has only been a burden.
Of course the 25 year old "deserves" to be carried because "the rich" have had it so easy.
From whichever "generation" you belong ... there was a system in place long before you were born, that operates on a set of rules that you were never provided. Instead, you were given a false idea about how the world operates, and a set rules to follow that would insure you remained in the dark. And to this very day, it seems to have worked flawlessly.
The reality is, we're all being fleeced. Even the ones you incorrectly identify as the "rich". The fact is, the class that you view as rich are probably the top tier of the vanishing middle class, and their heads are now on the chopping block, and you and others are volunteering to swing the axes.
You see, it's all a matter of perspective ... to the minimum wage person, someone making 100K a year is wealthy beyond their imaginations. And to the 100K salaried person, the Millionaire has made it to the promised land. But the truth is, all three are working for the "wealthy", and all three are being fleeced .... just on a different scale.
Now, this left-right ... republican-democrat blame game you seem stuck in is the foundation of this illusory world that was created for you, and until you break out of that, you'll never see the light of day, and will remain in the dark.
An analogy that might illuminate this point would be the NFL. During football season, every Sunday we have the great spectacle of NFL football. Let's now go to the stadium. What do we see? First, we've got our parking attendants, peanut, hot dog and beer vendors, ticket takers, and those nice seat finders to help you locate your section and seat. For the vast majority, we've got some old, cold, hard seats to sit in with varying degrees of visibility. For the lucky ones, the 50 yard line seats. But then, for the truly fortunate, we've got the box seats and luxury suits with soft comfortable chairs, climate control, and someone to fetch your refreshments. Ahhh ... the good life! Down on the field, we have the players to entertain the crowd, and by most standards, those players are more wealthy than 99% of the attendees coming to watch them play ... including those rather fortunate ones sitting in the premium section. Yes, that QB who's 50 Million Salary really does place him in that financially fortunate category. And some of those wealthy businessmen who can afford those $20,000 box seats aren't doing too bad either.
Now multiply that by 32 teams, spread out over the country from New York to San Francisco, Boston to Miami. 2-3 Million spectators, all of the service people, 2000 players and coaches ....etc. What do they all have in common? Every single one of them work for one of those 32 NFL Franchise team owners. Those real fortunate guys who each have a staff of employees who are in vast majority, Millionaires. They are paying the salaries of those 100+ players and coaches and trainers and support personnel. They pay for the travel and the hotels for the team, as well as their own private jets and servants that wait on them hand and foot. Their weekly expenses exceed the annual incomes of 99% of the people who have ever lived ... and they are the one's that the 50 Million dollar QB addresses "yes sir".
Now, lets again look at that Millionaire businessman sitting in the luxury suit ... watching the Multimillionaire QB throw the ball for the Billionaire who pays his salary ....OK ... get the picture?
Now, consider that there are probably about 100-200 people in this world today that could purchase in cash, ALL 32 teams, and their stadiums, and still have money left over. Those are the ones you will never see, that many don't even realize exist, who probably pay less in taxes than the freaking guy selling hot dogs.
Yet, the vast majority think the businessman sitting in the luxury suit is root of all evil and the cause of world's great problems. Let's take his money ... that will fix all the problems! How silly that is, when a little perspective is applied. The moment that axe chops off the head of that person sitting in the luxury suit ... all hope is lost for the hot dog man and you, the axe swinger.
This makes sense to me but all I have is a vote. Anyway how do you know this and who are these folks.
That's probably not BS. What's changed is probably the expectations of college graduates. Seriously, a lot of these kids will scoff or be crestfallen if you explain to them that they are NOT going to land a gig straight out of school that pays $200K for a 35 hour work week and 6 weeks vacation. Ask some of these kids with no property, no children and no encumbrances other than student debt why they will not accept "this job that pays $45k but involves living in (someplace other than NYC, LA, Chicago, San Fran, Miami, Dallas, etc.) and working weekends" and see what answers you get. I've heard things like "I don't want to get stuck doing that", "that doesn't have anything to do with what I studied", "I need to be in NY" etc. etc.
That's obviously not always the case, but kids lean heavily on crutches like "global recession" when there are lots of opportunities, especially if those opportunities are not conventionally sexy.
The thing with that is now all jobs for the most part crush any hope for a life. Quality of life is not even considered as part of thinking. Who wants to miss everything like Christmas and weekends just relaxing. Instead more and more all you can find is 50 60 hell even more hours and being on call after that even. families in this country are a joke because no one is allowed time to be family. This didnt just start either. Some low life employers in the south figured out that keeping someone making money for you every week of the year gets you that little extra money plus you dont pay them for vacation. People especially on the right just dont care what kind of pressure all those hours and no off time put on people and their families. Hopefully we will go more toward giving more time to live. Top Five Regrets of The Dying - Exposing The Truth
I found the down payment on the home ridiculous (I don't know any place where that is the case), but most of the other things seemed reasonable and understandable. Given the behavior of banks and companies during the crisis, can you blame people when they ask for more control?
Waiting to be given a job by someone else unfortunately is the only option many people have these days. Being an entrepreneur is harder now than it used to be. Banks don't want to lend money anymore. There is lots of bureaucracy. Being very good at something is harder today than it used to be and the competition is insane.
What would the American Dream of a conservative student look like?
Doesn't it seem hypocritical that you bash a whole generation of boomers for generalizing about another generation? Pot -- meet kettle....
I don't feel that the whole younger generation is in fact "gimmie". Hell, my son is part of the youth we are talking about.. but you sure don't see him on here whining either. What I'd love to see is a young adult come on here and say, "hey boomer, we know you didn't have it easy, we don't either, so hey... what do we need to do to fix it." Instead we get.. Hey old guy.. get the hell out of the way, go die or something, your a leech on society. Never once taking into consideration that the one thing in life that really matters... life itself.. was given to him by the blood, sweat, and tears of an older generation. Boomer or X'er most likely.....
How am I bashing boomers? I said that IF we are going to consider Gen Y and millenials as "gimme generations", then we should call Boomers even more of a gimme generation.
The simple truth is this, if you are going to bash a generation for consuming more government resources then any others, its the boomers, period.
I'm not bashing anyone, I don't think any generation are "gimme" generations.
I was asked a question similar to this today at a job interview. The guy asked me "whats your dream job". I told him my dream job was to be an actuary, but I have to persue this ambition at another time in my life as I am in need of money. So I was interviewing for his administrative assisstant position. I honestly don't want to be actuary. I don't like numbers and I don't have the intelligence to become a certified actuary.
Truth be told though, I don't have a "dream" job. Dream jobs are a baby boomer and generation X type of thing. Generation Y just wants A job. Did this man honestly think I went to college for five years to be his secretary? No! But I have bills to pay and I need a job. Both of my past interviews have asked me this question and I swear to god when asked again I am simply going to say my dream job is to not make minimum wage, or to be a top paid male escort. When 25% of America's youth are unemployed I simply find it down right insulting that a baby boomer has the audacity to ask me, a 24 year old, "what do you want to do when you grow up". I just want a job where I might be able to grow.
Oh, and my particular American dream does not include a house. I much prefer renting. Maybe if I can pay cash for a house someday I will buy one, but because I am extremely debt adverse I am extremely cautious of ever being a home owner.
Why are you complaining about being asked what kind of job you want to have in the future? Do you think that he thought you went to college to be his secretary? It's pretty obvious that being an AA is not your dream job. It's also pretty obvious that at 24 years of age you're just getting started, career-wise, having just finished college not long ago. Instead of bi+tching about being asked the question, why don't you come up with an intelligent answer? That would be in your best interest. The people interviewing you already have jobs. You're looking for one. Being a wise-a$$ is not going to help you pay your bills. This is not the first economic downturn that this country has seen, and this is not the first time it has been difficult to find work. I've been there. But don't whine about being asked whether you have any idea what kind of job you would really want in the future. Get yourself together and stop bitching about your current situation.
By the way, that question is not particular to any particular generation. Prospective employees have been asked that question for over 100 years.
It's good that you're debt averse...wise decision in these times. And put your college education to use...get a spell checker or dictionary and learn the proper spelling of "persue" (pursue), "assisstant" (assistant), and the difference between "adverse" and "averse". I'm not picking on you or trying to embarrass you, but if you're going to be an Administrative Assistant, you damn well better be able to spell it, and have a strong command of written English. It's a necessary tool to be successful in that position.
And, don't lose sight of whatever your dream is for the future. If you let it go, you'll never achieve it.
Why are you complaining about being asked what kind of job you want to have in the future? Do you think that he thought you went to college to be his secretary? It's pretty obvious that being an AA is not your dream job. It's also pretty obvious that at 24 years of age you're just getting started, career-wise, having just finished college not long ago. Instead of bi+tching about being asked the question, why don't you come up with an intelligent answer? That would be in your best interest. The people interviewing you already have jobs. You're looking for one. Being a wise-a$$ is not going to help you pay your bills. This is not the first economic downturn that this country has seen, and this is not the first time it has been difficult to find work. I've been there. But don't whine about being asked whether you have any idea what kind of job you would really want in the future. Get yourself together and stop bitching about your current situation.
By the way, that question is not particular to any particular generation. Prospective employees have been asked that question for over 100 years.
It's good that you're debt averse...wise decision in these times. And put your college education to use...get a spell checker or dictionary and learn the proper spelling of "persue" (pursue), "assisstant" (assistant), and the difference between "adverse" and "averse". I'm not picking on you or trying to embarrass you, but if you're going to be an Administrative Assistant, you damn well better be able to spell it, and have a strong command of written English. It's a necessary tool to be successful in that position.
And, don't lose sight of whatever your dream is for the future. If you let it go, you'll never achieve it.
Regarding my spelling, my brand new laptop that I had to purchase 3 weeks ago does not inform me of when a typo occurs in my paragraphs. The assisstant vs assistant thing was most likely an accidental extra pressing of the s button on the keyboard, but I'll admit that you got me on the averse and pursue. I don't interpret your mockery as picking on me or attempting to embarrass me, as you have done neither. I interpret it as you simply being a dick. Don't tell me to not be a wise-a$$ when you are being a much bigger one.
I don't know specifically what generation you belong to, but it is clearly not generation Y and you do not know what struggles recent college grads have had to endure through with this recession. Don't say "I've been there", because NO, you have very much not been there.
And as for this quote, "Get yourself together and stop bitching about your current situation", what the hell do you think I have been doing by applying to hundreds of jobs since graduation? I even packed up my entire life last month to move from a city with a very high unemployment rate to a city half way across the country that has a lower than average unemployment rate. I am trying to get myself together. I am together, in fact. My mental health is very much fine, and so are my finances for the time being.
And I will ***** on an open forum as much as I please, thank you. I also ***** about the job market when I am out with friends, but we usually ***** harmoniously, so it is not as much fun.
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