Opinion piece on why Gen Y Yuppies are often unhappy

[Bunnahabhain]

http://www.waitbutwhy.com/2013/09/why-generation-y-yuppies-are-unhappy.html

[RadiationTherapy]

1. That is an assholey article/cartoon.

It is also way too long, smug, and self-satisfied. Most of the content is merely typical intergenerational taunting and, despite its subtextualized opinion of itself, is not very creative, thoughtful, or helpful. Thanks for sharing it.

[Bunnahabhain]

2. Sweet critique

I hope to contribute many more such blogs for you to critique and hope each one engenders the same feelings in you.

[RadiationTherapy]

3. Oooooooo-k.

You do that.

[Bunnahabhain]

4. Also, based on some Gen Ys I've had to manage

It has a pretty good read on some of them. I particularly like that interview question and intend to use it on Gen Ys.

[RadiationTherapy]

15. Why wouldn't you ask that interview question of everyone?

Also, that is a terribly silly and obviously smug question to ask and if you think anyone would answer such a question other than "no", then I have a hard time believing you are somehow less naive than a Gen-Y member or anyone else. Good grief.

[Bunnahabhain]

17. There's no reason not to ask it of everyone

but for reasons cited it seems particularly applicable to Gen Y. You would also be amazed at what people say in interviews or put on their resumes. A great thing to pay attention to is their email address. I once had someone interviewing for a six figure position and their email was, "Imodelnude@...."

And that question is no more "smug" than your typical interview question.

[RadiationTherapy]

18. "reasons cited"? One study? And done with an obvious prejudice about the nature of an entire

generation? Eh. Whatever.

As far as the email address issue, why not just chalk that up to youthful inexperience? Why would that be indicative of the mentality of 100s of thousands of individuals?

[Bunnahabhain]

20. Did I say the email person was youthful?

No, she was mid 30s and looked like Jabba the Hut. I used it as an example of the crazy things people will put out there. Now, go have some free tacos at Charlie's and relax as I have a meeting to go to.

[RadiationTherapy]

21. You sound like an asshole.

I have no way of knowing and would not go so far as to claim you are one, but you sound like an asshole.

[Bunnahabhain]

22. And you sound like an asshole with 'roids.

But again, no way of knowing.

[closeupready]

5. I've been on a Buddhism kick lately, and

Buddhist thinking holds that suffering is an essential part of the path toward enlightenment, and the cause of unhappiness is craving and selfishness.

[Arugula Latte]

6. Gen Ys' parents came of age in much easier and more prosperous times.

The wealth gap wasn't nearly as big, unions were strong, schools were much better funded, college was affordable even for the lower-middle class, many people had pensions, one income was often plenty to get by on, the government wasn't a wholly owned subsidiary of Corporate America, etc. etc.

It's not that Gen Y doesn't expect to work hard; it's that good-paying jobs are difficult to come by and even then it's not easy to get by.

[Bunnahabhain]

7. You didn't read the blog, did you?

[Arugula Latte]

8. Yeah, I did read it. It's concescending and judgmental towards younger people.

They're delusional, egotistical, and they all think they're special? What b.s. ... I know a lot of great "kids" from this generation and they are smart, hard-working and global-minded, but it's hard for a lot of them to get even a $10/hour job.

[Bunnahabhain]

9. It does seem to upset some folks

I think it was written tongue-in-cheek and actually is more kind to them than a surface read gives. It's also funny as hell if you've ever come across the Gen Y it is describing.

[Prism]

10. And I blame adults for this

Funny to read this post, as just this morning my boyfriend and I were having one of those early morning conversations about the future, where profundity and honesty sort of mist up from the ground in the haze of drowsy half-wakefulness.

He, a 24 year-old Japanese major three months from graduation, confessed to me his fearfulness about his future. He is afraid. He's never had a career. He knows what he would like to do, but no one around him has given him any direction on how to go about it. Why is he a Japanese major? Because it is his passion. Would I, a 34 year-old, recommend to him that course? No, I would've have tried to steer him to an area with more guaranteed income. I work. I know what it's like out there. I've re-jiggered my education from early childhood ed to nursing to, finally, accounting. Because I want to grind out a decent living that provides for my family.

No one, not parents or teachers or counselors, ever once said to him, "Hey, maybe you should do X for a living if you want a sound career." Because, "It's you're dream!" damnit. And the dream matters.

Yeah, thanks Baby Boomers. Meanwhile, in reality . . .

And, here he is. Aimless and terrified. He has no idea, because no adult anywhere thought to give him one. Oh, I have attempted it. I've made my remarks and steered him in the right areas for jobs and post-graduate assignments. But why the fuck am I the only one looking at him going, "You need to do this, this, and this, to get your post-degree life sorted." Why isn't his university or parents or anyone else at all preparing him for life?

I'll never get down on Millennials. Their parents fucked them. But hard.

[Bunnahabhain]

11. If you read the blog

You'll see it started out by blaming their parents.

[Prism]

12. No, I know

It's good commentary. I'm just frustrated is all. I grew up poor working class. I've scrapped and clawed for every little bit, and I've made it despite all odds. The whole topic just ticks me off. The disservice we're doing, all around.

[Bunnahabhain]

13. Another interesting thing about this blog entry is

It talks about three generations: the Greatest, the Boomers, Gen Y. What's missing here?

[xfundy]

14. In my experience going back for classes, this is dead-on.

Everyone's a genius, everyone is going to be vastly wealthy, and the level of competition is incredible, as is the rudeness. How dare I be a little older than them!

[antigone382]

16. OK, so another take...

I just came back from a fantastic wedding...full of Gen Y's. Practical. Low budget. Low tech. The bride did all her own decorations; a friend provided and cooked some burgers from his family farm...most had good relationships with their parents...and hey, we all feel quirky and special (and let me tell you, the sense that you are special and have a unique destiny is TOTALLY a trait endemic to my generation, as opposed to human nature in general).

So what is interesting is that the article speaks of "job security" as if it were an equation based on inputs of hard work, practicality, and the willingness to embrace some drudgery...interestingly absent was any discussion of how the global events of the last twenty years (the rise of the WTO, structural adjustment programs, international free trade agreements which fostered an era of globalization and outsourcing) means that hard work and practicality just aren't really enough...not in a context of 8%+ unemployment...not in a context when a greater and greater percentage of the jobs available are low wage, part-time service sector jobs with no benefits or career path in sight.

Also interestingly absent was our dawning awareness that many of those "practical" jobs...the ones that keep our economy moving, the ones that do the grunt work of providing us with large amounts of stuff on a day to day basis are, um, KILLING THE PLANET AND LEAVING BILLIONS OF PEOPLE DEPRIVED AND ENSLAVED IN ORDER TO POWER AN ECONOMY BASED ON EXTRACTION, PRODUCTION, AND WASTE AT AN UNPRECEDENTED AND UNSUSTAINABLE LEVEL WTF?????...which in an era of endless communications, we have kind of started to notice.

Now, given that our parents were somewhere encircling the 60's, we have no delusions that we invented that "hey get me off this train" wheel...nor do we think that figuring out some way to, oh, I don't know, make sure we eat every day without ultimately destroying the future of the children we're not sure we should have, will be easy. But we have good friends, we have good relationships, and we have modest hopes for our futures (like, statistically speaking we don't really want a car or a big house...just community). And holy crap, are we resourceful (you should have SEEN the decorations at this wedding, man! And the food! And we all just kind of pitched in to make it happen!)!!!

And as it happens, at least within my friend group, we are all extraordinarily happy to see others' successes, and doing our best to be supportive with one another's struggles (which as it happens, do make it to the social media world quite often). So when my friends traveled the country selling art on their veggie-oil bus, I loved reading their updates. When my friend got a job doing outdoor therapy for the mentally ill in Vermont, I was thrilled to hear of her success. When I got a little gig after two months of intense struggle doing communications coordination and event planning for a nonprofit focusing on local agriculture, my friends were happy for me. We're all building this world together, and jealousy just isn't a factor.

It isn't that we think we're special. It's that the world in which we exist is seriously disturbed...and we just don't see any reason to keep that going.

--signed, a perfectly content Gen Y GYPSY.

[Bunnahabhain]

19. Nice post

and I think you're taking the blog entry as intended.