Another millennial thread...

[dgies9156]

Not for nothing, how is that changed?  Thats still an issue and worse as college costs have skyrocketed.  The economy had room to expand to absorb all those educated new grads eventually.  We have a substantial oversupply now and I don't know if the expansion to handle them will come.

Wags, in 1979, I doubt any of us could have predicted the information age that was coming. Ditto for the early 1980s. I can't predict what will happen across the next decade, but this country has a lot of ingenuity and we'll figure out something. We always do.

[Cheeks]

Who is kidding whom?

I'd be happy to trade you the late 1970s! Interest rates were at third world levels and the highest they'd been since the industrial revolution in the United States. Fresh out of college, we had no money to invest and either paid cash or did without. We rented because we had no choice. Incidentally, just a few years later, my first mortgage had an interest rate of 12.75 percent -- and we thought that was a bargain.

Inflation bordering on hyperinflation. That was back when a 6 percent raise didn't keep pace with inflation!

Add to that the fact that 80 million of us were born between 1946 and 1964. We entered an economy that had not expanded enough to absorb us and would not expand until the tech boom began in the mid-1980s.

A dude named the Ayatollah (forgive my spelling) in Iran had held the country hostage and in the process sent petroleum prices through the roof. You ransomed your first-born for a tank of gasoline.

What that meant in plain english: when I was graduated from the Marquette University College of Journalism, there was like eight or nine grads for every open entry-level job in the field of communications. Guess who had the leverage in those salary negotiations? And, if you did not please someone, there was confidence in the employer that there were eight more of you piled up in a resume file in a hiring officer's drawer.

And I won't even talk about my parents, who were born in the heart of the Depression. My mother's extended family lived with her parents in a small bungalow in Northern Wisconsin because my grandparents were among the blessed in their hometown with good paying jobs.

We all face our challenges and the best of us are better and more compassionate people because of how we faced our environment.

Misery index.  Off the charts.  I was a young lad, but watched my parents struggle through it...both had their masters, my dad a scientist and it was not good.  My kids are younger than millennials, but I work with many millennials.  Most are pretty good, and I dare say some are even becoming somewhat like their parents now.  Haha

[MU82]

If life was so miserable for those my age and older, why do tens of millions of Americans my age and older say they want to turn back the clock to all those "great" days when life was simpler? What white might be the answer to that one?

[Cheeks]

If life was so miserable for those my age and older, why do tens of millions of Americans my age and older say they want to turn back the clock to all those "great" days when life was simpler? What white might be the answer to that one?

I think simpler times, when you could leave the front door unlocked, let the kids play until 10pm and not worry, when neighbors you actually knew their names, and the like.  People often don’t like change, and simpler life attracts some.  I miss those days.  But it also depends when you want to go back to.  My fondest memories were growing up in the 80’s and I loved it as did many.....just as many didn’t.  I don’t hear a clamoring to go back to the 70’s, but I do hear the 50’s.  So it depends.   Your last comment, please explain what you mean by that.

[Cheeks]

From my refrigerator magnet in year I was born. 

[mu03eng]

Not for nothing, how is that changed?  Thats still an issue and worse as college costs have skyrocketed.  The economy had room to expand to absorb all those educated new grads eventually.  We have a substantial oversupply now and I don't know if the expansion to handle them will come.

Boomers retiring will resolve a lot of the oversupply problem. Boomers have been squatting on all the leadership roles for the last 10 years. When they retire, Gen X and old Millennials will move up creating the space for average millennials and such to move in etcetera

[MU82]

I think simpler times, when you could leave the front door unlocked, let the kids play until 10pm and not worry, when neighbors you actually knew their names, and the like.  People often don’t like change, and simpler life attracts some.  I miss those days.  But it also depends when you want to go back to.  My fondest memories were growing up in the 80’s and I loved it as did many.....just as many didn’t.  I don’t hear a clamoring to go back to the 70’s, but I do hear the 50’s.  So it depends.   Your last comment, please explain what you mean by that.

You know exactly what I mean, hoopy.

[Benny B]

Boomers retiring will resolve a lot of the oversupply problem. Boomers have been squatting on all the leadership roles for the last 10 years. When they retire, Gen X and old Millennials will move up creating the space for average millennials and such to move in etcetera

This.  And once were in charge, we should send their sorry arses to Carrousel.

[jesmu84]

Was not drunk, didn't even have a sip. What was inaccurate about my comments?

Air quality better now than then. Environment in general better.
You live longer now than then. Did you even get vaccinated for Polio like we did? No, because it was eradicated.  Cancer survival rates infinitely better now than when I grew up.
Unemployment much better now than then
Inflation better now than then
Interest rates categorically better now than then
Technology categorically better now than then
Housing costs are market driven and relative to what people can pay.  Yes, that may mean you have to wait to have all the bells and whistles where you live.  The same thing we had to do, wait.

I wasn't drunk, nor were my comments incorrect.  I'm sorry that you have all grown up in a world where a lot of things were handed to you and as parents we failed in that regard. You wanted a PS3, you got it.  Smartphone, you got it. Not only did you get the smartphone, we demanded you have it for safety reasons.  A new car when you were 16 years old, you got it (I refused on that one, not even a used car, but my kids friends were given that stuff). 

A number of you grew up in a world where you click a button, swipe an app, and it was done.  Mom and dad wanted to give you the best, and they tried and often did, much to the detriment of their children.  My wife and I guilty of this, too.  Pressure to do what all the other parents were doing.   I'm sorry that patience was not taught. 

You have it infinitely better today than your predecessors.  Low crime. Solid economy. Better environment. Better technology.  Low cost travel.  Opportunities abound if you are willing to look for them and do the work, oh and be patient for your turn.  Pretend it is a union and you don't have seniority if you wish to get your head around it.

Um...

[vogue65]

Um...

Not many of us have any idea about history.  Technocrats, medical specialists, "communication" professionals, accountant/financial gurus, in other words, most M.U. grads of whatever age haven't a clue.

Our false God is technology.  Technology creates the problems that technology then trys to solve with technology.  It is a merry-go-round.

[dgies9156]

If life was so miserable for those my age and older, why do tens of millions of Americans my age and older say they want to turn back the clock to all those "great" days when life was simpler? What white might be the answer to that one?

Because they see the world as they want it to be, not as it was.

I'd love to weigh a "few" pounds less than I do now. And, I'd like my hair back. I'd like the energy I had years ago too. But that's not the way we were made and being alive and kicking today beats the next best option.

Actually, I kinda like being where I am at today. My children are in their 20s and have grown into people with taste, feelings and opinions that are well-thought-out. We're having more fun than we deserve and one of the joys of being my age is that money woes are less a concern than they were in my 20s.

And, NO, Millennials you are not getting my job -- just yet. I'm earning my keep, so why should I surrender it to you!

[Galway Eagle]

Air quality better now than then. Environment in general better.
You live longer now than then. Did you even get vaccinated for Polio like we did? No, because it was eradicated.  Cancer survival rates infinitely better now than when I grew up.
Unemployment much better now than then
Inflation better now than then
Interest rates categorically better now than then
Technology categorically better now than then
Housing costs are market driven and relative to what people can pay.  Yes, that may mean you have to wait to have all the bells and whistles where you live.  The same thing we had to do, wait.

I wasn't drunk, nor were my comments incorrect.  I'm sorry that you have all grown up in a world where a lot of things were handed to you and as parents we failed in that regard. You wanted a PS3, you got it.  Smartphone, you got it. Not only did you get the smartphone, we demanded you have it for safety reasons.  A new car when you were 16 years old, you got it (I refused on that one, not even a used car, but my kids friends were given that stuff). 

A number of you grew up in a world where you click a button, swipe an app, and it was done.  Mom and dad wanted to give you the best, and they tried and often did, much to the detriment of their children.  My wife and I guilty of this, too.  Pressure to do what all the other parents were doing.   I'm sorry that patience was not taught. 

You have it infinitely better today than your predecessors.  Low crime. Solid economy. Better environment. Better technology.  Low cost travel.  Opportunities abound if you are willing to look for them and do the work, oh and be patient for your turn.  Pretend it is a union and you don't have seniority if you wish to get your head around it.

First two lines, airquality and environment. Air quality is extremely comparable to where is was when you were a kid. And was actually worse for millennials growing up. It is now considerably better.

Age expectation. How does that have any reflection on how difficult it is to grow up? You realistically don't feel the effects of that till the age you're approaching now.

Vaccines, are you an idiot? Outside of the psycho contingent of course we're still vaccinated, eradicated doesn't mean it's no longer a thing it means that it's statistically so low that it's eradicated.

Interest and inflation you win.

Technology is relative, the microwave and TV were no less mind blowing and revolutionary than smart phones. But you win

Housing, I'm looking at houses to flip when I return to Chicago and still looking at  nearly 200k unless I want to flip in Austin or lawndale. So don't go on about bells and whistles, the mean price has skyrocketed for general crap


Regarding all wants and needs, if you're upset about this then you have to acknowledge a few things. First, it was your generations wish to spoil your kids and general lack of understanding how to tell a kid no.

I was in high school for the original iPhone release, they were not common place till I was halfway through college, and the concept of swiping for everything another year after that. Your criticism would be better served against Gen Z as they would've been the group truly growing up with all this crap you mentioned.

Regarding crime, where did you grow up? Because I've heard my friends parents and uncles of mine from places like Naperville and Lauderdale Lakes respectively mention this. Honestly if you weren't in a place where there actually was crime then it's not relevant to you. It's like someone from those places talking about the CTA being better now, it wasn't something that effected you anyways.

I'm not claiming that we've had it hard only that you like to use a lot of arguments that don't actually have any relevance to the way you grew up and like to stereotype millennials. Finally, I think that your biggest frustrations are actually those of Gen Z which started in the mid 90s. Those are the kids that actually grew up with smart phones, fancy game systems, apps everywhere, etc. millennials had dial up, flip phones and n64.

[Coleman]

From my refrigerator magnet in year I was born. 

This illustrates how much harder things have gotten. Back then, the average NEW home price was less than 2x the average income.

In the US today, the average income is about $60k and the average home is about $200k, more than 3x the cost of average income. Wage growth has not kept up with costs.

Add that to health care costs and student loans, you can see how much harder it is for a worker in their 20s and 30s to achieve the middle class dream of home ownership.

[GGGG]

I think simpler times, when you could leave the front door unlocked, let the kids play until 10pm and not worry, when neighbors you actually knew their names, and the like.  People often don’t like change, and simpler life attracts some.  I miss those days.  But it also depends when you want to go back to.  My fondest memories were growing up in the 80’s and I loved it as did many.....just as many didn’t.  I don’t hear a clamoring to go back to the 70’s, but I do hear the 50’s.  So it depends.   Your last comment, please explain what you mean by that.

Ugh.

Chicos is back to pining for the good ole days that never actually existed mode.

[GGGG]

Not many of us have any idea about history.  Technocrats, medical specialists, "communication" professionals, accountant/financial gurus, in other words, most M.U. grads of whatever age haven't a clue.

Our false God is technology.  Technology creates the problems that technology then trys to solve with technology.  It is a merry-go-round.

"Technology" is, and always has been, merely a tool.  No more than that.

[MU82]

I'm not claiming that we've had it hard only that you like to use a lot of arguments that don't actually have any relevance to the way you grew up and like to stereotype millennials. Finally, I think that your biggest frustrations are actually those of Gen Z which started in the mid 90s. Those are the kids that actually grew up with smart phones, fancy game systems, apps everywhere, etc. millennials had dial up, flip phones and n64.

Superb point.

I think lots of older folks pile everybody younger than 40 in the same (inaccurate) generalization.

My kids, 32 and 31, were not coddled, did not get their first smartphones until long after they had left our nest, read books, did not have video game systems, did not have TVs in their bedrooms, had to get themselves to school, didn't get driver's licenses until they were 18+, were not given cars (or even use of cars very often), did not get allowance (they were expected to do chores), did not receive mountains of Xmas gifts, didn't take luxury vacations with us, etc, etc, etc. My kids grew up in a 1,200-square-foot house with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. The only AC unit was in the master BR, so on the really hot nights, we'd pull their mattresses onto our floor so we could all sleep in comfort.

We did pay for their college educations; rather than give them all kinds of crap they didn't need, we put our extra money toward assuring they wouldn't face piles of student-loan debt. But then again, my parents paid for my college education, too.

That was the lavish upbringing our Millennials had. It was quite similar to the one I had decades earlier. I was a happy kid. So were they.

[4everwarriors]

Sounds like y'all had it damn nice compared to many others.

[Lennys Tap]

If life was so miserable for those my age and older, why do tens of millions of Americans my age and older say they want to turn back the clock to all those "great" days when life was simpler? What white might be the answer to that one?

Mike - IMO comparing "life" generation to generation is a fool's errand. Obviously there has been progress, especially for those marginalized and discriminated against - and that's good.

But in most cases people choose happiness or misery. Once they make their choice there are plenty of circumstances they can use to justify it.

[Coleman]

Superb point.

I think lots of older folks pile everybody younger than 40 in the same (inaccurate) generalization.

My kids, 32 and 31, were not coddled, did not get their first smartphones until long after they had left our nest, read books, did not have video game systems, did not have TVs in their bedrooms, had to get themselves to school, didn't get driver's licenses until they were 18+, were not given cars (or even use of cars very often), did not get allowance (they were expected to do chores), did not receive mountains of Xmas gifts, didn't take luxury vacations with us, etc, etc, etc. My kids grew up in a 1,200-square-foot house with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. The only AC unit was in the master BR, so on the really hot nights, we'd pull their mattresses onto our floor so we could all sleep in comfort.

We did pay for their college educations; rather than give them all kinds of crap they didn't need, we put our extra money toward assuring they wouldn't face piles of student-loan debt. But then again, my parents paid for my college education, too.

That was the lavish upbringing our Millennials had. It was quite similar to the one I had decades earlier. I was a happy kid. So were they.

I'm 32, and while we had a bigger house (4 bed 2 bath), this sounds pretty similar to my upbringing with my younger sister. We did get an original Nintendo (the one that originally came out in the mid 80s) for Christmas one year, but that was in like 1996 after the Nintendo 64 had come out. We were 2 video game generations behind, but I didn't care.

[brewcity77]

But in most cases people choose happiness or misery. Once they make their choice there are plenty of circumstances they can use to justify it.

+1,000

I think this should be in huge, massive flashing letters. I have friends who are very well off and comfortable but do nothing but complain about what they don't have or what others get. They did a study that found most people would be happier if their neighbors made less than they do than if they got a raise that left them below what their neighbors make. That's just ridiculous.

Happiness doesn't come from what you have, it comes from the life you live. I was happy when I was scraping by on $17,000 per year out of college and I'm don't think I'm any happier now making 5x that. I don't think about what my neighbors, friends, or family have that I don't.

I think the vast majority of unhappy people I've met have decided to be that way.

[Cheeks]

You know exactly what I mean, hoopy.

No, I don't.  Please explain.

[Cheeks]

Ugh.

Chicos is back to pining for the good ole days that never actually existed mode.

Depends on the topic.  In some cases, better.  Some cases worse.  People have brought up both examples here.  I tend to agree that housing was cheaper back then than it is today, one of the reasons why I posted the magnet of stats.  Education spending was lower, taxes were lower, etc.  But when you start to create a state with lots more goodies, it drives up costs in taxes, fees, etc.  That's the tradeoff.

[Cheeks]

"Technology" is, and always has been, merely a tool.  No more than that.

Don't tools advance society?  The wheel, the printing press, the microchip, sword, gun power, fish hook, pencil, eyeglasses, etc?   Feels like you are underselling it.  Advancement in tools have meant people no longer die in their 30's, can solve difficult problems, protect and feed themselves, share information, provide light to work at night, all simple stuff that we take for granted....that's not even the high end stuff.

[mudeltaforcegurl]

Pick a career you enjoy and then you won’t worry about retirement so much. Stop chasing money, and find your passion.

[jesmu84]

Not many of us have any idea about history.  Technocrats, medical specialists, "communication" professionals, accountant/financial gurus, in other words, most M.U. grads of whatever age haven't a clue.

Our false God is technology.  Technology creates the problems that technology then trys to solve with technology.  It is a merry-go-round.

I'm not sure why you quoted me.

I was simply pointing out the craziness that apparently thinks we don't still vaccinate for polio.