"generation Y"

[eFestivals]

I just stumbled across this article

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620.html

... which I thought, from where I'm sat and being of my age, is absolutely spot on.

Presumably, by the time we get to generation Z, the world will be fucked.

But I will point out, that while I might class as being nearly the age of "Lucy's" parents and so might have those traits, not everyone has those traits. Those traits are the strongest within those who bought into Thatcherism hook line and sinker, and also haven't over the years become wise to how exactly those Thatcherist ideas have destroyed much of what was good about society.

Sadly, the Thatcherists rule the roost for all the while people keep voting Thatcherites into office.

[kaosmark2]

I think in terms of career prospects: ambition that's accurate, but I know quite a lot of people (and am trying to mentally condition myself to become), who are genuinely comfortable with living a low-income, low-savings life doing something somewhat enjoyable until they can find a bit of stability.

And yes, that is actually knowing what people are thinking, not going off the false facebook image.

[russycarps]

I think there is an ignorance around some young people with regards to the value of money.

Because the earnings of celebrities and footballers are so widely known (well footballers mainly), people lose sight of reality.

I saw on the news a while back some kids (around 16-17 I think) that were interviewed about all this, asking what they thought a good wage was, and half of them spoke in terms of weekly pay - which I found strange for a start - and the other half came out with fabulous sums like £100k a year, £500k a year etc.

Not one of them recognised that £30k is a really good wage (for example).

[lost]

I'd say its just some old guy bashing the youth. I don't see any greater sense of entitlement with gen y. In fact its the ones who think they can put 5% of their salary into a pot for 30 years and then live for another 30 on two thirds their former income who will need to adjust their expectations. The main problem the young have is they have been sold a lie that if you get a degree everything will fall into your lap. May of worked when 5% when to uni but not 50%

[eFestivals]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that other generations don't have their issues. A generation or two has managed to run off with all the money, because some people got that great pension deal you mention at the expense of everyone else.

The young have been sold many lies just as the oldies have. While we keep voting the same we'll keep getting the same.

[russycarps]

I wonder if this generation have got it in them to overthrow the oldies and redistribute their wealth?

part of me thinks it could happen

[fred quimby]

I wonder if this generation have got it in them to overthrow the oldies and redistribute their wealth?

part of me thinks it could happen

[russycarps]

if only they would look up from their phones

[fred quimby]

I really hope you typed that on your iphone while walking down the street

[russycarps]

not sure I can do walking and texting.

[fred quimby]

Like the graphics in the article.

Mind you I think it was an easy write. All obvious stuff.

Not so sure about the Thacther reference, although I see where you are coming from. Do other countries see this type of behaviour/traits or is just us. In China is the same kind of thing happening between generations etc

[fred quimby]

people round where I work walk the streets reading their kindles, crossing roads and everything. Madness

Edited September 19, 2013 by fred quimby

[eFestivals]

Not so sure about the Thacther reference, although I see where you are coming from. Do other countries see this type of behaviour/traits or is just us. In China is the same kind of thing happening between generations etc

put simply, the attitudes of 'generation Y' have been very strongly shaped by the neoliberal agenda of Thatcherism, which changed society (in broad terms) from a 'communal working together' to a 'me me me'. That 'me me me' is where the "i'm special" idea come from that the writer mentions within the piece.

As China is pretty much making the same social and economic change (tho of course from a different starting point and within a much shorter time), then of course many of the same things will be seen there (and no doubt India too; 25 years ago that had a rather stunning sense of communality to a young me).

The aspirations of any generation will always be built off the achievements of the preceding generation, but I'm seeing more than just that within that article - it's the expectations along with the aspirations that are unique to 'generation Y'.

[LOCHLAND5]

I loved thatcherism , and i loved maggie.

by the way i am special.

[Guest]

I loved thatcherism , and i loved maggie.

by the way i am special.

[eFestivals]

I loved thatcherism , and i loved maggie.

by the way i am special.

you are David Cameron and I claim my five pounds.

[feral chile]

My family generations are slightly out of sync with the article - there have always been unrealistic expectations of some sort or another though. I came from mining stock, my grandfather left the pits to work in a munitions factory as an overseer, I think they were called.

he owned 2 little terrace houses, that he bought straight out, 2 caravans and a little campervan, and he loaned my mother the money for her to buy her house, which she paid back within 2 years.

By the time I got married in the 70s, he got quite irate with me for taking out a mortgage, because he just didn't realise times had changed,

And yet we were able to afford a mortgage on a great big town house, while we were both very poorly paid. Through the recession we ended up losing our precarious grip on the housing ladder, we slid slowly down the ladder rung by rung until we run out of rungs.

Nowadays, kids can't even afford the deposit to get a mortgage to even get on the first rung.

So at least in our experience, we seem to be getting poorer, not better off, despite being now educated to degree level.

[LOCHLAND5]

in the 70s my family didnt have a pot to piss in.

in the 80s it got better

in the 90s it was so much better.

in the 00s we done good.

so yes thatcherism rules what ever government it was same ideals.

you never know whats round the corner the last 5 years have been tough , but buying into this shite above is dumb !

dont look back look forward.

Edited September 19, 2013 by LOCHLAND5

[feral chile]

in the 70s my family didnt have a pot to piss in.

in the 80s it got better

in the 90s it was so much better.

in the 00s we done good.

so yes thatcherism rules what ever government it was same ideals.

you never know whats round the corner the last 5 years have been tough , but buying into this shite above is dumb !

dont look back look forward.

Edited September 19, 2013 by feral chile

[eFestivals]

in the 70s my family didnt have a pot to piss in.

in the 80s it got better

in the 90s it was so much better.

in the 00s we done good.

so yes thatcherism rules what ever government it was same ideals.

you never know whats round the corner the last 5 years have been tough , but buying into this shite above is dumb !

dont look back look forward.

In the 70's you had less than 10% of your income as debt.

In the early 80's you had less than 20% of your income as debt.

By now, you have 100% of your income as debt.

You've not got richer, it's all on the never never.

One day you'll wake up to this - most likely the day that the bailiffs are knocking on your door demanding repayment.

Yeah yeah, I know, that day won't come. Just as it didn't come for Northern Rock, Bear Sterns, and Lehman Bros.

[mrtourette]

In the 70's you had less than 10% of your income as debt.

In the early 80's you had less than 20% of your income as debt.

By now, you have 100% of your income as debt.

You've not got richer, it's all on the never never.

One day you'll wake up to this - most likely the day that the bailiffs are knocking on your door demanding repayment.

Yeah yeah, I know, that day won't come. Just as it didn't come for Northern Rock, Bear Sterns, and Lehman Bros.

[zero000]

The bit about Facebook in that article resonated a lot with me. As a member of Lucy's generation it's clear how distorted the online representation people portray themselves as is.

I do disagree with the idea about being "special" being particular to my generation. People have always had these self serving biases; "I'm an above average car driver" or academics who believe their work is much superior than their colleagues. Too many people endorse these statements for them to make statistic sense, e.g. 70% of people think they have above average intelligence. The idea is that these self serving biases are important in maintaining a good self image. Also interestingly there is a correlation between depression and self serving biases, whereby people with depression are less likely to think they are above average or special than non depressed people. We have always had this idea that we are a special person, even if it is obviously incorrect to think so.

Edited September 20, 2013 by zero000

[Spindles]

I wholly agree that the fiction of wealth created by ever increasing debt is a monkey on the back of this nation created by the Thatcher era. I was brought up to save for things I wanted and go without to get them, when I met people who were furnishing their lives from catalogues and HP agreements it was an alien concept to me that you would buy and be using something before you could afford to pay for it.

[kaosmark2]

The bit about Facebook in that article resonated a lot with me. As a member of Lucy's generation it's clear how distorted the online representation people portray themselves as is.

[zero000]

I think most people are aware that bookface portrayals are fake though. People selectively show the bits of their lives they want others to see, and they know that others will do the same. It's always been true that people like to appear like they've got a fantastic life - particularly to acquaintances which is actually the vast proportion of facebook 'friends' - it's just now easier to instantly and selectively do that en masse.

I don't think anyone believes that any profile is a genuine display of the complete person, but a facebook profile is now part of the image everyone chooses to portray, along with the clothes they wear, their hairstyle, etc. It's just another layer of how to define what you want to be defined as.