Why Baby Boomers Don't Understand Occupy Wall Street

[Nina~ 431]

Yeah well, it's a competitive world. There are more and more Chinese and Indians competing for your job each day.

Which is brewing a lot of malcontent and social unrest American workers. As a competitive Chinese/Indian who took an American worker's job (that pays way more than 40k per year), I understand what you are saying first-hand.. But I am also not naive enough to think that American workers are just going to sit there and twiddle their thumbs and let it slide. They will demand easier access to education and healthcare to give them a fighting chance in this competitive world.

[slim 1,530]

I am sure you are plenty happy wtih 40K. But you shouldn't really hate those who want access to better education, healthcare and better their lives? Not everyone is happy with status quo like you and want to do better.

It's not the access I'm hating on. It's their lack of initiative.

Like most other groups that have it "too hard" in this country, I don't think they're underachievers because they didn't get a fair shake. I think they're underachievers because they're scared of hard work and can't act like responsible adults.

I checked out Planned Parenthood about 6 years ago when I was in college, and they were definitely not cheap. I am not sure about their recent prices after all funding cuts they've had.

Not cheap? I don't know what you were going for but it's pennies on the dollar here. Did you put down your parent's income or something?

If you want to do better, do better. Find a better job. Learn a new skill. Start your own business.

The opportunities are there.

Exactly.

Less and less each day!

Because more and more immigrants who aren't scared of hard work are taking the "good jobs" from lazy Americans who refuse to be responsible.

Which is brewing a lot of malcontent and social unrest American workers. As a competitive Chinese/Indian who took an American worker's job

Point.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Like most other groups that have it "too hard" in this country, I don't think they're underachievers because they didn't get a fair shake. I think they're underachievers because they're scared of hard work and can't act like responsible adults.

You don't think things are at all harder for the current young generation?

When my parents were attending college (late 70s/early 80s), they paid no tuition. Instead of having to take out loans, my dad qualified for grants. He only had to work during the holidays to supplement his grant money, and as a result he graduated from vet med school with no student debt, and he came from a very poor background.

Then, in the late 80s, he was able to get onto the housing market even though he was a fairly recent graduate with a salary that wasn't remarkably high. And all of this while supporting a wife and, at the time, three kids.

My parents-in-law only have AA degrees. My FIL has been working long enough now where his years of work experience are enough to compensate for the lack of a BSc. he had very good jobs in the 90s. Now, he recognises that if he were starting afresh, as a 20-something with an AA degree, he wouldn't be able to get anywhere near the level of work he currently has.

Heck, even for me as a college student in the UK in the early 2000s, it wasn't too tough. Tuition was only 1,100 pounds a year for UK residents. But they had already done away with grants and people were having to take out student loans, and most graduates my age have around 10k of debt. Not too bad, but still 10k more than our parents. And I worked all through college, too, not just the holidays.

Since then, tuition fees have trebled, and today's graduates are expected to graduate with 30k-40k of student loan debt. I am already much, much better off than my siblings just six years younger than me.

But, graduate salary expectations have not increased at all. If anything, they're probably lower in many professions.

As for housing? Depends on where you live, of course, but certainly in the UK and in California (the two places I have experience with) it's nigh impossible to get on the housing ladder when compared to how it was for my parents' generation.

Heck, I even have the advantage in the US because I was able to emigrate here after gaining a relatively cheap degree in the UK. In fact pretty much everyone I work with either a) gained their degree, cheaply, in a foreign country or b) is an American aged 50+, whose years of work experience make up for the lack of further qualifications. No advantage to the young US generation.

[^_^ 5,021]

I graduated in the late 90s and did fine. All my friends who graduated with me did fine.

Younger cousins (both mine and my wifes) who have graduated since then are all doing fine as well.

The only person who didn't do well was my younger sister but that really was her own fault and she'll admit it. She went back to school and got a Masters in something else is now (finally) doing very well.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I imagine that it was a little easier to get a good job upon graduating in the late 90s than now, though.

Certainly in the UK (admittedly I have little experience in the US) 10 years has made a huge difference.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I imagine that it was a little easier to get a good job upon graduating in the late 90s than now, though.

Certainly in the UK (admittedly I have little experience in the US) 10 years has made a huge difference.

Yeah 2007+ would be rough. 90,91 was kinda rough. Late 70s were also rough.

In my field, the 90,91 period created a lost generation.

Edited October 24, 2011 by Sousuke

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Who gets PTO?

You're really asking that? What a sad state of affairs.

[^_^ 5,021]

You're really asking that? What a sad state of affairs.

[mawilson 2,133]

Tea Party: does not shіt on police cars

#occupywallstreet: shіts on police cars

[slim 1,530]

You don't think things are at all harder for the current young generation?

Not at all. You act as if going to college and owning a house are mandatory. They're not.

If you'd like to go for those things and the huge amounts of debt they incur, have at it. But, from where I sit, if you're faced with the prospect of running up $50,000+ in debt and then working a $40,000/year job, you're pretty stupid. You're super dumb if you tack on another $35,000 for your car payment and then borderline mentally challenged if you sign up for a mortgage debt of $200,000 more dollars.

Yet that's "normal" today and everyone wants to whine and cry when they lose their job. "How am I supposed to pay for all this?"

You're really asking that? What a sad state of affairs.

My point is people get PTO yet still b!tch about how bad the job market is.

Some jobs, you get PTO. Others, you do not. Either way, nobody is forcing anyone in this country to work. They're definitely not forced to work at jobs that are hard.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Not at all. You act as if going to college and owning a house are mandatory. They're not.

No, they're not mandatory. But the fact is, degrees and houses are things my parents' generation were able to obtain far, far more easily. Which is a point many of them miss.

And I'd argue about a degree being mandatory if you want to stand any chance of getting a half-decent paying job. Community college qualifications and work experience no longer have the same meaning they did for my parents' generation either.

Heck, even if you leave off tuition fees and mortgages, rent, utilities and healthcare costs are three things that have also increased at a far greater rate than salaries. High house prices don't just make it difficult to buy, they make it difficult to rent or lease, too.

Rent prices have been increasing by about 10% a year where I live. Healthcare costs for small businesses went up 35%. Utilities, I'm not actually sure (last year they were included in my rent), but in the UK they've been hiked by 40-60% in two years.

[mawilson 2,133]

But the fact is, degrees and houses are things my parents' generation were able to obtain far, far more easily. Which is a point many of them miss.

We're in decline - degrees and houses are not the only things that are harder to obtain and will become even harder for future generations.

We can protest all day long, but there's no turning back.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Well, I agree there.

My only point was it is harder.

[mawilson 2,133]

Well, I agree there.

My only point was it is harder.

At the same time, people don't work as hard as our parents' generation did.

Everyone wants a "get rich quick" shortcut and no-one wants to work for it.

[scandal 951]

When my parents were attending college (late 70s/early 80s),

Geez. Now you're dating me. I'm your parents age.