Gen Y yuppies unhappy

People also lived comfortably on $140 a month. Salaries have increased with the COL. And you can still get a decent car for not a ton of money if you're willing to look at something that isn't a Mercedes or BMW. Not that everyone wants that, but I know people who won't drive anything else, regardless of what they can afford.

So I just did a quick cost search. May or may not be correct, who knows. In 50years from 1960 to 2010 I wanted to see if it did indeed cost more.

1960: Average income $5315, cost of new car $2600 49% income for year, House $12,700 239% income for year

2010: Average income $52,762, cost of new car $28,400 53% income for hear, House $186,200 353% income for year

I also looked at 1979 because it was a decade of huge inflation a car would cost you about 33% of your income and a home about 333% of your income.

I know I'm a little late to the party here, but it's definitely been defined in different ways by different people at different times. The first time I heard about gen X, it ended with those born in 1976, putting me into the next generation. It's been modified because of the large shift in technology since the 90s. I think that they'll eventually "discover" a lost generation (like the Jones generation) for those of us that were too young to really get into much in the 80s, but too old to have a cell phone before adulthood.

LOL same age and agree

People also lived comfortably on $140 a month. Salaries have increased with the COL. And you can still get a decent car for not a ton of money if you're willing to look at something that isn't a Mercedes or BMW. Not that everyone wants that, but I know people who won't drive anything else, regardless of what they can afford.

So I just did a quick cost search. May or may not be correct, who knows. In 50years from 1960 to 2010 I wanted to see if it did indeed cost more.

1960: Average income $5315, cost of new car $2600 49% income for year, House $12,700 239% income for year

2010: Average income $52,762, cost of new car $28,400 53% income for hear, House $186,200 353% income for year

I also looked at 1979 because it was a decade of huge inflation a car would cost you about 33% of your income and a home about 333% of your income.

I make less than the average income and my car cost me 16% of my income. I can buy a decent house for a lot less than that, too.

By averages, that works out. But you can do very well on a lot less than that. I think much of it comes down to what people are willing to spend as much as what it costs.

Where you live takes a lot into account as well.

All I know is that I graduated with crippling student debt and competed with a horde of other ravenous job seekers for low-end customer service jobs with a Master's Degree. I relocated twice cross-country for job purposes, because I'm just that desperate and determined to do whatever I can to achieve a "fulfilling career", as the article puts it. To me a "fulfilling career" is something that offers health benefits and is related to what I spent 6 years of my life studying, so it's what I'm most qualified to do. I'm still not there yet, as I seem to be stuck snagging temp positions that offer passable wages but no health benefits. I'm fine with that, because I'm finally working in the industry I studied for, and we all start at the bottom.

I know success takes time and sacrifices. I sacrificed being with friends and family to move to a place for a temp low-tier job with no benefits, just to gain relevant experience and advance myself forward. I put in my time at dead-end customer service jobs and call centers for 10 years of my life. (age 16-27) I'm 28 now.

And quite frankly I keep seeing these "entitled Gen Y" articles about how I'm supposed to be this deluded special snowflake entitled infant with no real concept of reality, when in fact I'm quite aware reality is hard, just like everyone else I know in my generation. It's always something wrong with us, it's never outside circumstances. It's like the older generation in their advanced age look at us struggling in a different world than theirs when they were 20 and just assume we're entitled and not trying hard enough.

Not saying that entitled people in my generation don't exist, but I just find these broad generalizing articles a bit irking as I walk or take public transportation to work with no car, text on my ancient $15 a month cell phone, with no health insurance and flush all my money to pay for my student debt. I know I sound ranty and dissatisfied with my life, but I'm actually one of the lucky ones out of all my unemployed/underemployed peers and I thank my lucky stars I'm where I'm at. I just want to move up going forward. It took 10 years to get to the bottom ladder rung of where I want to be. I want to make a respectable salary, be able to support a kid or two, and not worry about what would happen if I had to be hospitalized. I don't even want a house or white picket fence, I just want to be comfortable and enjoy what I do for a living.

Is that seriously so bad?

People are always anxious to call the younger generation lazy and entitled, but as a Gen Xer myself, I think the Y's are getting seriously screwed. The ones I know work their *kitten* off, as hard or harder than I ever did, and their prospects are fewer.

To see Baby Boomers mocking them is particularly galling, as they had it considerably better. I mean, they could grab some semi-skilled job right out of high school and buy a house, raise a family, and reasonably expect a comfortable retirement. This younger generation gets none of that.

I am a boomer, and I most certainty don't mock the younger generation. However, I have heard my peers do so. I know I am glad I am not looking for work right now. Good fortune is part opportunity, part work and talent and part timing. People who experience it tend to think they did it all themselves and do not credit any outside forces. I worked hard but I was also fortunate in timing and support from others.

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

There is so much irony here, though.

While I agree with the article to a certain degree, It seems to give that vibe of "blame it on the parents" which is something I hear so often. I certainly understand the "you can be whatever you want to be" thought process, becuase it is one my parents told me, however, they also held me accountable for my grades, for my jobs, for my school activities. Yes, I could be whatever I wanted to be, but I had to work for it. I also understand that the world is much more harsh than I ever realized. My parents never discussed finances with my sisters and I. To me, my parents were able to build a home with a pool = we were privilaged....my parents were able to put me through college without loans= we were privilaged....my parents were able to take us on nice family vacations every year= we were privilaged. You get the idea. Mom ran a home daycare and dad was a manager for home depot. I had no idea that the work was "hard" becuase it was never a topic brought up in our house. Then I got out of college, and the real work began. At that point I think GYPSY's have a choice; you can either face reality and tackle it head on by accepting that it's not all rainbows and unicorns, or you can b*tch and complain and wallow in self entitlement, blame mom and dad and never get anywhere in life. It is not the fault of our parents. They had no way of knowing that the economy would be what it is today. They do not make our decisions for us.

That being said....my daughter is 8 and her generation scares me as well. In school it's no longer a time out, it's called the "safe seat" It's no longer detention it's now "group time". I mean,come on! WE continue to feed the entitlement. Man....that statement makes me feel so old!

I get what you're saying, but it's also not completely wrong to lay a certain amount of blame at the feet of parents for how their children grow up. People don't just happen, they are, for the most part, raised a certain way. So while some parents do hold their children accountable for things in life (grades, hard work, etc) there are also those who basically tell their children "It's not your fault, it's the mean teacher/coach/boss/whatever". That person is going to learn that they are perfect and everything bad that happens to them is someone else's fault. So if someone is looking at their kids thinking "Wow, they're self-entitled little snots" then there is certainly some introspection that needs to happen.

That being said, I do agree with you that there's a point you hit where you either stay the person you are or you strive to become someone better/stronger/more motivated. Whatever changes you feel you need to make. I do believe there is a point in every adult's life where you have to stop just being a product of your environment and become your own being.

I haven't heard the deal with the "safe seat" or "group time". Are these teachers for real??

While I agree with the article to a certain degree, It seems to give that vibe of "blame it on the parents" which is something I hear so often. I certainly understand the "you can be whatever you want to be" thought process, becuase it is one my parents told me, however, they also held me accountable for my grades, for my jobs, for my school activities. Yes, I could be whatever I wanted to be, but I had to work for it. I also understand that the world is much more harsh than I ever realized. My parents never discussed finances with my sisters and I. To me, my parents were able to build a home with a pool = we were privilaged....my parents were able to put me through college without loans= we were privilaged....my parents were able to take us on nice family vacations every year= we were privilaged. You get the idea. Mom ran a home daycare and dad was a manager for home depot. I had no idea that the work was "hard" becuase it was never a topic brought up in our house. Then I got out of college, and the real work began. At that point I think GYPSY's have a choice; you can either face reality and tackle it head on by accepting that it's not all rainbows and unicorns, or you can b*tch and complain and wallow in self entitlement, blame mom and dad and never get anywhere in life. It is not the fault of our parents. They had no way of knowing that the economy would be what it is today. They do not make our decisions for us.

That being said....my daughter is 8 and her generation scares me as well. In school it's no longer a time out, it's called the "safe seat" It's no longer detention it's now "group time". I mean,come on! WE continue to feed the entitlement. Man....that statement makes me feel so old!

I get what you're saying, but it's also not completely wrong to lay a certain amount of blame at the feet of parents for how their children grow up. People don't just happen, they are, for the most part, raised a certain way. So while some parents do hold their children accountable for things in life (grades, hard work, etc) there are also those who basically tell their children "It's not your fault, it's the mean teacher/coach/boss/whatever". That person is going to learn that they are perfect and everything bad that happens to them is someone else's fault. So if someone is looking at their kids thinking "Wow, they're self-entitled little snots" then there is certainly some introspection that needs to happen.

That being said, I do agree with you that there's a point you hit where you either stay the person you are or you strive to become someone better/stronger/more motivated. Whatever changes you feel you need to make. I do believe there is a point in every adult's life where you have to stop just being a product of your environment and become your own being.

I haven't heard the deal with the "safe seat" or "group time". Are these teachers for real??

Yes they are. And I do agree about kids and parents being held responsible. I was speaking more on adults. I was appalled when I heard it called the safe seat. I remember telling my daughter "so you got a time out then?" She said no she went to the safe seat. I told her there was nothing about a time out at school that was safe in my house and that it is indeed a time out. Should I hear of bad behavior again, she would be disciplined at home. I haven't had a bad report since.

Here's a good blog talking about what it means and what it's purpose is http://heatherbo.blogspot.com/2012/11/safe-seat.html

I love your response! I just...wow.