<p>"Generation Y has become “Generation Why Bother”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/opinion/sunday/the-go-nowhere-generation.html?src=me&ref=general[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/opinion/sunday/the-go-nowhere-generation.html?src=me&ref=general</a></p>
<p>It rings true. Two of my nephews are in their late 20s and have never bothered to get their driver’s licenses. Their rationale is that they live in big cities and don’t need to drive, but they’re stuck when they want to travel anywhere. I don’t get it.</p>
<p>On the engineering board, kids are always complaining about the lack of jobs. I posted about all of the jobs in North Dakota, and the response was, “But who wants to live there??”</p>
<p>DH and I moved from Texas to Maine for jobs, right out of grad school. We figured, you do what you have to do!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It is not surprising that those who grew up during economic downturns believe that luck has a greater effect on success or not, since people tend to see success as a result of their own ability and effort, but failure as a result of bad luck.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about this, but I have to say I think the driving example is particularly misplaced and unfair. Many kids/young adults around here don’t drive, but its largely a deliberate decision. Gen Y and later can see that we have an unsustainable dependence on autos (and I say this as one who loves cars and my kids drive). It is not usually the least motivated that don’t drive, but rather kids that are motivated in a different direction. Often they bike, and if you ask me, that’s much harder.
There probably is some less motivation overall, but I also think a lot of the motivation that is there is directed differently. Its less directed towards acquisition and what was previously considered forward progress I thought little of moving cross-country, but travel has become harder, and oil is scarce, and I would prefer that my kids stay near. I think there’s more emphasis on living small - investing more in the local community and buying less, and generally being more sustainable. That may look unmotivated from the outside, but often it takes a great deal of work and motivation to live this way.</p>
<p>Agree with doughmom. I think, like all of these “what’s wrong with fill-in-the-blank generation; they’re not like me” articles, this one is constructed with vague generalities and lazy logic. But then, an article written by someone whose book is entitled “Rush: Why You Need and Love the Rat Race” is liable to have an agenda, and not one I’m going to blithely assent to.</p>
<p>I drove into Boston this morning on a route that I’ve never taken before with fairly wide bicycle lanes on the road. I was surprised at the number of cyclists using the bike lane though I wasn’t that surprised that the cyclists could beat car traffic handily.</p>
<p>It’s nice that work places accomadate cycling to work (I assume with showers at the office and places to change clothes).</p>
<p>My 25-year-old son and 22-year-old daughter both have driver’s licenses, college degrees, jobs in their fields of interest, and incomes sufficient to support themselves despite living in relatively expensive parts of the country.</p>
<p>Neither owns a car.</p>
<p>One lives a mile from work in a suburban area. He rides a bike to work and to the nearby shopping area, and I believe he rents cars occasionally when he needs one.</p>
<p>The other one lives in a central city and relies on mass transit and the occasional taxi. She does not plan to buy a car as long as she is living in her current location because she would not use it enough to justify the cost.</p>
<p>Where’s the problem?</p>
<p>
Thisthisthis. Thank you, garland. Has there ever been a generation the preceding one didn’t feel the need to criticize?</p>
<p>
I really doubt that altruism has all that much to do with the overall numbers. Often it comes down to a matter of practicality. Around here, it can be virtually impossible to commute from the suburban areas on public transportation, and not that many people find a bicycle practical in the 6 months of bad/wet/yucky weather, not to mention the road conditions. </p>
<p>And once you pack on the requisite 2.5 children, it’s tough getting them to hockey/soccer/softball/music lessons/tae kwon do/yada yada on the non-existent public bus.</p>
<p>I have a friend that manages a very large mutual fund, spends $90K a year for private schools and doesn’t own a car.</p>
<p>I think there is a rather huge difference between “doesn’t own a car” and “never bothered to get a driver’s license.” If one has a license, and doesn’t own a car, and suddenly needs one, they can rent, or go out that day and buy one. They can rent a car on that business trip. They can borrow a car in case of emergency. If one doesn’t have a driver’s license all those options are out the window, and their lead time to get access to some sort of vehicle is weeks away.</p>
<p>Yep. Most generations of parents tend to get exactly the adults they raised, and then complain about them.</p>
<p>It is quite possible this generation of telecommuters knows something we do not. 
It tends to work that way.</p>
<p>NYT is for entertainment…whatever they say…</p>
<p>I’ve got two in my family and they are the most resourceful, money management people I know. It is a stupid article. :)</p>
<p>I think the DL is not a good marker. My DD has more than one friend whose parents couldnt afford for them to get a license. The insurance was just too much. They’ll get it later. Thats life.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>In my state, Maryland, a child with a learner’s permit is covered by the parents’ auto insurance, at no extra charge. However, from the moment the child gets an actual driver’s license, the child must be added to the parents’ policy in order to be insured while driving the family’s vehicles. Ironically, this means that the child can drive to the MVA (with the parent in the right-hand seat) to take the road test (because the child is on a learner’s permit at that time), but after the child passes the test, the parent must drive the car home because at that point the child is an uninsured driver. (It takes about 48 hours to get the child added to the parents’ policy.)</p>
<p>So in our state at least, the child could get a license without extra insurance costs – unless the parents did not have a car and therefore did not have auto insurance. However, unless the parents could afford the insurance price hike involved in putting the child on the policy, the child would not be able to actually use the license to drive a car after obtaining it. So the child might not be highly motivated to get a license.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’d have to agree with them. ;-)</p>
<p>Kids these days…{sigh}</p>
<p>I find Maine to be a lot more attractive than ND.</p>
<p>Moonchild,
So you think that they do not apply, if they responded this way? Responding one way or another for “entertainement” purpose does not always reflect any personality traits or any goals in life, they actually might be complete opposite of response. Many post whatever on internet just to see reaction…or apply pshych pressure …and many others attach too much to the meanning of these posts…</p>
<p>“If one has a license, and doesn’t own a car, and suddenly needs one, they can rent, or go out that day and buy one. They can rent a car on that business trip. They can borrow a car in case of emergency.”</p>
<p>Well…in theory, yes. I’m a licensed driver, but I haven’t driven in years. I could rent a car on a business trip, and it would probably work out OK, but my rustiness would make me uncomfortable. I’d want to refresh my skills on some nice quiet country roads before I deal with an airport, freeway, etc. If people are using Zipcar once a month consistently, sure.</p>