<p>^^agree with texas on that one.</p>
<p>“There are plenty of ways to change things and make a difference. I assure you that complaining about your miserable plight on College Confidential is not one of them.”</p>
<p>That is purely a way to try to shut someone down. Most of the comments on this forum could be considered complaining or whining, if one disagrees with them. Seems a little cynical to be on an online forum telling people not to bother giving their viewpoint…on the online forum.</p>
<p>bover, I worked for a politician, worked on legislation, etc. Does that mean I did my part and I can complain? :D</p>
<p>I also agree with texas. Unfortunately, there’s not always a good alternative :(</p>
<p>Busdriver- nonsense. I do not consider most people I disagree with as complainers. When two posters blame their current miserable plight on former generations I will call that whining. But if you prefer, I’ll just agree with them. After reading their posts I’m certain their situation is hopeless. They’ll never suceed atr anythingf because of the crimes of their parents generation. I hope that makes them feel better.</p>
<p>Am I the second poster? When did I complain? I agree that we’re being left a complete and utter mess. I’m not complaining about it. It is what it is.</p>
<p>romani- complain away. You’re screwed. That politician you worked for was a complete loser who will just rip you off.There are no decent alternatives. It’s all everyone else’s fault.</p>
<p>Methinks I missed something…</p>
<p>Romani- in his firstr post sg315 unleashed a torrrent of complaints to which you responded that he “hit the nail on the head”. I concluded that meanr you agreed with his post and therefore his complaints.<br>
I do not believe this generation has been coddled - in reality I would not generalize about any generation. But neither do I believe they have been left in a uniquely horrible position by prior generations.</p>
<p>Ok then I’m a complainer :). If that’s what you think, who am I to argue?</p>
<p>I’ll express my opinion based on my own limited data set: </p>
<p>There has never been a generation as coddled, spoiled, self-centered and just plain whiney as the baby boomers.</p>
<p>Born into a multi-decade economic boom, given tons of opportunity, widely available and dirt-cheap education, an ever-expanding national infrastructure (yeah - we actually “didn’t build that” – our parents’ tax dollars did) we skimmed the cream, realized the benefit, and then—</p>
<p>slammed the door on the younger generations.</p>
<p>I’d encourage you to follow noimagination’s link and see how we cut our tax rates compared to our parents. This being CC, I’m sure you’re all aware of the astronomical increase in college costs - from community college up through the “flagship” state universities. The math on who’s getting “coddled” by that combo isn’t hard to do.</p>
<p>Unless they’re born into affluence, young people of our children’s generation face cutthroat competition for quality education, enter the workforce shackled with debt, and many are forced to work for free for extended periods as “interns” in order to get an actual paying job. This is “coddled?” OK, they have Iphones. Big deal. Smart phones are a practical necessity in the 21st century. They’re not a luxury - they’re just part of the society. </p>
<p>(Incidentally, this is only based on personal experience for my generation. My kids were lucky enough to have parents who paid their tuition, so they wouldn’t be saddled with college loan debt. And my older kids who are out in the world got jobs and are doing fine. But “coddled”? Feh!)</p>
<p>Oh, and Misterk? That “Second Ice Age” was actually just one article in one magazine - Newsweek. I seriously doubt that you fretted about it in high school - I know I didn’t and I was in college in the 70’s and about as prone to fretting as I ever have been. No one would even remember it if it didn’t fit the global warming denial propagandist’s purposes so well. Honestly - are you saying you actually remember that article? Now, MAD and Silent Spring - those were first quality fear generators. But no one worried about climate change back then.</p>
<p>great post, kluge</p>
<ol>
<li><p>THe I phone is not a necessity, it’s a luxury. My kid got a smartphone last year. He knows it’s a luxury. Before that he did just fine with a Tracfone. My wife still has her flip fone, and I have a work issued Blackberry I seldom use. We would do fine without any of them if they weren’t continually tearing out the pay phones. And although I paid taxes for the roads, I’m willing to concede that the folks at Apple did “build that.” And they are well rewarded for it.</p></li>
<li><p>Civilization is a continuum, filled with individuals. Generalization is absurd. For every kid heading off to the Peace Corps there are plenty of kids heading to the Jersey Shore. In every generation. And IIRC correctly, in 2007 the UE rate was extremely low, and people of all “generations” - baby boom, gen x, gen y, etc, were flipping homes with wild abandon. Is that the cutoff for this plunge into misery? Everyone before 2008 was entitled? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>The fact that kids face more competition for college admissions is partly because there are more high achieving kids and just plain more kids going to college. Whether you caonsider that a good thing or a bad thing for socitey is anohter issue that I’m not interested in ciommenting on.</p>
<ol>
<li>I was born in 1957. I fully admit to being personally spoiled in my childhood and adolescence. My wife, born in the same year in a developing country, worked for years and years scrubbing floors, cleaning offices, and caring for the elderly, moving all around the world in search of work, in order to bring my stepson here. I married her and told her to retire. She’d been coddled enough.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>My “coddled” father, abandoned and self supporting since age 14, was a beneficiary of the early 80s tax cuts as well (to the extent someone in his income level benefitted). He was therefore able to help me out, as I am helping out my stepson, who is blissfully unaware of the horrible plight he’s wound up in. I am confident he’ll be fine.</p>
<ol>
<li>I remember the Newsweek article. We discussed it in school I also remember not being worried at all about it. OTOH, I also remember having little concern about the regular drills where we were told to get under our desks to prepare for imminent atomic attack. What I do remember was our 7th grade hippie teacher telling us to get under the desks, put our heads between our legs, and kiss our rear end goodbye. We all laughed, primarily because it was the first time we’d ever hear a teacher deliver a politically tinged joke. Surprisingly, nobody reported him to the admiistration, and he didn’t end up on the news or talk radio of the day.</li>
</ol>
<p>Likewise,although I am certain there are kids worried about global warming,I am equally certain there are many kids more concerened with getting into Harvard merely because it is ranked first, and other kids very worried about getting Robert Patinson’s autograph or dressing like Kim Kardashian. Just as there have always been more serious kids and kids who worry about more trivial matters. I am also confident that some of these same kids who worry about environmental problems will be able to do something about it just like many in the spoiled baby boom fought for civil rights. And I work in the energy area dealing with this type of issue. No, I don’t work for “big electricity”. I woudl actually probably be consdiered one of the thorns in their side. </p>
<p>Maybe I’m overly optimistic but I think these ills plaguing our society will also pass and new issues will arise. Like always.</p>
<p>The variance within generations is far greater than the difference between the means of different generations (for any mean in the measure of virtually any variable related to the topic) and such a relationship often causes generalizations to break down.</p>
<p>Had your coffee yet Bovertine?</p>
<p>See, bovertine, much better to dispute what you disagree with, then just tell people to shut up and go away. I certainly don’t prefer that you agree with anyone at all. Your post #191 is pretty interesting and I do agree with some of it.</p>
<p>
Sigh. I never told people to shut up and go away. Anyone. I stated my opinion, that things are not hopeless for the current generation because of their parent’s actions, and that complaining about them on this website is pointless. I didn’t feel the need to repeat it this morning, but I still believe that.</p>
<p>What started that entire line of commentary was a post about “past” generations spending beyond their means to the tune of trillions of dollars of deficit. I found that weird because that isn’t just in the past, that’s hapopening now as well. So aside from any complaints about past generations, IMO that poster would be better advised to see if he could do something about it now if that is his area of concern, rather than throwing his hands up, posting here, and thus becoming grist for some future generation’s posts to CC. An of course I will grant the poster that it’s not easy for the typical citizen to fight entrenched headwinds. It wasn’t easy back then either.</p>
<p>Great posts, kluge and bovertine.</p>
<p>As an aside, I am not sure why so many posts on this thread are so snarky. People are just stating their opinions based on their own observations and experiences.</p>
<p>“Sigh. I never told people to shut up and go away.”</p>
<p>Okay, my mistake then. That’s how I read it, I stand corrected.</p>
<p>^^^ I should have been more clear. I was a little lazy I guess. I forgot to reference the posts I was referring to, and clarify my point.</p>
<p>Times are tough, I know. I certanly wouldn’t generalize today’s kids and young adults as spoiled. I just don’t see the rationale behind pointing the finger backwards.</p>
<p>No, you just berated us for “whining”. We’re really doing no such thing. If anything, people from your generation have been FAR harder on those of your generation than soccer and I. </p>
<p>We absolutely acknowledge the fact that we’re being left a mess and it’s getting worse. There’s not much we can do about it since your age group has tens of millions (if not hundreds of millions) more voters than our age group. We can acknowledge the problems without “whining” about it. It is what it is. I have no faith in either party to fix it because whenever something radical is proposed, it is instantly disregarded by the mass public. We don’t like change, especially not radical change. </p>
<p>And I take offense to what you said about the politician that I worked for. But that’s a different matter.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I am almost certain that is not true. Of course, it depends on how you divide the age groups. I have heard that it is true that older voters have much higher turn out. But I don’t know if that is true or not.</p>
<p>I do know that the entire voting age population is only a little over 200 million. At best, only a little over 50% of those turn out to vote. And the elections are generally decided by a very small margin.</p>
<p>Youthful voters can certainly weild great power, not only through voting, but through calling, canvassing, etc. I believe Chris Hughes is given significant credit for Obama’s election in 2008. And Hughes is under 30 AFAIK.</p>
<p>I have no idea who the politician you worked for was. My comment was rhetorical, based on the fact that you implied that working for any candidate is pointless.</p>