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[ZombiePlatypus]

This is the worst version of old man yells at cloud. Fuck this guy tbh.

 

[Electric Eye]

What an idiot. He's practically doing the same blame game conservative assholes have always done. First it was rock and roll then it was televisions and then video games and rap and now it's Snapchat.

 

[SENPAIatLARGE]

Same stupid opinion piece that has been done a million times.

 

[zero_suit]

Same stupid opinion piece that has been done a million times.

It's so boring.

 

[Foffy]

As he points out, the economy is a big factor, but many young people prioritize expensive cell phones, electronics, gym memberships, and other things that could be cut from your budget if you really want to be independent and move out.



This guy isn't old and hasn't been in office long.

This says nothing about how masses have been systemically decoupled from most of the materialistic goodies of living the "good adult life."

We're talking about a generation that may not even know what full-time employment is when they get to the age of Ben Sasse.

 

[Dude Abides]

This is standard Republicanism. If someone is in a bad situation it's always because of their own character defect.

 

[Electric Eye]

Same stupid opinion piece that has been done a million times.

Exactly these idiots would rather pen their opinions than meaningful legislation to help and of course someone will copypasta this dribble all over their Facebook and whatch as the thumb ups come in hordes from over the hill boomers.

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

As he points out, the economy is a big factor, but many young people prioritize expensive cell phones, electronics, gym memberships, and other things that could be cut from your budget if you really want to be independent and move out.

I'm really tired of hearing this shit from older people though. I buy phones a generation or two behind for less than $100 and use them for at least 2-3 years, I buy my stupid video games on big discounts or when I have physical cash to afford them, I buy cheap food. I pay for martial arts and I buy stupid crap on amazon, sure, but this lust for technology and buying $400+ phones every year has absolutely nothing to do with me and I'm not exactly thriving in spite of that. Yes, plenty of people spend money on technology and spend a bunch of time on social media, but it's such a subjective factor with so many variables that it really comes off as an "old man yells at cloud" blame game.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

This says nothing about how masses have been systemically decoupled from most of the materialistic goodies of living the "good adult life."

We're talking about a generation that may not even know what full-time employment is when they get to the age of Ben Sasse.

I said the economy is a big factor, so it's incorrect to say I said nothing of it. That being said I think you're really overstating how bad things are.

 

[Stumpokapow]

lol this dude homeschools his kids because he's scared they'll get icky atheist germs on this how could you coddle your kids any fucking more than being scared of letting them go to school

 

[LumpOfCole]

This is like blaming the Great Depression on too many people listening to the radio.

 

[Electric Eye]

As he points out, the economy is a big factor, but many young people prioritize expensive cell phones, electronics, gym memberships, and other things that could be cut from your budget if you really want to be independent and move out.



This guy isn't old and hasn't been in office long.

Holy shit this is right up their with poor people having refrigerators. The outrage.

 

[Not]

He was born in 1972, he's 45.

He must really be dreading his mortality already for some reason

It's OK Ben, you got fifteen more years AT LEAST!

 

[buttery fistful]

that's nebraska, we elect nothing but the best

 

[Foffy]

I said the economy is a big factor, so it's incorrect to say I said nothing of it. That being said I think you're really overstating how bad things are.

I am not overstating anything.

Things are going to get exponentially worse for the precariat in America. More gig economy nonsense and technological precarity in the pipeline. This is a constant that even the Pentagon knows this will fuel dissent if/when it mixes with climate change.

 

[metalslimer]

People whining about cell phones or other electronics need to go look at how much houses actually cost and how much you could save even in 5 years from cutting out extraneous stuff. It won't even come close to setting you up. Also try getting a decent job without a smartphone which is going to require constant communication

 

[Goro Majima]

I doubt the article is addressing these types but I really envied my friends that were able to live at home for like 3-5 years after college while working their $50,000+ year job. They were able to pay off their loans, pay off a car, and have a down payment on a home. My Korean friend is living at home until he gets married and also has a massive nest egg.

So I think there's a lot of merit and advantage to a situation where those things can happen but we're not always economically equipped to deal with that (people needing to move to where the jobs are). We certainly aren't culturally equipped to adopt that method when the people with the money and power can't fathom that since they moved out at 18.

It's just ironic because people not living with their parents indefinitely I think is a recent trend and not globally universal. We're talking about people staying at home until their 30s and people want to treat them like lepers.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

How about the baby boomers relinquish their jobs and retire instead of perpetually holding the jobs market hostage. It is solely their fault for not being willing to pass the torch by retiring.

 

[metalslimer]

How about the baby boomers relinquish their jobs and retire instead of perpetually holding the jobs market hostage. It is solely their fault for not being willing to pass the torch by retiring.

They also fucked us over by implementing policies to consistently fuck over young people while trying to protect their own benefits. I don't want to hear about the good old days from these people

 

[The Technomancer]

As he points out, the economy is a big factor, but many young people prioritize expensive cell phones, electronics, gym memberships, and other things that could be cut from your budget if you really want to be independent and move out.



This guy isn't old and hasn't been in office long.

My phone plan costs me $400 a year. That shit ain't paying for a house

 

[Electric Eye]

People whining about cell phones or other electronics need to go look at how much houses actually cost and how much you could save even in 5 years from cutting out extraneous stuff. It won't even come close to setting you up. Also try getting a decent job without a smartphone which is going to require constant communication

Not to mention we have a consumer economy and every generation since ever has bought things that are wants not necessarily needs. Imagine everyone actually decided to stop purchasing and decided to save it sounds like a great idea except it would ruin the economy and actually cause even more job loses.

 

[Psychoward]

As he points out, the economy is a big factor, but many young people prioritize expensive cell phones, electronics, gym memberships, and other things that could be cut from your budget if you really want to be independent and move out.



This guy isn't old and hasn't been in office long.

Gym memberships are like 120 dollars a year, how the fuck could that help me buy a place?

The economy is the biggest factor and people like him are content with not only refusing to adjust wages to keep up with inflation, but lowering or eliminating the minimum federal wage while patting themselves on the back for building character in others.

 

[metalslimer]

Gym memberships are like 120 dollars a year, how the fuck could that help me buy a place?

The economy is the biggest factor and people like him are content with not only refusing to adjust wages to keep up with inflation, but lowering or eliminating the minimum federal wage while patting themselves on the back for building character in others.

Mr blonde is a hardcore Republican who like many of them in Congress think that the reason poor people can't afford healthcare is because of cellphones

 

[The Salt Life]

If I lived at home I would have so much money....So much. I would be able to go on vacations and photo expositions and do all sorts of cool stuff. God damn adulthood.

 

[RDreamer]

The older generations point to cell phones as extravagant and yet every one of them I know are flabbergasted I can survive without cable tv...

 

[Astral Dog]

Blaming the Goddamn children

 

[Psychoward]

Mr blonde is a hardcore Republican who like many of them in Congress think that the reason poor people can't afford healthcare is because of cellphones

Oh not sure why I even bothered then.

My cell phone plan that I literally need for my job sure is comparable to my medicine that ranges in the hundreds of thousands per year without health insurance. He got me there.

Ya know what would help up my buying power, lowering student loans. Any day now Republicans will come up with a plan to help out college students who are trying to get better jobs, right? Any day now...

 

[Beartruck]

"No, it's the children who are wrong."

Most people I know in the midwest sunk themselves into massive debt to go to college and end up at the job they had before it.

 

[Game Guru]

Because millennials have no money. That's always the answer. Why do they live with their parents? Because they don't have money to rent or buy a place to live. Why do they prioritize electronics and cellphones in terms of purchases? Because the Internet is basically required to live in society and is also now what television was to the boomer generation, namely a way to escape their horrible life if only for a few hours. Why do they have expensive gym memberships? Because they consider their own health important enough to prioritize.

The few millennials who do have money do participate in many of the same activities any prior generation does. They go to Broadway, to orchestras, and to the movies. It may be a a Broadway musical highlighting Alexander Hamilton with a diverse cast, an orchestra playing the theme to Super Mario Bros., and movies about Marvel Superheroes, but it's still Broadway, orchestras, and movies.

 

[Griegite]

This guy has FIVE degrees. A bachelor’s from Harvard, a Master’s from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., two Master’s degrees from Yale and a Ph.D.

From: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blog...ebraskas-next-senator/?utm_term=.6b6dafb191c4

 

[ClosingADoor]

It's because the rent is too god damn high. No one in their 20s ever thought: let's live with my parents instead of on my own if I had the option to do both comfortably.

 

[Glitchesarecool]

I don't doubt you, but I feel this post could be bolstered by linking to examples of these studies.

Alright, we'll start with the original Pew research that marked the point where it was more common for 18-34 year olds to live with their parents. Important to note that this was just the point where it moved over to being more common, and had been a growing trend for some time. They note there is a connection between it and the trend in less marriages, but also:

In addition, trends in both employment status and wages have likely contributed to the growing share of young adults who are living in the home of their parent(s), and this is especially true of young men. Employed young men are much less likely to live at home than young men without a job, and employment among young men has fallen significantly in recent decades. Similarly with earnings, young men's wages (after adjusting for inflation) have been on a downward trajectory since 1970 and fell significantly from 2000 to 2010.

Section 4 is specifically about the job market and goes into greater detail.

The decennial census has consistently inquired about employment status since 1930, and for 18- to 34-year-old men there is a clear-cut pattern between their labor market fortunes and their likelihood of living at home.

Unsurprisingly, the era most of these politicians come from is shortly after the war, when the economy was on an incredible upswing and the jobs were plentiful. It made living at home much less likely because it was much easier to achieve independence. Also, inflation-adjusted wages have been falling since 1970. Sasse was on the tail end of the "good times" in a way.

Warner and Houle (2017) found that completing a college degree was more likely to contribute to returning home than student debt. Considering that most job positions that pay regular, living wages require a college degree (and often require more than that), this is important.

In an era of rising college costs, and amid a deteriorating labor market, the economic stakes of college completion are high.

They also have an interesting observation.

Although we do not find an association between for-profit attendance and debt, the coefficient is in the expected direction and may fail to achieve statistical significance because only a very small proportion of respondents attend for-profit institutions.

In other words, although their study can't tie together increased college debt and returning home statistically, the data trends in that direction and could just be limited by sample size.

In a study focusing more on social activism, Milkman (2017) observes:

Millennials' aspirations have been frustrated by the growth of precarious employment and by an increasingly polarized labor market (Kalleberg 2011). Although these trends have affected all generations, they have influenced the worldviews of youthful labor market entrants most profoundly.

(referring to Kalleberg, Arne. 2011. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs. New York: Russell Sage Foundation)

and further in

Unlike Boomers, who came of age in a period of relatively abundant career opportunities, Millennials face a stagnant labor market with far more limited options (Duke 2016). Those without college education fare worst, but college graduates also find it difficult to access the stable workplace-based jobs that were commonly available to degreeholders in the second half of the twentieth century; instead, many settle for marginal employment as interns, temporary workers, independent contractors, freelancers, and the like (Kalleberg 2011; Katz and Krueger 2016; Standing 2011).

(referring to Katz, Lawrence F., and Alan B. Krueger. 2016. ”The Rise and Nature of Alternative Work Arrangements in the United States, 1995–2015." March 29 (http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/lkatz/files/katz_krueger_cws_v3.pdf?m=1459290955

and Standing, Guy. 2011. The Precariat. London and New York: Bloomsbury Academic).

It should be unsurprising that this kind of work is not typically sustainable for having their own home.

Augustine and Nash-Stacey (2016) of BBVA (international banking) created a "Generational Opportunity Index" examining "unemployment rate, participation rate, personal income, educational attainment, home ownership rate, home value and vehicle ownership" in various generations and looking at trends between them. While Millennials have strong job force participation, there is higher-than-average unemployment, and below average income, vehicle ownership, and home ownership and value.

However, similar to other generations that faced deep recessions, it is not easy to make up for those ”lost" years, suggesting that Millennials may never reach the level of relative opportunity of previous generations.

They theorize that if economic conditions improve, Millennials could start to surpass average living conditions. But between the housing market being somewhat precarious and unemployment, that might be difficult.

As he points out, the economy is a big factor, but many young people prioritize expensive cell phones, electronics, gym memberships, and other things that could be cut from your budget if you really want to be independent and move out.

These are extremely small scale effects on actually being independent and moving out. Come on.

 

[Rockin' Ranger]

lol this dude homeschools his kids because he's scared they'll get icky atheist germs on this how could you coddle your kids any fucking more than being scared of letting them go to school

What do you think he's going to do, let his kids out of their "safe space" (something else he's unironically spoken out against).

As he points out, the economy is a big factor, but many young people prioritize expensive cell phones, electronics, gym memberships, and other things that could be cut from your budget if you really want to be independent and move out.

I thought we were supposed to stop buying phones to pay for healthcare, not housing.

 

[Psychoward]

This guy has FIVE degrees. A bachelor’s from Harvard, a Master’s from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., two Master’s degrees from Yale and a Ph.D.

From: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blog...ebraskas-next-senator/?utm_term=.6b6dafb191c4

And he still lacks common sense/basic empathy. Sad!

 

[Psychoward]

I thought we were supposed to stop buying phones to pay for healthcare, not housing.

I find it hilarious that out of all maybe sorta legitimate things you could point to reducing in your budget (even though yeah, most everyday purchases won't add up to able to afford healthcare or housing lol), the Republicans have focused on cellphones in 2017.

 

[oneida]

my phone is holding me hostage!!!

ps i moved out at age 28 and i make more than the average american household

 

[Rockin' Ranger]

I find it hilarious that out of all maybe sorta legitimate things you could point to reducing in your budget (even though yeah, most everyday purchases won't add up to able to afford healthcare or housing lol), the Republicans have focused on cellphones in 2017.

Not to mention if someone didn't have a cell phone they'd likely a lazy millennial for not letting their job or prospective employers get a hold of them at any time. I know someone who quit their job because after they weren't answering calls on their day of their boss started contacting their Facebook friends to get a hold of them.

 

[npm0925]

How about the baby boomers relinquish their jobs and retire instead of perpetually holding the jobs market hostage. It is solely their fault for not being willing to pass the torch by retiring.

Some people can't afford to retire. It's stupid for young people to blame old people for their economic woes when the 1% own 40% of the wealth in our country. Maybe start there?

 

[7DollarHagane]

I agree with this somewhat.

In my own antecdotal experience at a job ive been at for 5 years watching the churn and turnover of the entry level jobs as they hire 50 people and only 10 are there after 6 months, mostly due to stupid stuff like attendance and behavioral problems.They have actually had a problem with people who are just tourists, get good at the interview process, stay on for the training in a classroom, then stop showing up for the real job when they get bored, then on to the next company. You can't realistically say anything but factual things and its very dangerous to say negative things in a job referral so the next employer is none the wiser, especially if they lie on the resume/application.

My wife works a starbucks and says they regularly will hire 15 people and be lucky if 2-3 of them don't just stop showing up after 2 weeks.

I mean, when you see stuff like that happening over and over at entry level you can't blame the employer, when the training resources are there, and both our jobs are very generous with pay and benefits for their relative skill level required.

 

[RDreamer]

Some people can't afford to retire. It's stupid for young people to blame old people for their economic woes when the 1% own 40% of the wealth in our country. Maybe start there?

Well perhaps the old people should stop voting in droves for those that want to keep giving tax cuts and deregulating so the 1% can make off like bandits?

 

[Deepwater]

I agree with this somewhat.

In my own antecdotal experience at a job ive been at for 5 years watching the churn and turnover of the entry level jobs as they hire 50 people and only 10 are there after 6 months, mostly due to stupid stuff like attendance and behavioral problems.They have actually had a problem with people who are just tourists, get good at the interview process, stay on for the training in a classroom, then stop showing up for the real job when they get bored, then on to the next company. You can't realistically say anything but factual things and its very dangerous to say negative things in a job referral so the next employer is none the wiser, especially if they lie on the resume/application.

My wife works a starbucks and says they regularly will hire 15 people and be lucky if 2-3 of them don't just stop showing up after 2 weeks.

I mean, when you see stuff like that happening over and over at entry level you can't blame the employer, when the training resources are there, and both our jobs are very generous with pay and benefits for their relative skill level required.

how many people in your anecdotal experience actually lives/lived with their parents though?

 

[npm0925]

Well perhaps the old people should stop voting in droves for those that want to keep giving tax cuts and deregulating so the 1% can make off like bandits?

Plenty of young people also voted for the republican pigfuckers or chose not to vote at all.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

My immediate takeaway was young adults aren't living at home with their parents longer due to immaturity it's due to the cost of independent living skyrocketing while wages remain stagnant.

That being said the older generation always shits on the young. The young always shit on the older generation for not leaving them a better world and swearing up and down they'll be the ones to crack the code and do a far better job.

Wash rinse repeat. Tale as old as time.

 

[7DollarHagane]

Plenty of young people also voted for the republican pigfuckers or chose not to vote at all.

If only we had a democrat in office 16 of the last 24 years, all the youth's problems would be fixed.

Acting like one political party over another will fix any of this is pretty silly.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

If only we had a democrat in office 16 of the last 23 years, all the youth's problems would be fixed.

Acting like one political party over another will fix any of this is pretty silly.

Yep. Dems been in bed with wall street too. Not saying "both sides are the same" just both sides had a healthy amount of input in getting us in this situation. I hope Dems continue to try and change and actually deal with wealth inequality.

 

[theWB27]

I agree with this somewhat.

In my own antecdotal experience at a job ive been at for 5 years watching the churn and turnover of the entry level jobs as they hire 50 people and only 10 are there after 6 months, mostly due to stupid stuff like attendance and behavioral problems.They have actually had a problem with people who are just tourists, get good at the interview process, stay on for the training in a classroom, then stop showing up for the real job when they get bored, then on to the next company. You can't realistically say anything but factual things and its very dangerous to say negative things in a job referral so the next employer is none the wiser, especially if they lie on the resume/application.

My wife works a starbucks and says they regularly will hire 15 people and be lucky if 2-3 of them don't just stop showing up after 2 weeks.

I mean, when you see stuff like that happening over and over at entry level you can't blame the employer, when the training resources are there, and both our jobs are very generous with pay and benefits for their relative skill level required.

It has nothing to do with the work environment that makes the turnover rate that insanely high at starbucks?

If they're keeping 2-3 then they'd still eventually have enough employees at some point unless my math is wrong?

 

[Foffy]

My immediate takeaway was young adults aren't living at home with their parents longer due to immaturity it's due to the cost of independent living skyrocketing while wages remain stagnant.

That being said the older generation always shits on the young. The young always shit on the older generation for not leaving them a better world and swearing up and down they'll be the ones to crack the code and do a far better job.

Wash rinse repeat. Tale as old as time.

You have your hand on the truth.

Now, wonder why Sasse is coming up with an alternative narrative as the primary reason not being economic precarity.

 

[Tigress]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-raise-an-american-adult-1493995064



This article pissed me off. He starts it off with the issue of too many young adults have not been able to get their feet off the ground and become proper adults because of how they are raised. I agree there are issues with younger generations dependency on social media and materialistic consumption but his recommendations of humble traveling, understanding needs vs wants, and talking with older people will fix this broken youth. He completely glosses over the fact that we have all been dumped into an economy with low paying entry level jobs, astronical college debt, and an insane housing crisis across the nation.

What do people think? Is our youth filled with a bunch of lazy people who refuse to do their taxes because they got too many toys as a child or is their a bigger issue?

Honestly this has always been the gripe of the older generation regarding newer generations. I'm sure the new generation now will have some gripe about generations that come after them and how, "Kids these days!" Hell, I've caught myself doing it (you know you are getting old when...)

 

[Psychoward]

If only we had a democrat in office 16 of the last 24 years, all the youth's problems would be fixed.

Acting like one political party over another will fix any of this is pretty silly.

"Fix"? No, that requires many years of change with an Overton window shifted way to the left of what it is now. Reduce the burden on young people by decreasing student loans, increasing wages, increasing access to affordable healthcare? Yeah. And that's while dealing with Republican obstructionism for all 16 of those years while the party has been moving to the left.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

It has nothing to do with the work environment that makes the turnover rate that insanely high at starbucks?

If they're keeping 2-3 then they'd still eventually have enough employees at some point unless my math is wrong?

I mean young retail workers are flakey as shit. When has that not been the case? They'll learn as they get older and grow.

It was like this since forever.

You have your hand on the truth.

Now, wonder why Sasse is coming up with an alternative narrative as the primary reason not being economic precarity.

Cause then as a senator he'd have some tough questions to answer..