Greatest Generation & Gen Z

"A baby born in 1985 believes his grandparents have no idea how hard life is, and survived several wars and disasters.

A boy born in 1995 and 25 years old today believes that it is the end of the world when his Amazon package takes more than three days to arrive or if it does not exceed 15 '' likes '' for his published photo on Facebook or Instagram...

In 2020. for years many of us live in comfort, have access to different sources of entertainment at home and often have more than we need.

But people complain about everything. They have power, telephone, food, hot water and a roof over their heads. None of this was existing.

But mankind has survived much more severe circumstances and never lost the joy of life. Maybe it's time to be less selfish, stop whining and crying." - Mari Pok, on Facebook
In 1970, the median home price was $17,000, and the median household income was $8,700 (about 2 times).

⁠ Today, the median home price is $374,000 and the median household income is $68,700 (About 5 and a half times).

⁠ In 1970, the average college debt after a four-year degree was $1,070. Today it's $36,000. Adjusted for inflation, that's more than three times as much.

⁠ In 1970, blue collar jobs constituted 31% of all non-farm employment. A high school graduate could find one in the manufacturing sector without too much trouble, since they accounted for a quarter of all employment.

⁠ Today, those percentages are far lower, meaning that -- effectively -- more people need college degrees to find decent paying jobs.

⁠ So I get what they're saying about the Millennial generation not understanding how difficult things used to be. I recognize the Silent Generation was resilient and gritty in ways I don't fully understand.

⁠ But I dislike Baby Boomers using their parents' and grandparents' greatness to rag on Millennials. When my brother (that guy born in 1985) died last year, he still owed $60,000 in student loan debt for a degree he never got.

⁠ And were he still alive today, he might point out that in 2008/2009, when he *would* have graduated, the job market was in no condition to hire him.

⁠ I would also like to point out that after the pandemic hit, and he had to scramble to make up for the income lost though the service industry shutdown, he took on three gig jobs to make ends meet.

⁠ I recognize there's some selection bias going on, but I disagree with the perception that the Millennial generation is entitled. They are not -- as a whole -- selfish whiners or criers. They have their own unique challenges that other generations have not -- not even me, a Gen Xer.

⁠ It's worth remembering that.