I acknowledge that those problems exist in the private sector. Believe me, I am not of the opinion that total capitalism is the answer to all of our problems. I'm not writing a thesis here on how to maximize social justice, and I did not choose my words carefully enough.
But I don't think it's fair to crucify boomers for having the audacity to continue to work.
I acknowledge that those problems exist in the private sector. Believe me, I am not of the opinion that total capitalism is the answer to all of our problems. I'm not writing a thesis here on how to maximize social justice, and I did not choose my words carefully enough.
But I don't think it's fair to crucify boomers for having the audacity to continue to work.
I'm not crucifying Boomers for continuing to work. There are plenty of other things to crucify them for!
I just picked up on the parts of your statement that were eyebrow raising. Yes, there are lazy Millennials. Absolutely. But there are lazy people in all generations.
Sorry, but the idea that if someone is capable and willing to work, he or she will find a job that allows self sufficiency is so incredibly sheltered as to be laughable. And that is what you said. This economy has fucked a lot of smart, hardworking people.
Sorry, but the idea that if someone is capable and willing to work, he or she will find a job that allows self sufficiency is so incredibly sheltered as to be laughable. And that is what you said. This economy has fucked a lot of smart, hardworking people.
You're absolutely right about this and I agree completely. I need to be better about acknowledging it. There are unquestionably barriers other than "capability."
FWIW, I never said millenials were lazy, much less lazier than any other generation.
DH and I are SCRUs but our families had pretty strict definitions and boundaries about what they would and would not support. I was always told I would be on my own after college, and so was DH. We were lucky to have our educations covered and are mostly responsible people today. Except for DH and his luxury car fantasy that I keep crushing
Sorry.. tried googling but couldn't find.. what does SCRU mean? Saw a couple people use it..
Post by pyramidsloth on Mar 8, 2015 22:18:32 GMT -5
My brother turns 30 this month, and he's been living with my parents on-again, off-again since he graduated college. (A private college in Chicago that was over 30k/year, and it took him six years to graduate with a BA in music performance, since he didn't like going to class). I will admit that my brother is an extremely talented musician (percussionist), and I truly believe he has a chance of getting a position in a symphony someday. BUT. He's terrible with money; always has been. He works part-time at a liquor store and treats himself to expensive beer and liquor, buys e-cigarettes like they're going out of business tomorrow, and buys himself top of the line clothes from Nordstroms, Macy's, etc. My parents don't charge him for rent or utilities, they gave him a car, and anytime he's offered an audition anywhere in the country, my parents foot the bill for plane tickets, hotels, food, etc. It's ridiculous. Now, what I will say is that as far as I know, my parents haven't taken any money out of their retirement fund for my brother. My dad is a banker, and my mom is a retired special Ed teacher, and growing up they always stressed the importance of saving for retirement. I just feel badly that they're spending SO MUCH money on my spoiled, lazy ass brother every month, when they could use that extra $$ to pay off their mortgage, take a trip to Ireland that they've wanted to do for years, etc.
I don't discuss my brother's situation with my parents because a) at the end of the day, it's their money and they can spend it however they want, and b) I'm fairly certain they know my feelings on the subject anyway.
My MIL lived in NYC her whole life. In August she gave up her corner apartment with Hudson River and Statue of Liberty views to move to Orlando when my SIL decided to move her whole family to Florida.
SIL moved in August, and she and her husband still have not gotten any jobs. MIL told DH that she's going to use her budget to "help SIL out" and is now essentially paying for the expenses for a family of 6, including three teenagers.
SIL says that they can't work, because they're going to be going back to Italy for the summer.
Everything about that arrangement disgusts me. Right now, they're trying to figure out what they should do for spring break in a few weeks.
I'm all for multigenerational households, but I take that to mean that each capable adult is contributing something to the household, whether it be childcare, labor or an income. Pooling money with your sister and BIL to be able to buy a larger house? Cool. Moving your parents in to provide in-home child care while you and your spouse work? Great plan! Letting your 21 year old love at home while attending college full time? Definitely a money saver in the long run. Telling people that your 28 year old son is really sensitive, which is why he cursed out his manager at Walmart after two months, and he NEEDS to decompress every night by playing video games until 4am? You need a slap upside the head.
I do think the article runs the gamut, though. I'm glad I will never be homeless due to economic disaster because my parents would not let that happen. I've mentioned that they did things like pay for undergrad and keep me on car insurance until after I graduated. That was a "we pay it or it doesn't get paid," kind of scenario, but they knew when and how to allow me to make tough decisions, like "do I want to own a car and live with a roommate, or live alone and walk? Do I want to sacrifice x and y to spend $25k on a new car, or can I get away with spending $8k on a used car?" Those ARE important life decisions and you aren't doing your kid any favors by helping them to avoid them. But paying to fly your child home for Christmas or for an unexpected car repair when they are 23 and making $25k/year or helping to make rent when they just got laid off for the first time is something that, in the long run, will just help you kid stay on his feet without devolving into a spiral of dependency. For the most part.
I did a shitty job expressing my opinions in this thread and for the record, I don't disagree with anything tacosforlife or milsaroo said. I was tempted to attempt a do-over but I think I need to quit while I'm behind.
I do stand 100% by one comment - @songforyou kicks ass at posting articles.