Talking 'bout my generation

I've been mulling over the Globe and Mail's story "Flirting with Disaster" from today's Focus section. The article, by Alexandra Shimo discusses the increasing number of unambitious 20 to 30-somethings who sponge off of their parents and remain in their homes rent-free. I think Shimo makes some good points, but failed to go into the detail and explanations I'm looking for. For example, the fact that we're living in an increasingly immigrant Canada, and many ethnic families encourage their offspring to stay at home until they get married. Or how about how much we all owe in student loans. I think the problem is that this article paints these slackers as the rule of our generation rather than the exception.

[mp3] Green Day - Longview
[mp3] David Bowie- All The Young Dudes

Comments

[chelle]

Wow... what a great read. Thanks for the link, Andy

[Pete]

I read that too.

I don't know who my favourite slacker was -- the 17-year-old hacky-sack playing pot-head who's career aspirations are to be "an astronomer", or the 26-year-old artsie who's parents paid for her school, a post-grad trip to Africa and a car, yet who still refuses to pay a cent towards her rent-free home on the grounds that her parents should be helping her save money for a downpayment to "really help set her up" in life.

Don't get me wrong. My parents have helped me out a lot in my life. And even today, though I'm finally on my own two feet, I live under the security blanket that if I ever got into any serious financial trouble they'd bail me out.

But this issue is totally a two-way street, and there's a fine line between offering support and being an enabler.

The world has changed and both parents and quasi-slacker kids need to acknowledge that. Anyone who thinks the 1950s-era template of go to college, get a job, work for 30 years and then retire is still applicable needs to wake up. But anyone our age who thinks the world owes them their high-paying dream job at 25 likewise has some harsh realizations to come to.

I think I've been fairly lucky in my life. But I'm also pretty sure that I worked hard at the opportunities once they were presented to me.

As with most issues, there's probably a healthy middle ground between the "young people are all lazy" crowd and the "i'm perfectly willing to work but the economy doesn't provide me with any suitable opportunities" diaspora.