Analysis Of Joel Kotkin's Essay 'The Screwed Generation'

Baby boomers and millennials, are they oil & water or two peas in a pod? There have been large shifts in society and culture between when the baby boomers were born (1946-1964) and when the millennials were born (1981-1996). There are many factors that have influenced and molded each of these two generations such as technology, trends, debt and economy. Who exactly are millennials and baby boomers? What I know emphatically is that they both have strong opinions of one another. The Baby Boomers were promised the American Dream; they worked hard and are perceived as greedy and ambitious. Baby Boomers are “Perhaps the most influential generation in history, this “flower power” generation is known for their pivotal roles in the civil

In the article “A Generation of Slackers? Not So Much”, by Catherine Rampell, the author analyzes and challenges the popular stigma that Millennials are the laziest generation to have ever existed. Rampell begins her article with a staggering fact: “The unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds is a whopping 17.6 percent” (Rampell 388). And according to seventy-five percent of Americans, “Today’s youth are less virtuous and industrious than their elders” (Rampell 388). This may seem like an incredibly high percentage of Americans, but you might be astonished to learn that even “Two-thirds of millennials said older adults were superior to the younger generation when it came

After covering facts about millennials and their imperfections, Stein turns his article around by recognizing their good qualities. The purpose of Stein’s article is revealed when he changes sides of opinion. He praises their admirable characteristics saying, “They are probusiness. They’re financially responsible; although student loans have hit record highs, they have less household and credit-card debt than any previous generation on record.” (Stein 33), proving that millennials are more capable and intelligent at managing money although in more debt than previous generations. Stein uses logos to further establish his credibility.

It can be argued that the American Dream is dwindling as the country ages. As the country’s population rises, competition becomes more intense. This undoubtedly can make it more difficult to achieve a level of success that was more easily attainable 30 years ago. In addition, the cost of education has gotten so high that many graduates are paying back student loans for years. Many are stuck in a pit of debt that greatly hinders their career and personal goals. Also, rising costs of healthcare make it nearly impossible for some lower-income families to worry about more than keeping their basic needs met. In fact, some millennials are so fed up with current conditions that they completely deny the existence of the modern American Dream. For example, Andy Vasoyan, a 24 year old freelance voice actor and audio producer said, “I feel that the American dream (existed) and then just disappeared into the ether. Right now, because of income inequality and the difficulty of living in urban centers, it’s probably impossible for a huge segment of the population. And I don’t know if it was ever a real thing, but the idea of working

Donatone proposes that the reason for millennials’ struggles with adulthood, like working, dealing with people or even doing laundry is caused by helicopter parenting; however, she uses Amy, a girl that comes from a family with moderate wealth, to wrongly generalize that all millennials come from similar background. It is especially inappropriate and unfair to generalize about this topic because she talks about such a big and diverse group that is millennial generation, and not everyone comes from the same background. Donatone shows that Amy comes from middle class family when she says “She finally had to dump the part-time job, was still unable to do laundry, and often stayed up until 2 a.m. to complete her homework because she didn’t know how to manage her time without her parents …” (Donatone 1).” In order for someone to be able to drop their job they need someone that can help with their financial needs and wants, therefore it is safe to assume that Amy comes from a family with moderate wealth that is able to support those needs and wants. The author’s moment when she generalizes that all millennials are like Amy and come from similar background is when she states “It’s easy to generalize an entire population by its

Robert J. Samuelson, columnist for The Washington Post, in his article “Generational warfare, anyone?”(November 29th) rallies young americans to resent their current economic situation. Samuelson supports his claim by providing empirical evidence from recent Pew Research Center explicates the rising levels of people living with their parents, then by abstracting Scott Keeters notes juxtapositioning them with our modern day situation. His attempt to assemble the youth of the american workforce by informing them of their modern day struggles. Samuelson's uses erudite diction that appeals to the Washington Post’s audience of university graduates. The friction between the boomers and our current youth has thrown our economy back into the 1930’s.

It was the time when the internet was invented and Millennials are the first generation to have access to Internet during their initial years. They are the people who is born between 1980-2000. Years after that, Millennials have been an emerging cohort of generation who is always up-to-date with new inventions, trends, technology, social media and much more. They have been the centre of attraction in the society compare to the older generations by their unique point of view, interest, priorities and expectations (Source: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research, 2016). This paper will be focusing on who a young Millennial is in perspective of their employment choices and career progression. Initially, we will describe who is Millennials based on media sources, then identifying different study approaches and meanings of Millennials with recognised sources to study the contrast. Finally identifying the opportunities and expectations for the next Millennials followed by a conclusion.

As he assures, “I am about to do what old people have done throughout history: call those younger than me lazy, entitled, selfish and shallow” (Stein 28). By using words with such negative connotation, Joel Stein diminishes his focal point of explaining the ways millennials are helping society. Their laziness, among other negative traits, is passionately justified rather than balanced with his optimistic

“The vast majority of 18- to 29-year-olds polled — 84 percent — said adult children have a responsibility to provide financial assistance to an elderly parent if he or she needs it (Winerip).” This data just shows that the Millennials do realize that they owe the older generations for their success and that they aren’t against them. From the research done and the articles read, it can be shown that these two generations can work together if they both put their stubbornness aside to help the rising generation.

Nearly 3.7 million American babies born in 1982 were the first members of the new Generation Y, or more affectionately known as millenials (Thompson, par. 1). Many things play into whether a generation is considered to be faring ‘better’ than another one; job opportunities, the state of the environment, whether the U.S. is at peace or at war, income vs. living expenses, the general happiness of the people, and the list goes on. Millenials are part of a special generation because

In the television show Saved by the Bell, the character Zach Morris a high school student failed to have enough credits to graduate high school. Zach demonstrated his determination to make up a class in order to graduate on time with his class. A failed experience motivates millennials to keep trying until the goal is accomplished. We use our past experiences as an encouragement to succeed in education. Higher education opens the door to better job opportunities for generation Y. Having a similar experience in high school includes me of this generation. Once informed regarding low grades it motivated Zack to put more work and effort because a passing grade is required in order to graduate. Schools educate the millennials to enter the workforce. Generation Y is special because they are the largest group of people schooled in history, have the nature to own a business and be their own boss, and work for a meaningful cause, not just money.

Over a decade of sociological research has backed the stereotypes of around 80 million Americans born between 1980 and 2000. Teenagers and young adults have been deemed the Millennial Generation; Millennials are also being referred to as Generation Y because they come after Generation X. They are considered lazy, narcissistic, and delusional; because of this Generation Y has been under observation to uncover why growing numbers of Millennials have delayed typical adult milestones. Researchers have been working to figure out why this generation has been more prone to moving back in with their parents; as well as delaying marriage and beginning their careers.

I chose to write this paper about the millennials and how they are perceived in society today, as well as how this generation is much more diverse and accepting compared to past generations. I based this on two articles that touch on this subject: one is an article out of the New York Post called “More Diverse Millennial Generation Rewrites Traditions” by Reid Wilson and the other is from The Guardian called “Are Millennials as Bad as We Think?” by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. Millennials, also known as generation Y, are the latest generation and consist of Americans born from 1980 and after. This articles discuss the differences between the millennials, and past generations such as generation X, baby boomers and the silent generation and how past generations are more religious, attached to their political parties, traditional and more trusting of others.

Growing up in 1975, young adults were more independent in their living situations. During that period of time, young adults didn’t depend on their parents to help them in their new living situations. In this specific period, the young adults would already have started working to put themselves through school or to support their families. They were buying their first home or getting married. Times has changed tremendously from 1975 to 2017. Today Millennials are more focused on going to school and starting their career than starting a family. In the article "Here's how many millennials live with their parents in each US state," by Andy Kiersz published in 2017 in the Business Insider, “A third of American millennials live with their parents, US Census report finds” by Brooke Singman from Fox News, “The real reason so many millennials are living at home” by Ben St. Clair from the Washington Post, and “It’s becoming more common for young adults to live at home – and for longer stretches” by Richard Fry from Pew Research Center. Kiersz, Singman, Clair, and Fry all discuss the reasons why a lot of Millennials are starting to live at home with their parents through millennials definition on adulthood and economic effect.

According to recent research, Millennials (75.5 million) have edged out the Baby Boomers (74.9 million), who are retiring, as the fastest growing group in the United States, with Generation X lagging behind (66 million) (Fry, 2016). By the year 2020, Millennials will account for half of the workforce and their impact on the economic is contingent upon how the economy is doing at that time (Shin, 2015). The Education Testing Service found although Millennials are receiving more education than any other generational group, they may lose their competitive edge against international peers (Twaronite, 2015).