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Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

nytimes.com

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Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#41

Post by narrator »

pnathan wrote: post #11

It depends on who you ask. The narrative here is of precarious terror. Other people will have a different story. Seattle attracts a lot of people, and they often have sticker shock because they didn't do enough research. And , a lot of people feel entitled to live in the hippest neighborhoods very cheap. That said. The writer needs to contextualize this. In 2001, the year I went to college, the Twin Towers fell and a…

Going by the numbers, terrorism is a really unlikely way to die. Most people on HN are likely to die from heart disease, cancer, or medical mistakes in that order.

The most likely cause of death for a person before the age of fifty is a prescription drug mistake, suicide, or dying in a car crash.

Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#42

Post by Alupis »

codemac wrote: post #20
waterphone wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Saving money to be able to survive when you can't work anymore is unethical?

Oh I don't think it's unethical. I do think our bankers act unethically, but I still have a retirement account. My statement was that people feel so strongly about this that I know multiple people that don't save money in retirement accounts.

Well, time will eventually turn your friend's thoughts towards retirement - and that's when they'll realize who's foot they were shooting all along.

Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#43

Post by havetocharge »

No one owes anyone anything, and most people featured in and reading this article are already incredibly privileged. But it's never enough, someone always has or had it better and life is just so not fair. More whining for things we 'deserve'.

Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#44

Post by collyw »

pnathan wrote: post #18
nickbauman wrote: post #8

A "broken political system", please. Like Syria? Most of the Arab Spring? Even Brexit? There are people literally laying down their lives to get an opportunity to participate in such a "broken" system as ours in the US. If you don't like the system, work to change it. In the US at least you won't go to jail for doing that. Good grief!

As near as I can tell, the complaints of 'broken' come from people who don't participate. People who participate somehow seem to find ways to get some change in their desired direction.

The powerful don't let us participate.

Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#45

Post by s_q_b »

eronhp wrote: post #25
mkaziz wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can save without putting that money in an IRA/401k and the like.

I am not american, could you explain why putting your money in a IRA/401k would be considered unethical? And what alternatives do you have?

Money placed in a 401(k) is generally invested in the market. The hypothesis is that retirement money is a primary source of capital for investment banks. Some young people hold the view that this is akin to financing the banks' unethical activity, and refuse to participate.

Of course this is nonsense. One can always keep invest a 401(k) in hard currency or short term treasuries (T-bills.)

Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#46

Post by collyw »

ghaff wrote: post #39
jseliger wrote: post #24

Having spent a lot of time in Seattle I'm skeptical of the article; that being said, to my mind the big issue is housing costs, as I describe in "Do millennials have a future in Seattle? Do millennials have a future in any superstar cities?" ( http://jakeseliger.com/2015/09/24/do-millennials-have-a-futu... ). If you lower costs enough, a lot of other things become possible, and a lot of issues become less important (…

Housing is certainly a part of it based on people I speak with. A certain demographic--which is mostly an educated subset of 20-35 year olds who tend to write articles/posts and/or know those who do--have decided that they absolutely must live in a reasonable neighborhood of one of a handful of urban locations. As a result, a relative handful of cities have become what many parts of Manhattan, for example, have been…

I would quite happily live in the mountains but there aren't any IT jobs there. Its seems difficult to get a remote working job.

I imagine it is the same for many jobs - you need to live in a city.

Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#47

Post by mywittyname »

Kenji wrote: post #12

Or maybe stop reading news like that and enjoy life in one of the safest times and countries with life expectancies at an all-time high in the entire human history. Take a step back and look at things on a larger scale. Don't nurture your neuroticism and anxiety.

It's hard not to feed on fear when the media is a buffet full of it.

Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#48

Post by jfaat »

protomyth wrote: post #32
siculars wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stable in the 70s? I keep hearing this but I don't buy it. Rolling off of Vietnam. The oil crisis. Inflation. Decimation of manufacturing. I wasn't around then but we're they actually good?

plus a pretty high crime rate in the early 70's with talk of "super predators"

I'm pretty sure "super predator" was coined in the Clinton era

Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#49

Post by btkramer9 »

"But people now in their 20s and 30s say that the 1960s were different, that there seemed to be a clearer goal then — to end racial segregation, poverty or the war. The economy seemed better and the nation’s future more assured."

As someone in my 20s this is very frustrating. Obviously things from the 60s seem clearer now; hindsight is 20-20. Then there's this:

"Many are terrified of debt and deeply worried about their economic future"

I view this as a good thing. Debt is not fun and should be worrisome. Especially in the US where it's socially acceptable to carry mounds of debt.

Re: Debt. Terror. Politics. To Seattle Millennials, the Future Looks Scary

#50

Post by Spooky23 »

eronhp wrote: post #25
mkaziz wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can save without putting that money in an IRA/401k and the like.

I am not american, could you explain why putting your money in a IRA/401k would be considered unethical? And what alternatives do you have?

It's just a wacky rationalization for not saving.

Similar to people who preach about the evils of fast food hanging out at Chipotle or Starbucks.

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