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My Semester with the Snowflakes

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Re: My Semester with the Snowflakes

#11

Post by sneak »

kortilla wrote: post #8
catchmeifyoucan wrote: post #3

Well written piece! Never stop learning. In a way there's an underlying political statement here on how diverse opinions and education changes perspective.

It’s not really “education” that changed his perspective but rather immersion in a group of people with a completely different mindset. The same could be accomplished spending time with them in a job, a volunteer group, a prison, etc. He also likely wouldn’t have changed his perspective much if he took the courses online asynchronously.

I wonder what percentage of the United States, due to time commitments related to family and work, get to spend time/immersion in groups other than their facebook/instagram tribe and television/radio broadcasters.

My hunch is that it’s pretty low.

Re: My Semester with the Snowflakes

#13

Post by catchmeifyoucan »

kortilla wrote: post #8
catchmeifyoucan wrote: post #3

Well written piece! Never stop learning. In a way there's an underlying political statement here on how diverse opinions and education changes perspective.

It’s not really “education” that changed his perspective but rather immersion in a group of people with a completely different mindset. The same could be accomplished spending time with them in a job, a volunteer group, a prison, etc. He also likely wouldn’t have changed his perspective much if he took the courses online asynchronously.

You are right. Fair point. I jumped and made the association there - but it's the group environment.

Re: My Semester with the Snowflakes

#14

Post by sneak »

It’s interesting how much implied context is in this: that someone old, and related to the military (presumably right-leaning from the “snowflake” term), likely distrusts/disrespects someone young and wealthy from the coasts (presumably left-leaning from geography).

Are we really so polarized? Are hundreds of millions so gung-ho to flock away from the center? Can the whole American situation be approximately summed up, statistically, by these two exaggerated caricatures?

It seems that’s the tone of the article. Maybe it’s right, maybe it’s wrong, but either way I would hope that the real situation is more nuanced than that.

Maybe the situation on the ground really is that bad in some places. I don’t leave my house in the US much other than to fly out of the country, and only know what I read online about it. Can someone with direct experiences in these places shed some more light?

Re: My Semester with the Snowflakes

#16

Post by sysbin »

gfodor wrote: post #10

I’m not worried about the kids in college now who are too young, busy, and roll their eyes at mainstream American political culture to give a shit about the latest outrage-du-jour on Twitter. They’ll be graduating into the strongest economy in American history. They’ll be just fine. It’s the young adults who are a few years into their career being crushed by high prices, low wages, holding useless degrees under piles…

> They’ll be graduating into the strongest economy in American history. They’ll be just fine.

How are you forecasting that future? Seems strange to read it with what you see now and as you phrase the lost generation that's struggling from inflation & low wages..

I'm skeptical but I think the worst is yet to come for the next generations. Unless all the young adults that are struggling don't just all commit suicide in the years to follow. It's going to be a disaster when time comes and they need to retire but cannot. The burden will go on the young even more so than what we can imagine today.

Re: My Semester with the Snowflakes

#17

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

gfodor wrote: post #10

I’m not worried about the kids in college now who are too young, busy, and roll their eyes at mainstream American political culture to give a shit about the latest outrage-du-jour on Twitter. They’ll be graduating into the strongest economy in American history. They’ll be just fine. It’s the young adults who are a few years into their career being crushed by high prices, low wages, holding useless degrees under piles…

Indeed. The millennials that have graduated and entered the workforce after the crash of 2009 have it the hardest.

Who hasn't shopped around for a new job every couple of years is stuck with lower salaries than new grads entering the workforce right now.

Most companies seem contempt to punish the loyalty of their older employees who decided to stick around and reward those who job hop, which is ironic.

Re: My Semester with the Snowflakes

#18

Post by Ygg2 »

sneak wrote: post #14

It’s interesting how much implied context is in this: that someone old, and related to the military (presumably right-leaning from the “snowflake” term), likely distrusts/disrespects someone young and wealthy from the coasts (presumably left-leaning from geography). Are we really so polarized? Are hundreds of millions so gung-ho to flock away from the center? Can the whole American situation be approximately summed u…

Stress of life is polarizing people. Extreme conditions give rise to extreme beliefs.

Re: My Semester with the Snowflakes

#20

Post by siquick »

sysbin wrote: post #16
gfodor wrote: post #10

I’m not worried about the kids in college now who are too young, busy, and roll their eyes at mainstream American political culture to give a shit about the latest outrage-du-jour on Twitter. They’ll be graduating into the strongest economy in American history. They’ll be just fine. It’s the young adults who are a few years into their career being crushed by high prices, low wages, holding useless degrees under piles…

> They’ll be graduating into the strongest economy in American history. They’ll be just fine. How are you forecasting that future? Seems strange to read it with what you see now and as you phrase the lost generation that's struggling from inflation & low wages.. I'm skeptical but I think the worst is yet to come for the next generations. Unless all the young adults that are struggling don't just all commit suicide in…

And no mention of the elephant in the room - climate change.

It feels like we're already seeing it here in Sydney, Australia. We've had dangerously low air quality from bush fires for the last 1.5 months and we now have a serious water shortage.

I've been accepting of climate change up until recently - now I'm genuinely worried about the future here.

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