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The Go-Nowhere Generation

nytimes.com

21–30 of 54 posts

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#21
This is silly. The vast majority of yesteryear's kids didn't want to go anywhere, either. The Lost Generation were the youth of WW1. The Greatest Generation were the youth of WW2. More young people in the 60's went to Vietnam than have ever joined the Peace Corps. This entire article is essentially whining that we no longer have a draft.

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#22
One thing that really bothered me about Americans when I lived there was how often they just packed up everything and moved into a new house. Not for any good reason, mind you, but just for 'the experience of having a new place to live in'. Coming from a country where there was nothing beyond the city limits for 4 days worth of driving, it was bizarre to me that American folks I knew found themselves restless after 6 months in the new place. I suppose the urban environments of America sort of promote this, though - there is very little you can do in most of America without having transportation, and the 'neighborhood feeling' you get in Europe that makes it so 'nice to walk around' just doesn't exist in the majority of American cities, with their sprawl. Sure, there are exceptions - New York (people rave about New York, but really its just a 'kind of Europe' sort of place), San Francisco, and so on, but given your average American city, its sort of no surprise that people don't really feel 'at home' most of the time.

Is it car culture that drives Americans to move around so much? I tend to think so.

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#23
post #8

What an out of touch dude. I'm not sure he gets that the wealth is being created by our minds instead of our backs. I wonder if he could code anything he used to send or publish that article - or even if he understands even the absolute basics of how that series of tubes works. I doubt it. If we're renaming generations, perhaps we can rename his the "You've Lead America Off a Cliff And Stiffed Your Children With The…

“I spoke with a kid from Columbus, Ohio, who dreamed of being a high school teacher. When he found out he’d have to move to Arizona or the Sunbelt, he took a job in a Columbus tire factory.”

Perhaps this is also why working at Foxconn - migrating to a different city just to work long hours and live in dorms, seem so alien and cruel to Americans.

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#24
I feel this article is flawed with the author only acknowledging one set of possible goals/ values for a person to strive for in life. To myself and many others, having a (government reported) job and a car are not the pot at the end of the rainbow.

Instead, we have been raised in a world decrying the systematic consumption of the environment which, when coupled with highly volatile gas prices, makes using car alternatives an attractive option.

Further, many of us have complex outlooks that assigns value to friends, family, and free time that we may have to surrender if we accepted a cushy North Dakota job (and let's face it, you are reaching when North Dakota is your poster child for opportunity). Not everything is about money.

Sadly, each year I get older, the more I internalize that somebody will always feel the need to write articles bashing the younger generation. All I hope is that I never reach the point where I am the one doing the writing.

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#25

They don't have to go somewhere else, tons of work can be done from at home. Hell I'm running a company and working for another with only my mobile phone for internet access. I could go anywhere I wanted but I've a damp corner that I've grown accustomed to.

We're the minority, not the majority. Most people online can't even spell or use grammar correctly. I hardly think any of those people would have the creativity or the gumption to start a business.

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#26

I feel this article is flawed with the author only acknowledging one set of possible goals/ values for a person to strive for in life. To myself and many others, having a (government reported) job and a car are not the pot at the end of the rainbow. Instead, we have been raised in a world decrying the systematic consumption of the environment which, when coupled with highly volatile gas prices, makes using car altern…

Strongly agree, "The Well Adjusted Generation That Realised There Was Alot More To Life Than Money" isn't such a good op-ed title. We may get a generation of happy, socially aware people who make fantastic parents, oh noes!

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#27
post #8

What an out of touch dude. I'm not sure he gets that the wealth is being created by our minds instead of our backs. I wonder if he could code anything he used to send or publish that article - or even if he understands even the absolute basics of how that series of tubes works. I doubt it. If we're renaming generations, perhaps we can rename his the "You've Lead America Off a Cliff And Stiffed Your Children With The…

“I spoke with a kid from Columbus, Ohio, who dreamed of being a high school teacher. When he found out he’d have to move to Arizona or the Sunbelt, he took a job in a Columbus tire factory.” Perhaps this is also why working at Foxconn - migrating to a different city just to work long hours and live in dorms, seem so alien and cruel to Americans.

"And in case you're not convinced, allow me to submit some personal anecdotal evidence."

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#28
"“More time on Facebook probably means less time on the road,” he said. That may mean safer roads, but it also means a bumpier, less vibrant economy."

So... the economy is being held back by the lack of teens cruising the main drag?

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#29

I like how he goes after Facebook, a company run by a 27 year old Millenial with $3.7B in revenue last year ($1.3B more than the New York Times)

Yea, but does Mark Zuckerberg go anywhere? If not he just proves that author's point!

Re: The Go-Nowhere Generation

#30

One thing that really bothered me about Americans when I lived there was how often they just packed up everything and moved into a new house. Not for any good reason, mind you, but just for 'the experience of having a new place to live in'. Coming from a country where there was nothing beyond the city limits for 4 days worth of driving, it was bizarre to me that American folks I knew found themselves restless after 6…

I know people that move around from apartment to apartment, but I've never known of anyone that 'house hopped' like that unless they were flipping the houses for a profit. My parents have lived in 3 houses over the course of my lifetime. The one that I mostly grew up in they owned for over 20 years, and I believe that the move into that house was due to the family expanding.
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