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The Cheapest Generation

theatlantic.com

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Re: The Cheapest Generation

#91

Post by ZoFreX »

goatforce5 wrote: post #55
ZoFreX wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought that assumption throughout the article strange, too. A factor no one else seems to have mentioned (which admittedly only applies to transport, not housing) is that public transport is, overall, getting better. In London I have an Oyster card which actually gets me all the way to my dad's house too, even though he lives well outside London. Something like this just would not have been possible in the 90s, an…

Although Londoners complain about their public transport, it really is exceptionally good. For many routes within London it's quicker and far cheaper to take public transport (or a bike!) than to use a private vehicle. Most places aren't like that, unfortunately.

While I would say that London's public transport is good (not exceptionally good, Germany, Switzerland and Japan are exceptionally good, London is merely good), I think:

> For many routes within London it's quicker and far cheaper to take public transport (or a bike!) than to use a private vehicle.

Is a rather poor way to look at it in the context of London, because walking is often quicker than using a private vehicle here!

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#93

Post by adam-a »

Swizec wrote: post #15
andyking wrote: post #6

I own a car now, simply because I tried relying on public transport for a year and found the experience pretty depressing - it makes your day so very long (I was basically doing 6am-7pm including commuting) and loses you flexibility. I fell into a routine of coming to work, going home, and doing nothing else, because it was so much effort to plan a trip anywhere other than the office. It started to make me sink into…

> younger generations don't see a house or a car as a symbol of status or wealth, merely as something to be used, as a necessity And then there are fixies - impractical bikes that cost 700 euro simply because they are cool. Whereas you can get a practical bike for less than 200 euro. Maybe it is that we are cheap, so those things that cost beyond a certain threshold (like cars and housing) just need to work, whereas…

I work in central London and see a lot of people riding about on these bikes, clearly very expensive ones often too. This is a part of town where it's impossible to park, the traffic is terrible, and you have to pay[1] to drive there at all. I definitely see the fixie (or really the bike in general) taking over from the car as a status symbol for some people. Driving a car through Soho marks you out as either rich or stupid or both, a bike has a whole set of other connotations about fitness, ethics, intelligence. The expensive ones also carry wealth sat us of course.

I think the point is, that while it's true they are often status symbols, there is a practical motivation behind them too.

[1] Congestion Charge - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#95

Post by [deleted] »

mfringel wrote: post #73
MengYuanLong wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You may feel fixies are impractical but they carry benefits. The primary one being better power transfer. Second, you can often make a cheap fixie by finding an old frame, refurbishing it, and replacing the rear hub. Yes, you can buy them for $700+ but unlike iPhones, there are a number of ways to obtain one for cheap. Further, a bike that costs less than $200 is certainly not a bike I would buy for commuting. Having…

So, for those of us who know nothing about bikes, why are steel frames suboptimal for commuting?

[deleted]

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#96

Post by brudgers »

hnal943 wrote: post #58
brudgers wrote: post #14

In the age of smart phones, the car has ceased being a vital communication tool for young people. There's no need to drive to the mall to see if Paul is there hanging out. A text will let me know that he's at Joel's party instead. Another text and Steve will swing by in his car. The housing situation is another matter. There's a glut. Credit is tight. Jobs are scarce. And housing prices are going down. Millenials are…

You're right about smart phones, but I'm not so sure about housing. Credit is ridiculously cheap, and housing everywhere is on sale. If you have a job, why wouldn't you buy as much house as you can afford?

Because housing is not necessarily (or does not neccessarily appear to be) a good investment. Millenials watched their families wealth evaporate. I would the stress of the Meltdown to effect them in a way similar to the way the Great Depression effected the generation which came of age during that time.

Furthermore, demographics in much of the affluent world is likely to create a further surplus of housing which further reduces over the long term the value of entry level housing as an investment vehicle. The population is greying.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#97

Post by fceccon »

CWuestefeld wrote: post #39
jmduke wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Bikes Fixies aren't really popular beyond the hipster demographic; while there are a lot of bikes that cost >$500 dollars, they're generally bought by serious bikers for whom the value proposition is more than worth it. > iPhone The only thing exorbitant to me about the iPhone is the data plan, because of how often I'm in the range of WiFi. I'd argue having a personal GPS, email client, information lookup, etc. etc…

Sunglasses, unfortunately, are in a stranglehold market. You either spend $20 and get colored glass or spend $200 and get an actual product I've found pretty much the opposite. I've owned 3-4 pairs of expensive sunglasses in my life, and all but one of them was crap. I'm convinced that the price differential is for nothing but a designer name. My favorite sunglasses ever I paid $25 for at Rite-Aid, and I liked it so…

What else do I need?

I think the parent says the cheaper sunglasses lacks UV protection.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#98

Post by arethuza »

shanelja wrote: post #83
shanelja wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can attest to that, I live in the UK, public transport in the north is okay but far from optimal. I wish I could afford my own transport, but my low paying tech job (I'm a 4 year self taught junior developer at a small web development company) can barely pay my rent, let alone afford the ridiculous amounts of money I would have to pay for car insurance (I think I was quoted around £2,100), my driving lessons and a…

One of my friends spent some time in California this year interning with Google and he said that while public transport around California was bearable, when he spent some time in New York he found it completely useless. One of the qualms I have with English public transport is that over 55's get completely free transport, (I have no issue with them of course) whereas 15 - 21 year olds tend to pay extra in my area, so…

I think it's over 65 in England:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Publictranspo...

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#99

Post by stephengillie »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #78
thaumaturgy wrote: post #48

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that 78 hours of minimum wage work could pay the rent in 1980, compared to 109 hours in 2010 [1], along with the other associated cost-of-living increases over the last three decades that have come without comparable increases in wages. I doubt that most people who felt financially secure and could afford a new car wouldn't want to own a new car. Nobody really enjoys drivin…

I'm 21, live in New York City, and let my driver's licence lapse over a year ago. I don't plan on owning a house, preferring to drive my surplus wealth into assets I understand better and which don't restrict my mobility, and don't care to own a car. This is not economically motivated - I have comfortable free cash flow and a healthy balance sheet free of personal debt. I pay for a car service and take taxis more tha…

[I] live in New York City ... and don't care to own a car.

Your lack of desire for a car has a LOT more to do with living in NYC than your age or social status. You sound just like friends of mine from NYC.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#100

Post by shanelja »

arethuza wrote: post #98
shanelja wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my friends spent some time in California this year interning with Google and he said that while public transport around California was bearable, when he spent some time in New York he found it completely useless. One of the qualms I have with English public transport is that over 55's get completely free transport, (I have no issue with them of course) whereas 15 - 21 year olds tend to pay extra in my area, so…

I think it's over 65 in England: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Publictranspo...

Fair enough, but in the same way, these people are in a much better position than me and yet get this benefit which I don't, yet I'm also forced to pay taxes.
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