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The Cheapest Generation

theatlantic.com

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Re: The Cheapest Generation

#31

Post by guerrilla »

angersock wrote: post #7

Here are some scattered observations and opinions as somebody in this generation. I'm basically just dumping gut feelings here--don't expect a lot of well-written explanations. There is not a lot worth buying that is long-lasting. Most everything feels mass-produced and cheap, and the things that aren't are pretty obviously marketed at people trying to buck that trend. I don't want to pay 10x more for something witho…

I'm saving this forever. Thank you for distilling my thoughts and feelings so well.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#32

Post by warfangle »

stdbrouw wrote: post #27

It's an intriguing idea and there's probably something to it, but what kind of shitty journalism is this? > Needless to say, the Great Recession is responsible for some of the decline. Yep, but somehow that's a boring assumption that doesn't gel with the authors' thinking so they just brush it aside completely. > First, gas prices more than doubled, which made car-sharing alluring. Because the cost of a car-share is…

> Because the cost of a car-share is somehow independent of gas prices? Really?

Zip car rentals include gas.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#33

Post by sliverstorm »

cenhyperion wrote: post #28

“We just think nobody truly understands them yet.” I don't think that's true. I think that auto manufacturers don't want to accept that millennials don't associate cars with freedom, independence, maturity, and sex in the same way that cars were viewed by previous generations. At most they're a way to get from point A to B for most millennials, at worst (if you're a car maker) they're viewed as dirty machines that th…

It's always weird to hear other GenY say this. At least for me, growing up cars were exactly all of those things.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#34

Post by xemoka »

anigbrowl wrote: post #2

Speaking as a member of Generation X, having a computer and getting on the Internet early made ownership of a car far less interesting. I did have a motorcycle for a while and occasionally I find myself thinking about a car, but it's an awful lot of money for something I don't really enjoy using.

You said it. It just isn't enjoyable to own a car anymore. With all the added crap on-top there is no reason for my simplicity craving brain (even if it isn't true, we simplify to a point of making the process of simplifying complex) to desire the perceived complexities and costs of owning a new car.

That being said, I do own one. It's not new (10 years old now), it's 'cheap' to run (4-cylinder), and is purely for utility (4x4 for snow) as I live in a rural community. Even then, I take the bus between communities to commute to work.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#35

Post by antsar »

angersock wrote: post #15
Zigurd wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That should be a TED talk

Nah, I forgot to bitch about healthcare too. :) Anyways, without a better sampling of what my peers believe, it could well be just me being grumpy. I hope that my points reflect reality, but without numbers that's just supposition.

Early 20's, and every single one of those points resonated heavily with me. I don't think its just you being grumpy.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#36

Post by guerrilla »

carsongross wrote: post #14

You have to love the media: "The boomers voted themselves healthcare on their kids backs, made their kids go into crushing debt for education, put basic housing out of reach for them and look to be financing their retirement via them. How come those darn kids aren't buying cars?"

It reminds me of how kids used to work for the parents on a farm or factory to help support their family. Maybe the burden has just been moved, assuming the quote has any validity.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#37

Post by bradleyjg »

scotch_drinker wrote: post #26
jnbiche wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in my 30s and this is exactly how I feel.

I turned 40 last year and this is exactly how I feel. So if more and more of the population feels this way, at what point does it become a movement. Is that even possible? When does the reboot happen?

There's a line in the live version I have of Alice's Restaurant that your comment reminds me of. It comes after the usual:

And if three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in, singin’ a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out? They may think it’s an organization. And can you imagine 50 people a day, I said 50 people a day walking in, singin’ a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out? Then, friends, they may think it’s a movement.

He says something along the lines of "And most of them would be too young to know what a movement was."

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#38

Post by exit »

angersock wrote: post #7

Here are some scattered observations and opinions as somebody in this generation. I'm basically just dumping gut feelings here--don't expect a lot of well-written explanations. There is not a lot worth buying that is long-lasting. Most everything feels mass-produced and cheap, and the things that aren't are pretty obviously marketed at people trying to buck that trend. I don't want to pay 10x more for something witho…

> in starting families

the only part you lost me on. everyone i know considers the world far too precarious to start a family.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#39

Post by _delirium »

sliverstorm wrote: post #20
bitops wrote: post #10

I'm a Millenial and I enjoy owning a car, but I definitely don't care about it as an indicator of social status the way older generations did. I would much rather own a self-driving pod with a comfortable couch where I could work or relax without thinking about driving. Or even enjoying the view! Driving is fun, but for day-to-day stuff, I'd much rather get online as soon as possible to get my work done. I tend to th…

Driving is fun, but for day-to-day stuff, I'd much rather get online as soon as possible this statement makes me recoil. If I need anything, it is to be online less , and driving enforces that, if only for a little while.

I used to have that view, but now I don't own a car, and I take device-free walks instead, which I think I actually prefer. I like looking at architecture, trees changing color, birds, whatever, while taking a 30-min walk somewhere. It feels less hectic than when I'd drive.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#40

Post by MarkPNeyer »

nether wrote: post #29
scotch_drinker wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I turned 40 last year and this is exactly how I feel. So if more and more of the population feels this way, at what point does it become a movement. Is that even possible? When does the reboot happen?

I think everyone feels most of these, or at least says they do. If anything, all the head nodding in this thread is a nice example of a Dunning-Kruger effect.

can you elaborate?
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