The Cheapest Generation • Hacker News Board

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#41

Post by throwmeaway2525 » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:31 PM UTC

bradleyjg wrote: post #13

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…

Late Gen X here. If these feelings are widespread amongst Gen Y, that actually makes me optimistic for the future. Thanks for writing it up.

I know, I was gonna say: wise beyond their years.

Anyway, whatever: http://gizmodo.com/5851062/generation-x-is-sick-of-your-bull...

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#42

Post by mjn » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:31 PM UTC

cgore wrote: post #5

fintler wrote: post #3

Gen Y here. I think they answered their question halfway through. Total student debt in the US is currently about $1,134,752,535,374.00 and increasing at a rate of about $2,853.88 per second. The article title is linkbait -- any generation that spends that amount of money isn't "cheap" (I think the word "exploited" is probably more appropriate).

I make a lot more than a lot of GenY, and have less student loan debt, and it is a MAJOR part of my budget. I don't see how someone with an average salary and average student loan debt could get a loan for a car or for a house.

This is one thing I think a lot of young people here (Denmark) don't really realize about their advantages. Yeah, the taxes are higher, but they have no student loans to pay off. (Not to mention: they can start a business without worrying about healthcare premiums.)

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#43

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:31 PM UTC

sliverstorm wrote: post #33

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.

[deleted]

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#44

Post by sliverstorm » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:33 PM UTC

_delirium wrote: post #39

sliverstorm wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Oh, I'm not saying I need driving to disconnect. Just reacting in general to the notion of getting back online asap.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#45

Post by toomuchtodo » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:33 PM UTC

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.

I wish I could buy you a beer for this. Well put.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#46

Post by jseliger » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:33 PM UTC

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 like a lot of what you say, especially about cars and urban development (http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/why-would-you-want-...), but I will note a couple other things:

Police... always always always make things worse

They don't always make things worse, as I discovered when a random guy pounded on my door in the middle of the night and threatened to kill me: http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/guy-pounds-on-my-do... . Cops are also caught in a nasty place because of drug laws, which leads me to my next point.

Nobody believes that our vote matters, that the politicians sitting in office will kowtow to anybody...

This is a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you don't vote because you don't believe your vote matters, and others do, then their vote matters and politicians will pander to them, not you. Old people vote en mass; that's a major reason we've having fiscal problems related to Medicare and why those are going to worsen as time goes on. Don't like it? Vote! Convince others to vote. Every election is a potential revolution, which is why we have them.

I voted today, albeit for a mayoral candidate who, according to the polls, is supposed to lose. I've never voted for the two major political parties in presidential elections.

WRT voting more generally, see Bryan Caplan's The Myth of the Rational Voter.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#47

Post by tomp » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:33 PM UTC

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…

If you get more than 100 upvotes here, you should put this "campaign" on Kickstarter!

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#48

Post by milsorgen » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:34 PM UTC

bradleyjg wrote: post #13

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…

Late Gen X here. If these feelings are widespread amongst Gen Y, that actually makes me optimistic for the future. Thanks for writing it up.

30 year old, borderline Y here. OP's points #4, 5, 9, 10 and 12 really nail it for me. I think I've driven, maybe, 6 months out of my life. Bikes, carpools and the bus have so far worked out. From the Oregon Coast to Southwest Idaho... I've never wanted to own a car or even really drive for that matter. I'm glad there might be more people like me out there.

Full disclosure: I wouldn't mind an '83 cutty, however.

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#49

Post by _delirium » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:34 PM UTC

sliverstorm wrote: post #33

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.

Maybe it's because they were nearly ubiquitous in the middle-class part of suburban Houston I grew up in, but even though lots of people hard cars, I somehow didn't really associate any status with them. Someone always had a car, and if you didn't, someone would pick you up. Nobody except rich kids owned their own cars, so you weren't driving anything particularly interesting anyway, just your mom's station wagon. As long as one person in your circle of friends had use of a car for the day/evening, they could pick everyone up, and it served the utilitarian purpose of covering the long-ass distances between stuff, which were impractical to bike or walk (and of course there was no public transport).

Re: The Cheapest Generation

#50

Post by jseliger » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 11:34 PM UTC

exit wrote: post #38

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.

considers the world far too precarious to start a family

By virtually every metric, the world is a much safer, healthier place than it used to be: http://www.amazon.com/The-Better-Angels-Our-Nature/dp/014312... .