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Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

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Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#21

Post by Millennium »

cbarnsdale wrote: post #16
ef4 wrote: post #15

> Life is hard, and it’s most certainly unfair… perhaps more so for our generation that any previous. Absolutely absurd. You really think you have it worse than somebody born into slavery? Or worse than a medieval serf? A large fraction of humans alive right now would look on your lifestyle as extremely privileged. This kind of statement comes across as pitifully ignorant whining. You actually hurt the cause of fixin…

You realize the article focuses on debt in regards to students and young people, right? Yeah, there's a bit of hyperbole, but I think my reference to "toughest... generation... evar..." makes sense in the context of "young people have it pretty shitty right now". Clearly you disagree, so fair enough. :)

At the same time, this type of hyperbole makes it way too easy to dismiss arguments like these as whiny and lacking perspective. It's rhetorically unsound, and it doesn't do its side much in the way of favors.

Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#22

Post by maxerickson »

cbarnsdale wrote: post #12
oberheitz wrote: post #7

"Life is hard, and it’s most certainly unfair… perhaps more so for our generation than any previous." Uhm, have you ever heard of World War II? I'm pretty sure the MacBook-toting hipsters you describe have a slightly easier life than those people had to serve in Vietnam or World War II.

I considered pointing this out, and the great depression too. I can't say (and didn't say) that our generation is definitely harder off (I wasn't born during the previously stated time periods), however... from everything I've seen, youth today are in for a really, really shitty time. Perhaps saying "worse than its been in a long, long time" would have been more balanced.

Easy access to debt isn't really a harbinger of a really, really shitty time.

If anything, the fact that the debt 'crisis' is global will end up making student loans easy(er) to repay (because inflation).

Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#23

Post by [deleted] »

cbarnsdale wrote: post #16
ef4 wrote: post #15

> Life is hard, and it’s most certainly unfair… perhaps more so for our generation that any previous. Absolutely absurd. You really think you have it worse than somebody born into slavery? Or worse than a medieval serf? A large fraction of humans alive right now would look on your lifestyle as extremely privileged. This kind of statement comes across as pitifully ignorant whining. You actually hurt the cause of fixin…

You realize the article focuses on debt in regards to students and young people, right? Yeah, there's a bit of hyperbole, but I think my reference to "toughest... generation... evar..." makes sense in the context of "young people have it pretty shitty right now". Clearly you disagree, so fair enough. :)

[deleted]

Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#24

Post by jpsierens »

I wanted to input that I as a student am basically the opposite of what this article is talking about. I'm from West-Europe so maybe that's a huge factor.

I spend less than €100 a month. I live with my parents, and currently doing a Masters in the best uni of my country, which costs around €550 for a year. I take the train to class everyday which is about 1 hour, but a train subscription costs me €80 for 3 months. A car is a luxury here and in my opinion, useless if you live in a city.

I don't have any debt whatsoever and have never seen why I should go into debt. I almost never spend on anything not necessary. heck sometimes I wonder WHY I don't buy more things. My computer is 5+ years old and still in good shape, so are most of my clothes, although I do buy new stuff every year.

If I do buy a gadget like my smartphone, I save for it first, I don't even have a credit card. I have never bought things and paid them after. Interest rates are the devil. Own your assets, not the other way around.

Stop spending so much.

Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#25

Post by sophacles »

maxerickson wrote: post #22
cbarnsdale wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I considered pointing this out, and the great depression too. I can't say (and didn't say) that our generation is definitely harder off (I wasn't born during the previously stated time periods), however... from everything I've seen, youth today are in for a really, really shitty time. Perhaps saying "worse than its been in a long, long time" would have been more balanced.

Easy access to debt isn't really a harbinger of a really, really shitty time. If anything, the fact that the debt 'crisis' is global will end up making student loans easy(er) to repay (because inflation).

It's less the easy access to debt that's the problem, but the requirement of going into debt for a chance to not be in debt. For a very significant portion of people, they only chance at a decent job is college - there really aren't that many decent jobs available for the "no degree" people. Of course the degree isn't a guarantee of a job, just a prerequisite. And of course most people can't just up and pay for college, so the debt load is a becomes part of that prerequisite.

So the requirement of debt for a chance, is probably a harbinger of a really, really shitty time.

(NOTE: please... no "but I am different in w.r.t. that stuff" posts... the terms "many", "significant portion", and "most" mean some aren't in that category, but that doesn't change the statistics).

Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#26

Post by youngerdryas »

ChrisLTD wrote: post #17
ef4 wrote: post #15

> Life is hard, and it’s most certainly unfair… perhaps more so for our generation that any previous. Absolutely absurd. You really think you have it worse than somebody born into slavery? Or worse than a medieval serf? A large fraction of humans alive right now would look on your lifestyle as extremely privileged. This kind of statement comes across as pitifully ignorant whining. You actually hurt the cause of fixin…

Yes, it should say "perhaps more so for our generation than the previous"

Not even that. The good old days are selective memory, it was not better 30 years ago. Period. We shouldn't concede to fantasy to make our own struggle seem more epic.

Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#27

Post by dkarl »

Millennium wrote: post #21
cbarnsdale wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You realize the article focuses on debt in regards to students and young people, right? Yeah, there's a bit of hyperbole, but I think my reference to "toughest... generation... evar..." makes sense in the context of "young people have it pretty shitty right now". Clearly you disagree, so fair enough. :)

At the same time, this type of hyperbole makes it way too easy to dismiss arguments like these as whiny and lacking perspective. It's rhetorically unsound, and it doesn't do its side much in the way of favors.

whiny and lacking perspective

Like everything else young people find persuasive? (That was whiny and hyperbolic, too, because young people like irony.)

Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#28

Post by maxerickson »

sophacles wrote: post #25
maxerickson wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Easy access to debt isn't really a harbinger of a really, really shitty time. If anything, the fact that the debt 'crisis' is global will end up making student loans easy(er) to repay (because inflation).

It's less the easy access to debt that's the problem, but the requirement of going into debt for a chance to not be in debt. For a very significant portion of people, they only chance at a decent job is college - there really aren't that many decent jobs available for the "no degree" people. Of course the degree isn't a guarantee of a job, just a prerequisite. And of course most people can't just up and pay for colle…

Yes, college is a poor, expensive employability filter.

Still, it hardly takes a $50,000 psychology degree (people just looking for a credential should be fine with a state school) to get a job in a high tech factory, a $10,000 or $15,000 technology certificate is a lot more sensible.

And I don't mean to argue that these choices are easy or that it is great that people face them, but going $150,000 into debt is not the only path out there.

Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#29

Post by firefoxman1 »

ef4 wrote: post #15

> Life is hard, and it’s most certainly unfair… perhaps more so for our generation that any previous. Absolutely absurd. You really think you have it worse than somebody born into slavery? Or worse than a medieval serf? A large fraction of humans alive right now would look on your lifestyle as extremely privileged. This kind of statement comes across as pitifully ignorant whining. You actually hurt the cause of fixin…

> You really think you have it worse than somebody born into slavery?

You really think we have it better than someone who owned a few dozen slaves, living leisurely on a huge plantation? History has treated some well, and some not so well.

Re: Young Money – Beating “The Man” by Spending Less

#30

Post by fr0sty »

firefoxman1 wrote: post #29
ef4 wrote: post #15

> Life is hard, and it’s most certainly unfair… perhaps more so for our generation that any previous. Absolutely absurd. You really think you have it worse than somebody born into slavery? Or worse than a medieval serf? A large fraction of humans alive right now would look on your lifestyle as extremely privileged. This kind of statement comes across as pitifully ignorant whining. You actually hurt the cause of fixin…

> You really think you have it worse than somebody born into slavery? You really think we have it better than someone who owned a few dozen slaves, living leisurely on a huge plantation? History has treated some well, and some not so well.

Absolutely yes.

Four reasons off the top of my head:

    1. Dentistry
    2. Antibiotics
    3. Indoor plumbing
    4. Central Air
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