Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds • Hacker News Board

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#71

Post by refurb » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:38 PM UTC

makerofspoons wrote: post #30

"Climate change, protecting the environment and natural disasters topped the list of most respondents on a personal level, but less than three in ten of both the Millennial and Gen Z cohorts cited it as a worry." This is surprising. As a Gen Z-er this highlights the kind of bubble I find myself in- my friend group is almost universally in a state of despair about the collapsing biosphere. Climate change and mass exti…

Climate change and mass extinction are the chief reasons I am pessimistic about my life.

Can you name another time in recent history where the end of the world wasn't near? WW1, Great Depression, WW2, Mutually Assured Destruction, Swine flu, AIDS, Cuban missile crisis, etc, etc.

The correct answer is it's always been this way and what we're going through right now isn't really all that new.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#72

Post by Miner49er » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:38 PM UTC

crooked-v wrote: post #43

xyzzyz wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A single mother working as a waitress at Denny's in the 1980's had more spending power than a college educated cubicle drone in 2019 Do you have any source to support this? Because real median personal[1] income went up almost 50% since then[2]. [1] — don't confuse it with real median household income, which didn't grow nearly as much, because of a significant rise in single-person households which pushes the median…

For some simple examples, inflation-adjusted home prices have gone up by a factor of 6 and inflation-adjusted education prices have gone up by a factor of 3 over the past few generations [1], while inflation-adjusted average wages have only gone up by $2/hour [2]. That single mom would have had a dramatically easier time providing housing and education for kids even with lower purchasing power for most consumer goods…

Another thing to note: Real GDP per capita has basically doubled since 1980, but that increase in wealth isn't being seen by the average person, as your data shows.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#73

Post by CryptoBanker » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:39 PM UTC

john_moscow wrote: post #49

makerofspoons wrote: post #30

"Climate change, protecting the environment and natural disasters topped the list of most respondents on a personal level, but less than three in ten of both the Millennial and Gen Z cohorts cited it as a worry." This is surprising. As a Gen Z-er this highlights the kind of bubble I find myself in- my friend group is almost universally in a state of despair about the collapsing biosphere. Climate change and mass exti…

Are you sure? Does the climate change affect your personal life more than inability to afford reasonable real estate or kid-related expenses off most today's salaries?

Some people are able to look past their own noses and think about other generations and what their descendents' lives might look like. That weighs heavily on some people

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#74

Post by salawat » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:39 PM UTC

rdiddly wrote: post #27

mettamage wrote: post #2

One thing I'm pessimistic about is this pigeonholing thing regarding to one's role in a job. I'm a programmer and therefore I can only program. Or so it seems. People don't take me seriously at entry level positions of: - Consultant - UX Designer - Data Scientist - Marketing (analytics) I wish people would at least interview me on it. They'd be surprised what I know and am able to do. One person made it obviously cle…

I would say just look for a job as a "programmer" then, but once you're hired, take every opportunity to a) learn and b) show off, skills in the other areas. Nobody really sticks strictly to their job description, do they? Maybe, but my idea is to be always stretching beyond it so they're eventually forced to update it, heh heh. Eventually you're "so good they can't ignore you" like Steve Martin said via Cal Newport.…

This is an economic anti-pattern.

Good for building up social capital and references, but a losing economic move as organizations have neither obligation nor incentive to pay you for what you're actually doing, just for what they've hired you for.

Speaking strictly from experience. Doing five different people's jobs, for the paycheck of one has gotten me a fair number of friends, and the companies I've worked at tons of value, but the contacts and neuroses I've picked up for doing so are the only countable windfalls.

Economically, I'm not much further ahead at all. The whole "raise by being hired somewhere else" meme seems to be most true representation of achievable wage growth in today's information economy.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#75

Post by yeahitslikethat » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:39 PM UTC

austincheney wrote: post #34

WhompingWindows wrote: post #9

Social media's ills, rising wealth and income inequality, rising sea levels, mass extinction event, crumbling roads, shit wages, corruption in government and industry, governments overwhelmingly filled with representatives of other generations with different priorities...there is a huge list of reasons to be pessimistic and they are constantly thrown in our faces online.

It’s really hard to take that seriously. If social media is causing you heartburn then back away from it or delete your accounts. I deleted my Facebook account nearly a decade ago and deleted my Reddit account last year. Nobody is forcing you to be a drug addict slave of online media. Some of your list looks like entitled anxiety desperately in search of sympathy. For example you mention rising sea levels. Do you own…

That's like saying if heroin is causing you pain then just back away from it.

Rising sea levels will kill and or displace millions of people. That's heartbreaking for those who care.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#76

Post by dgabriel » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:39 PM UTC

9HZZRfNlpR wrote: post #65

syn0byte wrote: post #15

A single mother working as a waitress at Denny's in the 1980's had more spending power than a college educated cubicle drone in 2019; Let's talk about how is social media's fault! Twice in the last 20 years - more than any other time in US history combined - The Presidential election went to the candidate that LOST the popular vote; These generations just lack a proper understanding of civics! The beatings will conti…

People's homes were much less luxurious, as their lifestyle. A lot of the things we take for granted the people at the time they only dreamed about.

In the last 6 years, my rent has gone up by about 800/mo. It's the same apartment.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#77

Post by Miner49er » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:39 PM UTC

schintan wrote: post #51

crooked-v wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For some simple examples, inflation-adjusted home prices have gone up by a factor of 6 and inflation-adjusted education prices have gone up by a factor of 3 over the past few generations [1], while inflation-adjusted average wages have only gone up by $2/hour [2]. That single mom would have had a dramatically easier time providing housing and education for kids even with lower purchasing power for most consumer goods…

many of the problems in this world can be explained by one thing : too many people.

No, GDP per capita has doubled since the 80s. We have more wealth per person then ever in history. The problem is wealth distribution.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#78

Post by AngryData » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:39 PM UTC

atemerev wrote: post #23

izzydata wrote: post #7

I'm surprised that half of people would believe businesses are making a positive impact on the world.

Unless you live in North Korea (and perhaps even there), everything that your life depends on is brought by businesses.

But benefiting me personally doesn't mean I would agree that it benefits or is a positive influence on the world. Coal power benefits me, but it is still negative on a larger scale.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#79

Post by gizmo686 » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:39 PM UTC

schintan wrote: post #51

crooked-v wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For some simple examples, inflation-adjusted home prices have gone up by a factor of 6 and inflation-adjusted education prices have gone up by a factor of 3 over the past few generations [1], while inflation-adjusted average wages have only gone up by $2/hour [2]. That single mom would have had a dramatically easier time providing housing and education for kids even with lower purchasing power for most consumer goods…

many of the problems in this world can be explained by one thing : too many people.

Except our per capita productivity has gone up, and we are not facing any fundamental shortages.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#80

Post by refurb » Mon, May 20, 2019, 7:40 PM UTC

rubicon33 wrote: post #38

My wife and I are not having kids. If you could sum it up into one short explanation as to why: My wife and I don't believe that the future is going to be a better place. Chief among the reasons are wealth inequality and buying power. If I can barely afford to buy a house now with a great job, I shudder to think what my kids would be faced with.

There is an XKCD for that: https://xkcd.com/605/

The answer is that just because something is happening, doesn't mean it's going to keep happening forever.