Or you could go outside and burn calories by struggling to breathe while a bully sat on you.

That aside, I was fully on board with the 80s movie theme of realizing that 80-hour corporate jobs were BS, and I still think that such jobs are BS. (It wasn’t a new idea then, either. The Haymarket protestors in 1886 chanted “8 hours for work, 8 hours for sleep, and 8 hours for what we will!”)

But the thing is, it’s difficult to even get a job in a craft these days. I’ve got friends who would love to be master plumbers, except the economic and institutional union walls make it hard to get in, slanted heavily in favor of Boomers, and hard to find work (I think by now we can agree that new construction is not the way out of the recession). I’ve got friends with JDs who can’t get hired as vacuum salesmen, because they’re “overqualified.” I see the jobs they would be qualified for being offered only to those with 7+ years experience, and at entry-level pay.

I think what’s really going on is that the Boomers have not just continued to hold power, but have used that power in self-seeking and shortsighted ways.

I get grumpy when people paint Gen Y with all this “entitled” talk, and you’re right that the younger generation is what they were raised to be (in my mind, that’s things like proactive, involved, and enthusiastic). In many ways “entitled” and “spoiled” are labels that show up when a Gen Y is being told she isn’t yet old enough to help out in a meaningful way–which sort of plays against the whole “Gen Y won’t grow up” angle. I think that Gen Y would mostly love to move out and have a solid 9-5, buy a condo and all that (and then quickly fill their extracurriculars back out with sports, hobbies and volunteering, as they always have), but not being able to get a 9-5 that will cover the cost of living keeps kids at home.

It’s a generation that isn’t seeking acknowledgement so much as it’s seeking to be allowed to make a difference, and constantly told that they’re not eligible because they’re not old or rich enough.

I love this post. I temped a LOT in grad school, and loved the hacks that my predecessors in various places had come up with. The beginnings and endings of assignments were often genuinely pleasurable, when I got to trade hacks with fellow temps, some much more experienced than I, some much less. Those hacks have proven to be invaluable many times and in many contexts.

What’s funny, is that I see the same “give him a break” tendency when I try to read the tea-leaves. The perception of presidents have more to do with symbols than with what is/was accomplished.

For instance, Reagan is (generally) beloved, yet he played a large role in this deficit mess. Republicans/tea-partiers love him, in spite of his having opinions that couldn’t get him elected today. Democrats of the time demonized him, yet – if they thought about it – they’d trade their firstborn for a Republican president as interested in fair-dealing.

So, I shrug and continue to marvel at my nation. I’m not sure it’s comforting, or anything…

Thanks for offering your thoughts, though. It was fun to revisit the post and consider the future with you.