NYT Magazine: 'What is it about 20-somethings?'

And someone always has an iPhone.

 

No wonder I have so much internal confusion. I went to a community college and then an overpriced private school. I'm not sure which stereotype I'm supposed to fit into.

 

These kids have the most affluent parents in history.
And their parents are delighted not to let go.
I never had overt pressure to get a job immediately after school. It wasn't stated. It was just expected, like it was expected that I would go to college. It amazes me to see this develop.
And this trend is true. It's happening all over America.

 

It not only sounds elitist, it is elitist. And it's bullcrap.

 

I have trouble telling the difference between elitism and meritocracy.

 

No, it's not. It's a numbers game. I'm more likely to find a top-notch, smart worker at an elite college or university than I am at an unknown juco or satellite campus.

That being said, you've still got to be on the lookout for the diamond in the rough.

But the idea that the average juco type is a better hire than the average elite liberal arts school type? Ludicrous.

 

We will agree on one thing, however. I thought, too, that I was simply expected to graduate with a job. I graduated on a Saturday, began work on Monday. I just thought that's how it was supposed to be.

 

Dick --you are saying "average juco type," but that's not what I or anyone else is talking about.

You're the one who posted the article as "interesting." Did you make it all the way through? Because the second half of the article basically makes my point for me.

While the complaints of these young people are heartfelt, they are also the complaints of the privileged. Julie, a 23-year-old New Yorker and contributor to “20 Something Manifesto,” is apparently aware of this. (Page 7)

This dependence on Mom and Dad also means that during the 20s the rift between rich and poor becomes entrenched. (Page 8)

“Agency” is a tricky concept when parents are paying the full cost of Yellowbrick’s comprehensive residential program, which comes to $21,000 a month and is not always covered by insurance. Staff members are aware of the paradox of encouraging a child to separate from Mommy and Daddy when it’s on their dime. (Page 9)

Even the example used to show that this "emerging adulthood" happens across all economic lines is dubious. The reason the young woman hasn't broken away from her family is that she is working to support them, not vice versa.

 

I did, I did.

I know it happens.

But I just recoil when I see a thread threaten to turn into naked classism.

 

I'm pretty sure my first point was that the ability and willingness of the parents to pay for this "emerging adulthood" was the key factor in the young adults going through it. As it so happens, that's an enormous chunk of the article, and it's the central reason the psychologist's colleague debunks the idea that this should be recognized as a developmental stage.

How is that naked classism?

 

Because you immediately played the Eastern elite schools card.

 

I found it a useful corollary -- at a school that purports to cost $160,000, the average student graduates with $11,000 debt. I find it illustrative of the point, because I know my student debt upon graduation was a pretty damn big motivator to me getting my ass out and finding a job. But you could find other ways to make the same point, including the part in the article about how wealthy kids are better able to take those prestigious but unpaid internships.