You've probably seen this overly
simplistic analysis of Lucy the Gen-Y stick figure. It sounds great. The Gen-Y kids bought into a lie that they were special. They grew overly idealistic and now they can't get jobs. They're just a bunch of narcissistic brats hoping for unicorns. It's a story that sticks for a few reasons. First, it's an attack on young people who tend to be idealistic. I'm pretty sure the Boomers were accused of the same thing during the Flower Power days. I'm pretty sure that the original Lucy - the one in the sky with diamonds - had some overly idealistic solutions for fixing our world. And I vividly remember the Gen-X-ers being accused of idealism and selfishness as well. However, in the case of Generation Y, the criticism is even more unwarranted. My parents grew up in an era where college was affordable. There were manufacturing jobs that were steady, with a rising middle class. One income was often enough. My dad could pay for most of college by working a near minimum wage job. It wasn't a perfect time, especially given the way minorities were treated. However, economically, it was possible to make it. How about we rethink Lucy's experience? Lucy's grandparents grew up in an era with affordable college, in an era where one income could suffice. Lucy's parents had secure manufacturing jobs that went away. Lucy isn't entitled. She just wants to pay off her crushing student loan debt. Her hopes have been smashed, not because she bought into a "you're special" mindset, but because the last generation crashed the economy and she was left with the wreckage. Go ahead and call them unicorn dreams, but she would like to afford health care and make enough to sock away some money into a retirement plan. She's struggling to pay for her soaring college debt. And she's walking into the most unstable job market in centuries. Lucy isn't an overly idealistic spoiled brat. She's a scared woman stepping into a situation that her parents and grandparents didn't have to face. Give her a break. Lucy is facing something other generations haven't faced in America: a declining economy wrecked by the first generation that didn't improve the things for the next one in line. If she sounds hurt or entitled or angry, it's probably because she'd like a job and some health care so she can pay off the college debt.
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