Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Is a Welcome Center a good idea? Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Police looking for possible additional victims in Ashland rape cases Bee college takes to the air Police Reports Education Bee college takes to the air Grizzlies shine at Eugene speech tourney Ashland High School named among best in the state High school Student of the Month: Jackson Richmond Senior party fundraising starts Environment The birdman of Bellview Controlled burn planned for Ashland watershed on Friday Mt. Ashland Ski Area celebrates snow GMO opponents can join Jackson County in defending ban Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Audi R8 Locally grown businesses bid for micro-investor attention Ride & Drive: 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Seed donation helps grow SOU program Local home brewing scene continues to ferment Politics and elections Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out today Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Gov. Kitzhaber steps down, federal investigation begins Successor Kate Brown must run for election in 2016 Sadness, relief greet Kitzhaber resignation locally State News Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Federal investigation of Kitzhaber to focus on potential financial crimes Gov. Kitzhaber announces resignation Read Gov. John Kitzhaber's statement on his resignation Legislative leaders join in call for Kitzhaber resignation (updated) Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Death Notices Rita Launa Stitt Rev. James Gillmore Leovy Death Notices Mary Ann (Schuler) Hill Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society This $1 million Mercedes is like an armored private jet for the road Sports Latest Stories Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Blazers overcome Westbrook's triple-double, rally past Thunder Roles reversed for SOU-OIT matchup Norvell goes from newbie to state favorite Raiders survive High school Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Norvell goes from newbie to state favorite Grizz boys fend off Eagles, earn second straight win Malcolm's big night powers Ashland past N. Eugene Grizzlies suffer another tough loss; SOU softball team sweeps BC Southern Oregon University Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Roles reversed for SOU-OIT matchup Raiders survive Raiders roll into CCC semis A man among boys Voices Latest Stories Herb Rothschild: What to do about ISIS? Granlund cartoon: Leonard Nimoy dies Our View: A growing concern Jeffrey Gillespie: Generation Y and the baby boomers Our View: A change of scenery Editorial Our View: A growing concern Our View: A change of scenery Our View: Pot tax fairness Our View: Cellular dissonance Our View: Keep pot programs separate Letters Letters to the Editor, Feb. 25 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 24 Feb. 20: Letters at length Feb. 18: Letters to the editor Letters to the Editor, Feb. 14 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Growth carries risks Guest Opinion: Legal poisons in our waters Chris Honoré: Public schools: separate, still unequal Guest Opinion: Why so anxious to tax marijuana? Herb Rothschild Jr.: A good day for peace Columns Herb Rothschild: What to do about ISIS? Jeffrey Gillespie: Generation Y and the baby boomers Changes in latitude Michelle Teheux: Will we keep heading down the wrong path? Guest Opinion: Growth carries risks Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Writers, submit HAPA plays the Historic Ashland Armory Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas SOU presents 'She Stoops to Conquer' 'Mr. Turner' paints an intense portrait Theater SOU presents 'She Stoops to Conquer' Ticket Availability SOU's 'The Glass Menagerie' is memory — and memorable Ticket Availability Joyous re-launch of 'Dames at Sea' Music Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Victor D. Infante: Just in time for Valentine’s Day, some favorite breakup songs The Farr Side: Smith dominates, Beck surprises at Grammys Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘Lazarus Effect’ should have been buried Movie review: Don’t ‘Focus’ on the problems and you’ll enjoy this Neill Blomkamp discusses his new film, ‘Chappie’ Quick Flicks: ‘Jupiter Ascending,’ ‘50 Shades of Grey’ Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Food and Drink Sammich does it Chicago-style Where do Ashland’s top chefs go to dine? Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Mourning a teacher, treasuring the threads he wove Community Blog: You Are IT Ride & Drive: 2015 Audi R8 Health Watch: Sticking to your health plan when your family isn’t helping Joanna McQuillan Weeks: Cheeseburger pie is the perfect winter comfort food Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Herb Rothschild: What to do about ISIS? ... Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series ... Police looking for possible additional victims in Ashland rape cases ... Herb Rothschild: What to do about ISIS? ... Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series ... Police looking for possible additional victims in Ashland rape cases ... COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: Generation Y and the baby boomers DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Feb. 27, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Feb. 27, 2015 @ 12:01 am What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this topic? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter or ema... » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this topic? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter or email [email protected] . » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Generation Y, the unfortunate group of young people who are coming of age in a post-Great Recession world, have a lot to deal with. They are massively unemployed. The lucky few who are underemployed, in many cases at McJobs in the service industry, work for low wages and tips. Add to that the crushing burden of the student loan debt in this country (which is currently tipping the scales at a massive $1.2 trillion) and you have some idea of how hard it is for millennials to make their way in the world. Then you have the boomers. The most financially successful generation in the history of America, they were entering their professional prime just as Ronald Reagan famously "set the bull loose" on Wall Street in 1985, implementing massive free market deregulation that benefited them, with minimal downturn, until 2008. Even if you include the recent brutal recession, the Dow Jones Industrial Average grew by over 1,400 percent between 1985 and today. The boomer epoch came of age at Woodstock. The culture that surfaced earnestly set its sights on overturning the traditional trappings of the 1950s, with the boomers making a name for themselves as a new kind of American. But time passed, and the revolutionaries grew older. They turned self-righteous. The compulsion to learn more about an alternative lifestyle was replaced by a burning desire to participate in an economy that was so good, almost anyone could put their head down and end up doing well. And since boomers lived in a more regulated economy while they were in college, they generally had the advantage of being able to pay for a college education, in full and without assuming debt, using only the income from a part-time job. As is in regular evidence in most cities and towns in America, it's not enough for boomers to be financially dominant. Many of them also suffer from affluenza. The word is a portmanteau of "affluence" and "influenza," used to describe the state of self-important sedation in which many materially successful people typically live. As a generation, the boomers suffer from this malady in spades. These days, across the country, MBA and MFA millennials, long out of college, work behind the counter at your local coffee shop, being talked down to by their older customers. The unspoken message from the boomer clientele goes something like this: "We broke the economy and stole all the money; now we're going to be snooty about our latte and ruin your day. And since you'll be underemployed for another five years (if you're lucky), you'll just have to get used to our clueless and patronizing behavior." In response, millennials are slowly creating their own reality, a dream unencumbered by the need for a consumer lifestyle. They know the truth; the world of large overheads and disposable incomes is only a continuing reality for their parents generation, and perhaps for a few lucky peers with a trust fund. The looted economy of the late-boomer era is giving way to a neo-alternative, cooperative dynamic that has all the earmarks of the failed experiments of the 1960s and 1970s. Collaboration. Innovation. A rejection of traditional material pursuits. A sense of purpose based on the desire to create real, lasting change so that people will no longer feel trapped. And a deep understanding that the secret to a good and sustainable life may be more about true connection and reduced expenses than it is about having the latest car or the biggest house on the block. In the end, the potential Gen Y outcome is a positive one. The irony of the boomers selling out and creating this crisis is that millennials are now forced to find alternatives to the traditional model; alternatives that may ultimately create the kind of freedom that will break barriers and change the world — for real, this time. Jeffrey Gillespie's writing has appeared in the Santa Fean and Art Collector magazines, the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week. He lives in Ashland. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Feb. 27, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501