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0 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 New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Police Reports Schneider Art Museum installation re-imagines Rivera UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit 10 things to know for Friday Education New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Snow hopes dashed, Mt. Ashland Ski Area hosts season-ending party Saturday Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Test Drive: 2015 Honda Accord Cars We Remember: The original Candymatic Ramchargers Politics and elections Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Death Notices Alicia Applegate Hardy Death Notices Rosalind Dee Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Ashland Rowing Club hires highly touted coach and national-award winning team director to lead expansion Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Blazers fight back, edge Jazz Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory High school Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Southern Oregon University Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Voices Latest Stories Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Letters to the Editor, March 27 Editorial Our View: Build it; they will play Our View: How it should work Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Top 5 things to do this week Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Ticket Availability The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Music Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: In ‘Danny Collins,’ Pacino helps us imagine a Lennon story Noah Baumbach talks Ben Stiller, adult comedies and more In 'Timbuktu,' lust for power disturbs peace Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque App Finder: Best barbecue apps Health Watch: It’s OK to have a cheat day Inner Peace: The good, the bad and the spiritual Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: Generation Y and the baby boomers Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Feb. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Feb. 27, 2015 at 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 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. 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