Failure to Launch: Privilege and Real Struggles of the 20-Somethings

~ Laura

Photo by Damian Zaleski on Unsplash

As a volunteer for the Saturday morning Beginners’ Running Group, my job is to latch onto one of the beginners and distract them from the pain of running. It’s good for me, because I was a sucky runner this winter and need the slow pace of the beginners to get back in shape. And I talk with one new random person every week. 

Last week, I talked with a lovely woman in her late 20s. The law firm, where she works doing corporate events, had recently transferred her to their New York City offices from Philadelphia. She explained that she only found this job after a long hunt. She had to spam the Internet job engines with hundreds of resumes per day until a company finally called her for an interview. 1000 resumes might equal one interview. 

Yes, there are many young people who living their best lives with high paying jobs and standing online for an hour to get an Influencer-approved donut. A handful are already married. But mostly, I talk with young people who are struggling. 

Some young adults struggle because they don’t have the right pedigree to provide them with a swift ramp to work, like my running friend. Others struggle because they don’t like the jobs that are available. Some never got over the Covid crisis. Addicted to their vapes and TikTok, their lives are deeply unhealthy. I have to wonder if college protests and encampments with their incoherent demands are more a reflection of their low level of misery than any real political statements.

Read more at Apt. 11D, the newsletter

Published by Laura

6 thoughts on “Failure to Launch: Privilege and Real Struggles of the 20-Somethings”

  1. “I have to wonder if college protests and encampments with their incoherent demands are more a reflection of their low level of misery than any real political statements.” Let me add in – wanting to show off to their friends. Both can be true! 

    I remember Miss Jean Brodie sending Mary off to fight in Spain – to the Franco side! Incoherence, yes.

    Dave

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  2. I came to warn you not to start off your morning with the ProPublica article – very depressing, so put yourself on the clock first!  But will pause to mention a couple things about the student protesters.

    On some campuses the focus of protests has turned to transparency about US and college/univ foundation investments in Israel. In terms of aid the US govt provides to other countries: Ukraine and Israel are #1 and #2 for 2022, at $12.4 trillion and $3.3 trillion – for Israel it looks like this is all military aid (https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/countries-that-receive-the-most-foreign-aid-from-the-u-s). (Third is Ethiopia with $2.3 trillion – I never would have guessed this.) Hamas’ actions were horrific and they are to blame, but does this mean that Israel should just keep bombing forever? Will we hit a point where even the strongest Israel supporters say, this is too many civilian deaths? How do the laws of war get applied in a situation like this? (The Biden admin seems to be trying to navigate these questions too.) I don’t know how this is going to end, and I don’t know if divestment is a realistic option or a reduction in US govt military funding is the right move, but these are neither incoherent nor utopian ideas. 

    “They say they care about dead Palestinian children, but didn’t protest when Israeli children were killed last October. They didn’t protest when Russia abducted Ukrainian children.” Well, that’s just total BS. Of course they care. Look at the pictures and read the stories and you’d have to have a heart of stone not to care. It doesn’t mean they have the right solution or aren’t naive, but the US is supporting Israel’s military, famine and disease are hitting the most vulnerable, and it’s reasonable to question whether US support should have limits. 

    (You don’t “protest” a terrorist act and hostage-taking by a terrorist organization the US already opposes, and there were plenty of pro-Ukraine demonstrations on campuses – even ours, where there are no protests now at all. Demonstrators at one college that has supported exchange students from Ukraine are now calling for a parallel program for Palestinian students.)

    Condemning antisemitism remains extremely important. Keeping the demonstrations peaceful is extremely important. But campuses should be able to do that without arresting peaceful anti-war protesters (and most have figured out ways to have graduations while still doing this). 

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  3. Of course, there are some serious issues regarding the war in Gaza. Hamas are disgusting terrorists, who are still raping their female hostages. I understand the urge to keep fighting until they’re found. But when should Israel stop and give up those poor people as dead? I’m not sure. It’s definitely an issue that should be discussed with no easy answers, but I’m just talking about the student protestors right now.

    Should students be allowed to peacefully protest? yes

    Should students be allowed to shout slurs towards fellow Jewish students, call for the eradication of Israel, tell Jews to go back to Poland, and make up lies about Oct. 7th? no

    Should students, along with randos from the outside, be allowed to pitch tents on the campus, making it difficult for other students to get to class? No. I couldn’t pitch a tent in my downtown park and hang out for a week, so why should these students/nonstudents have camping privileges? But it makes sense for administrators to try to deescalate the situation.

    Should students storm campus buildings and break things and bar other people from entering? no

    Should students be arrested and expelled for hate speech, destruction of property, and more? Yes. Students are adults. if they break laws, they should accept the consequences.

    Is the media exaggerating the acts of a handful of students? Maybe. Jonah said he didn’t see anything at Rutgers last week, even though the news was reporting on it. He said that 99% of students just want to take their exams, drink beer, and go to graduation.

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