Our recent article entitled “A Record Number Of Young Americans Are Unemployed – Are They Just Lazy Or Are There Simply No Jobs Available?” has generated some absolutely outstanding comments. We have held back on publishing the best of those comments until now because we wanted to feature them all in one place. The truth is that this economic downturn is having a disproportionate impact on young Americans. So why is this? Well, that is what we want to explore. In today’s economic climate, it can be very difficult to get that first job. In fact, in some areas of the U.S. today it is close to impossible to get a great job even if you have tons of experience. But there are some young Americans who are making it out there and who are doing very well despite what the economy is doing.

Certainly when you talk about any very large group of people there are going to be exceptions. There are some young adults in America today who are absolutely shining examples of what it means to be a hard working American. But are they the exceptions or are they the rule?

Some would argue that we have raised a generation that is spoiled, lazy and who expect everything in life to just be handed to them. Of course one could very easily say that is now true of the American people in general.

The American people have had it so good for so long that most of them have no conception of what it means to suffer. This is especially true of our young people unfortunately. But now hard times are coming.

Will our young people be able to make it?

Will we be able to make it?

The following are four excellent comments that were left by readers of this website. They all make excellent points and they all touched us on an emotional level. Especially Brian’s story. Never give up Brian.

After reading the comments below, we encourage you to add your own comments at the end of the article. Do you think that Americans (especially young Americans) are going to be able to make it through the tough times that are ahead, or are we in really, really big trouble?

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Annie:

I can definitely see many people having temper tantrums. I see it on a small scale now.

I managed a retail establishment last year that is seasonal. All of the employees that the owner hired that were under 40 I had to fire. The first half were lazy obsessively texting internet surfing junkies or illegal aliens I had to fire. Oh boy did they think I was a bitch, but I got the job done, on time and under budget.

The 2 best employees I had was a 40 year old white man and a 65 year old Columbia woman. The man was a class A employee. He made slightly over minimum wage but he was grateful to have a job. Worked anytime I asked him. If I were to call him, he’d be on the next bus to show up for work. Wanted to work, needed to work. Stellar employee. Anytime I get a call in regard to a reference to him, I gave him high accolades.

The Columbian woman, same thing. Showed up on time, dressed professional, spoke professionally on the phone and interact with the customers like a class act.

The Nintendo generation (boy that’s a good one) is full of lazy, obese, low IQ brain dead people. There are few good young people out there, but they are far and few between. When I go to a retail store, I purposely try to pick a register that has a baby boomer working it. If I happen to get a younger man/woman, it’s a joke. They rarely make eye contact and mumble intelligible. I leave the register and don’t even know what they said.

Just to screw with them sometimes I mumble something stupid like I’m being beamed up to Mars after I leave here to see if they’re really paying attention.

The entitlement mentality is the worst. All of these kids want a $100K job or something close. Those days are over unless you get a cushy government job. I’ve been in and out of work for the last 3 years. It’s been rough for me. I’ve worked minimum wage jobs, scavenged for cans and bottles to sell for money, held garage sales, etc…to put food on the table. Many people would think they’re too good to do what I do.

Recent College Graduate:

I recently graduated with a BBA in finance from prestigious university. I wanted to comment of this article because I can completely identify with the subject, in fact, when I saw the picture I laughed to myself and was like that’s me, kinda sad huh. I now live with parents and have no intention of looking for a job. I have been highly motivated my entire life and was well on my way to getting a job in a hedge fund or private equity firm within the oil and gas industry. However a couple months before graduation, something snapped and I became very depressed and lost almost all motivation. I think its because I really woke up the the reality that the the path that the US is on economically speaking is unsustainable. I don’t feel like there is any money to be made anymore. Of course in the short term I could be making about $75,000 a year (typical starting pay for classmates of mine), however I don’t see a point. The dollar will most likely be gone in the next two years and honestly we are on the verge of social and political chaos…I think the best use of my time presently is to prepare myself and get my family prepared for what lies ahead. So from the horses mouth so to speak, as a 22 year old college graduate, that is my opinion.

Brand:

Many recent college grads move back home for two reasons.

First, the education system has become absolutely addicted to debt. Look at the cost of tuition over the last three decades, and then look at the number of loans issued by Sallie Mae. As soon as demand went through the roof, the universities started doubling and tripling tuition rates, while offering in-house consultation on how to maximize student loans. Twenty years ago, most college students didn’t graduate $40-60,000 in the debt.

Second, it’s a tough job market. If you’ve got a tuition payment to make, and you can’t get a job, then it’s reasonable to move back in with mom and dad for a while. That’s what family is for. They have every right to expect you to pull your weight, including doing chores and getting a part-time job to help pay for food and utilities. Of course, when mom and dad get old, they have the right to live at *your* place for a while, at least until they require permanent care.

I don’t dispute that there are a lot of lazy punks out there. I also happen to think that kids go $40-60,000 into debt while majoring in dead-end subjects that offer no chance of repaying their loans. But there are also plenty of responsible young people who get stuck between a rock and a hard place, and there’s nothing wrong with taking a little family help as long as it’s appreciated and repaid in kind.

Just my two cents.

Brian:

I am 31 year old male, but everyone says I look 17-20. I had a son at 18 and never had the money to go to an expensive college to get a degree and got turned down for a federal grant/loan, but I did save and go to community college for paramedic. The above article really bothered me because for years I have been put down by older adults, Friend of court, and places I applied to for work for taking care of my grandparents who have been married almost 60 years, and my mother who has MS. My grandmother has never had a license and my grandfather has had emphysema for 20 years and is on oxygen, and my mother uses a wheel chair or a walker on her good days. (the bad are spent crying in pain in bed, sleeping, or bed ridden for days, sometimes weeks at a time.) FOC says I don’t send enough directly to her and taking care of my family is not a “real” job since I do not pay federal tax’s or get paid a weekly check they can commandeer(that’s a whole other story, I guess they didn’t get the memo that woman are to pass men as family “breadwinners” this year or next.), other older adults say I need to look out for myself and get a real job, and the jobs I do apply for,(to work nights or part time) also say it is not a job and therefore I have a huge employment gap on my resume. I have lived on and off between my grandparents and mothers in Michigan my whole life. I stayed with grandparents because my mom waitress-ed full time at night when I was younger.I do not care what they say, I love my family and will help them no matter what, until they pass or they can afford a home nurse. On the nights and weekends that I don’t have my son, I sit home and reading and learning programming and web design. I am willing to work hard anywhere for any (legal) pay. Everyone complains about everyone else and thinks it is so easy to get a job until it happens to them. I glad I don’t care about money and I do not have anything worth anything, so it can’t be taken away. Maybe all the people who were doing the complaining on the board up there should give me and people like me a chance. We might just be the most kind, loyal, hard working person you ever had working with or for. I just would like to let you know, Not being able to financially support myself makes me feel like a loser and maybe I am just a burden on my family and it would be better of if I just”went away”. If it would not hurt my son and family so much, I would be gone.