Courtesy of Time Magazine from 1990
Do you remember being called a “slacker?” Maybe no one used this term to describe you personally, but if you are a GenXer, I’m sure someone said this in reference to one of your friends, roomies, co-workers or classmates.
I’ve noticed a number of reports popping up about the current generation of 20-somethings, and so many of the complaints are identical to the ones made about us 20 years ago. Young adults are returning to their parents’ homes to live. The 20-somethings, pampered and coddled as children, and unprepared for life. This new generation doesn’t have the same work ethic as the previous — they want everything without having to earn it.
A recent post in the New York Times blog Motherlode from a 20-something sets us straight. These comments cannot be applied to everyone in her generation. And, I’ll take that a step further… these comments can be applied to any generation.
Twenty years ago, GenXers frequently were cast as a woeful lot. Kids who should be adults doing things like living in mom’s basement apartment, taking a lower paying day job because it freed up time to play in a band at night and squandering a bachelor’s degree on a job at a gas station in order to escape Midwestern winters. Two decades later, where are these people now? Of the three referenced here, two are successful entrepreneurs and the other has advanced significantly in her chosen career. I know many other stories of humble and questionable young adult beginnings. From what I can see, how one chooses to spend their years before 30 has less to do with their success afterwards than we sometimes fear.
My guess is that similar comments were made about Baby Boomers in the late-60s and early-70s, kids who spent their time partying and protesting the war when they should have been working in responsible jobs with respectable haircuts. A walk through The Haight in San Francisco echoes of young adults who eventually moved on and out, creating lives that measure up to the standards of adulthood that we use to judge the generation behind us.
Based on what I’ve seen as a middle-age GenXer, I’m not too concerned about this “entitled” generation. I worry about plenty of other things in our future, but very little of it has to do with a minority of people who will probably make it okay in the end.
GenXatmidlife 
I agree. It all depends on what side you are standing on in terms of where you are in life and what your priorities (paying a mortgage, worrying about kids/schools/college, etc) vs. getting a job, meeting a partner, etc.
Thank you for publishing this. As a Gen Y recent grad baffled by the economy and job prospects post-college, I needed this. I’m relieved to hear that you’re not supposed to have it all figured out in your early 20’s. There’s still time.
Your title says it all. I think this is just part of the rhythm of life: pointing fingers and complaining about how ‘easy’ the generation that follows you has it—we all do it at times. But in the end, civilization doesn’t appear to be unraveling because some folks got off to a slow start. Great post!