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A generation blind to our prosperity.

“WE HAVE A PROBLEM: This is a well written and thought out article written by a 26 yr old college student by the name of Alyssa Ahlgren, who's in grad school for her MBA. What a GREAT perspecitve...

My Generation Is Blind to the Prosperity Around Us!
I'm sitting in a small coffee shop near Nokomis (Florida) trying to think of what to write about. I scroll through my newsfeed on my phone looking at the latest headlines of presidential candidates calling for policies to "fix" the so-called injustices of capitalism. I put my phone down and continue to look around.

I see people talking freely, working on their MacBook's, ordering food they get in an instant, seeing cars go by outside, and it dawned on me. We live in the most privileged time in the most prosperous nation and we've become completely blind to it.

Vehicles, food, technology, freedom to associate with whom we choose.These things are so ingrained in our American way of life we don't give them a second thought.

We are so well off here in the United States that our poverty line begins 31 times above the global average. Thirty One Times!!!

Virtually no one in the United States is considered poor by global standards. Yet, in a time where we can order a product off Amazon with one click and have it at our doorstep the next day, we are unappreciative, unsatisfied, and ungrateful. ??

Our unappreciation is evident as the popularity of socialist policies among my generation continues to grow. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said to Newsweek talking about the millennial generation, "An entire generation, which is now becoming one of the largest electorates in America, came of age and never saw American prosperity."

Never saw American prosperity! Let that sink in.

When I first read that statement, I thought to myself, that was quite literally the most entitled and factually illiterate thing I've ever heard in my 26 years on this earth. Many young people agree with her, which is entirely misguided.

My generation is being indoctrinated by a mainstream narrative to actually believe we have never seen prosperity. I know this first hand, I went to college, let's just say I didn't have the popular opinion, but I digress.

Why then, with all of the overwhelming evidence around us, evidence that I can even see sitting at a coffee shop, do we not view this as prosperity? We have people who are dying to get into our country.

People around the world destitute and truly impoverished. Yet, we have a young generation convinced they've never seen prosperity, and as a result, we elect some politicians who are dead set on taking steps towards abolishing capitalism.

Why? The answer is this,?? my generation has only seen prosperity. We have no contrast. We didn't live in the great depression, or live through two world wars, the Korean War, The Vietnam War or we didn't see the rise and fall of socialism and communism.

We don't know what it's like to live without the internet, without cars, without smartphones. We don't have a lack of prosperity problem. We have an entitlement problem, an ungratefulness problem, and it's spreading like a plague." #pleaseshare”

Link?

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Sat Sep 05, 2020 11:03 pm Link?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/fee.org/ar ... und-us/amp

We don't have a lack of prosperity problem. We have an entitlement problem, an ungratefulness problem, and it's spreading like a plague."

Ain't that the truth!

Macbooks and starbucks (ordered an the phone) are 1st world problems. Being offered a hoe, in a hot, dusty, rocky dirt field and 12 hrs work for a few bites of crappy rancid food is what they need to see before voting.

Vol Texan wrote: ↑Sun Sep 06, 2020 12:37 am

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Sat Sep 05, 2020 11:03 pm Link?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/fee.org/ar ... und-us/amp

Thanks!

Indeed. Excellent essay; I've had many of those same thoughts myself. I remember back in high school, we'd all pile into a car and drive across town to listen to somebody's new 45 rpm record, and getting a new LP was a major event. Now kids have 500 songs on their ipods or phones and whine about it not being enough. I remember when Mom would spend a Sunday afternoon making a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch, and store them delicately in the cookie jar (remember those?) that was guarded like Fort Knox. Now you just buy a package of artificially-flavored crap squirted out of a machine. I'll never forget when we first got cable TV. *THIRTEEN* channels!!!! Now we have 200 channels and it's not enough. Remember what a THRILL it was to turn the crank on the ice cream maker and eventually get some.... (drum roll)... ice cream???!!!!

And of course I'm not going to talk about social media. I recently read of one high school girl whining that if she posted something on Instagram and didn't get a response within 30 minutes, she "starts getting depressed."

Too much of everything. And of course, the more you have of something, the less you appreciate it. Every person under 30 in this country should be required to read this essay 100 times. Doubt if they'd make it through the whole thing, though, it'd be too booorrrriiiinnnnnnnnnnngg.

Ruark wrote: ↑Sun Sep 06, 2020 10:44 am Indeed. Excellent essay; I've had many of those same thoughts myself. I remember back in high school, we'd all pile into a car and drive across town to listen to somebody's new 45 rpm record, and getting a new LP was a major event. Now kids have 500 songs on their ipods or phones and whine about it not being enough. I remember when Mom would spend a Sunday afternoon making a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch, and store them delicately in the cookie jar (remember those?) that was guarded like Fort Knox. Now you just buy a package of artificially-flavored crap squirted out of a machine. I'll never forget when we first got cable TV. *THIRTEEN* channels!!!! Now we have 200 channels and it's not enough. Remember what a THRILL it was to turn the crank on the ice cream maker and eventually get some.... (drum roll)... ice cream???!!!!

And of course I'm not going to talk about social media. I recently read of one high school girl whining that if she posted something on Instagram and didn't get a response within 30 minutes, she "starts getting depressed."

Too much of everything. And of course, the more you have of something, the less you appreciate it. Every person under 30 in this country should be required to read this essay 100 times. Doubt if they'd make it through the whole thing, though, it'd be too booorrrriiiinnnnnnnnnnngg.

Do you think they would even notice this gem of a line? ".... we didn't see the rise and fall of socialism and communism."

Daddio-on-patio wrote: ↑Sun Sep 06, 2020 10:55 am

Ruark wrote: ↑Sun Sep 06, 2020 10:44 am Indeed. Excellent essay; I've had many of those same thoughts myself. I remember back in high school, we'd all pile into a car and drive across town to listen to somebody's new 45 rpm record, and getting a new LP was a major event. Now kids have 500 songs on their ipods or phones and whine about it not being enough. I remember when Mom would spend a Sunday afternoon making a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch, and store them delicately in the cookie jar (remember those?) that was guarded like Fort Knox. Now you just buy a package of artificially-flavored crap squirted out of a machine. I'll never forget when we first got cable TV. *THIRTEEN* channels!!!! Now we have 200 channels and it's not enough. Remember what a THRILL it was to turn the crank on the ice cream maker and eventually get some.... (drum roll)... ice cream???!!!!

And of course I'm not going to talk about social media. I recently read of one high school girl whining that if she posted something on Instagram and didn't get a response within 30 minutes, she "starts getting depressed."

Too much of everything. And of course, the more you have of something, the less you appreciate it. Every person under 30 in this country should be required to read this essay 100 times. Doubt if they'd make it through the whole thing, though, it'd be too booorrrriiiinnnnnnnnnnngg.

Do you think they would even notice this gem of a line? ".... we didn't see the rise and fall of socialism and communism."

The fruits of Capitalism, freedom and Democracy have given us so much. The 25 or below somethings have never seen or been taught really anything about the world. They are just bombarded with the horrors of inequality, climate change, racism and homophobia.

They have never gone without food, entertainment or luxuries unheard of until now. They no nothing of the starvation in North Korea and Venezuela. The gulags of Russia, the poverty of Africa or the totalitarian of China.

They think they get to keep their lives they have now if we just change course and adopt the “New” socialism of the left.

That young lady has a good head on her shoulders.

When I entered college in 1960, all males were required to take two years of R.O.T.C. If for some reason, you weren't qualified for R.O.T.C., you took two years of P.E.

BTW, there was a Military Draft back then as well. Just sayin'.....

WildBill wrote: ↑Sun Sep 06, 2020 2:09 pm That young lady has a good head on her shoulders.

Yes, I'd seen that earlier on Facebook and I do agree with her.

The funny thing is, we were not wealthy at all and did not realize it. Pinto beans and fried tators were considered a real treat. Us kids had no idea our mom was trying to make ends meet. We would get a couple pairs of jeans at the start of the school year. Always had the "off brand" cloths and shoes. Got my first paper route at 10 so I could have my own money. Eating Out??? What was that? Fast food was a peanut butter sandwich made from the stuff that came in the one gallon can. Kids these days pretty much get anything they want. Coffee came from the peculator. Milk and sugar were how we made it fancy coffee. Anybody less than about 40 has never known a world without internet, social media and cell phones. I am terrified of what the next group of youngsters growing up today are going to be like. Participation trophies for all. No sense of achieving more because you work harder or earn it. I hate to say it but it is only going to get worse.

AOC is so disconnected from reality: Ocasio-Cortez blown away by first experience with a garbage disposal {2019}

My grandparents grew up in the great depression. They had it very hard. They grew up homes not much different than slaves lived in during the Civil War era. My Granddad served in the Pacific during WW2 and the Korean War. The Pacific war was quite dangerous and savage and his job in Korean included tagging the bodies of all the dead American men from the front.

I wasn't born in Texas. Born and grew up in the mountains of West Virginia. One of the poorest states in the United States. Everybody was poor so we didn't really think of ourselves as poor. Honestly we had it infinitely better than my grandparents. My dad got a job in South Dallas. We had a lot more money, but South Dallas isn't exactly Highland Park. But now that I worked really hard through adversity and have been successful through education, hard work, discipline, and honesty these nitwit racists claim I am "privileged" because I am white. All too often theses bogus claims are made by people who were themselves very privileged and have no idea what poor is.

AOC is certainly one of those who has no idea what poor is: Fact Check: ‘Girl from the Bronx’ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Grew Up in One of Richest U.S. Counties