I'm sorry for going on and on people. This topic really touches a nerve with me because I've been on both sides of this opinion. There are also personal obstacles I have that makes it really difficult for me in the workplace, so generalizations like "You're just not working hard enough" or something of the other doesn't speak to my situation.
Young people like me are not anti-work - some are, but you have those in every generation. I think many people my age are naive about the solutions... like, 15 min wage is not going to solve your problems, and making school free isn't going to either, because the issue, among others but the
main issue is debt, and how debt over time has driven prices up. Passing the large price of college to the taxpayer doesn't address the problem: the price itself! A thing in economics called leverage...
So, I think both young people and older are oversimplifying our issues and problems. "Just work!" and "Just stop being discriminatory and fork your taxes!" But just because the dollar has lost its purchasing power, that the dollar is only 40 cent of what it was worth 30-50 years ago (in other words, we literally can't live on the same income you did 30 years ago), just because wages have not kept up with the times, and so young people want living wages...
all this doesn't auto mean they're spoiled or lazy... it means they're human and want a comfortable life. They also want a lot of things they don't really need, they feed the speed of technology and thus perpetually high prices with their need for the latest thing. I'll be the first one to admit this.
But the older generation often doesn't understand that to KEEP UP with the job market and the new trends, you need certain technology available and you need to keep up with it to be an asset to the company. Iow, in many cases, you have NO CHOICE but to go and buy the latest thing to know how it works, to understand better so you can use company equipment... in other words, sometimes buying that smartphone IS a step in getting off your lazy butt. Sad, but true. My husband bought a blackberry BECAUSE it was more efficient to use in his business than a cheaper phone.
Wow, I apologize about not going on, then I go on. Heaven help me.