While reading this article on unemployment among the young (found via Instapundit), I was carried back to the days of my youth, circa 1983, when the economy was similarly dismal.
And, yes I am sounding exactly like my father (and his father), but I was just telling one of my younger co-workers that they just don’t know how bad things are, and how much worse they could be still.
They’ve never seen anything like this in their lifetimes. And in some cases, it hasn’t even happened in their PARENTS lifetimes.
Americans under the age of 40 or so haven’t experienced anything quite like this before, and it’s not a given that it will all be over and back to normal by the end of summer.
Oh well, enough of the preaching.
I also noticed a tidbit about one of the youths in the story. I’m surprised Glenn didn’t notice it too, since the 21 year drinking age seems to be a peeve of his.
“… Will Ehrenfeld, a political science major at Tufts, who worked at a think tank last year and this summer was aiming higher: a White House internship. When the White House didn’t come through, and neither did the State Department or dozens of companies he applied to, Mr. Ehrenfeld, 20, moved back home to Vernon, Conn. Even the local Boston Market had no work.
Mr. Ehrenfeld, a top student who has always held leadership positions in clubs and academic groups, loafs through days, rolling out of bed around 11 and reading or playing trumpet or guitar. Nights, he sometimes meets up with friends who also have nowhere that they have to be in the morning, and they share a few cheap beers. “At worst, misery continues to have company,” he said.”
So not only did poor Mr. Ehrenfeld miss out on his White House internship, but now he’s admitted to committing a crime….
I can’t say I blame the kid for enjoying an adult beverage before age 21. I might have crossed that line a bit early myself back in the day. But I never talked about it in the New York Times!
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Hey Jaymaster,
That article was a trip!
I remember having a few rough patches of unemployment as a young man — at the time, I was worried to death. Worried about paying rent, trying to keep pushing those resumes through the mail (this was before internet), bummed about not having a girlfriend.
However, one thing that did not cross my mind was having the NY Times interview me about my “Loserville status”:) Heck, I coulda been broke, but famous.
My only advice to these youngsters is: Work hard, bear down, be persistent, be tenacious, learn good manners, develop a thick skin, don’t succumb to laziness, be productive, be organized, be well-dressed, be well-groomed, and keep at it. Unless you’re born with silver spoon, nothing worthwhile in life comes easy.
–HB
It’s quite a thing to think that a kid who could, barred unhappily from paying work, resort to spending his time so unproductively, once thought of himself as a potential White House intern.
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