Sorry for the delay friends, I've been working on 2 other blogs this summer also, one for my internship class and one for BTC. You may have seen the controversial article in the NY Times last week about our generation (millennials) and employment opportunities. While I personally think it slighted our generation a little and tied larger issues to the personal story of a recent graduate who had more a support system in place than the average college grad, it's still generated a lot of conversation. So much of the framing of our anti-poverty campaign is focusing right now on this idea of the American Dream. Yesterday, one of the NY times bloggers called for millennials (that's us!) to respond to this concept of the American Dream and opportunity. There are some great comments, check it out here.
Here's my 2 cents that I just sent to the NYT:
As a 21 year old about to graduate from college the job market and economic climate are pretty terrifying. The reality is that even though we embrace this myth of the American Dream, hardwork and strong moral character alone really aren't enough to move up the income ladder or 'make a better life'. I do think there are strong misconceptions about our generation's sense of entitlement. While it is present, we aren't all privileged. Today the neighborhood you're born into is the strongest predictor of your economic success, mobility, and education achievement. While I wish the American Dream was a reality, it's a rare occurrence and we rally around the occasional story of mobility and success, touting it as a cornerstone of our nation's identity. It's not the reality for college grads right now and it's definitely not a feasibly reality for children born into poverty without access to quality education. If there's ever been a call to action for our generation, this is it. Where we go from here though, I'm not really sure.
What do you think? Comment here or comment on the NY times page.
Yours in idealistic activism,
SG
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