The New Lost Generation
Before the economy turned, I grew up hearing “Do what you love as a career!” Everyone in my age group was taught that by absolutely everyone.
Not once was I told, “Ok, but will you be able to find a job? Will you make decent money?” Now that the economy tanked, you’re left with a bunch of over-educated young, cynical adults who are either unemployed or working below their skill level. As kids in the late 90s and early 2000s, we were force-fed “happiness over monetary success” bullshit by society. And the assumption that if you didn’t go to college, you were an idiot who would be stuck making fries at McDonald’s your entire life. Obtaining a four year degree was expected. I can’t imagine how my parents would have reacted had I told them I didn’t plan to go to college.
I was taught that a technical or vocational certificate was barely a step up from a high school diploma, and the only point of going to community college was a guaranteed transfer to a state university after two years.
No one foresaw what would happen to our economy, so our futures’ were planned assuming there would always be a surplus of good jobs. It’s no one’s fault. We chased idealism and happiness and forgot about realism. Where are the jobs now? Blue collar manufacturing, truck driving, automechanics, CNAs, secretaries, customer service. When was the last time you ran across a job posting for an aeronautical human factors engineer?
“Hi, my name is Kate and I hostess part-time for minimum wage. The only reason I got this job is because my family owns the restaurant. I have a graduate degree. Do you want to sit inside or outside?
“A love like that was a serious illness, an illness from which you never entirely recover.”
― Charles Bukowski, The People Look Like Flowers at Last
Today, while lost in reverie, the depth of my eccentricities struck me when I realized I have two “celebrity” crushes.
Robert J. Oppenheimer and Jason “Mayhem” Miller.
…then again, my first celebrity crush was Yul Brynner, so what can I say?
Tragic Love in Literature
I don’t like feel good movies, I think they’re boring. Same goes for novels. I looked online to see which books people listed as the most tragic love stories and came up with the usual- Gone with the Wind, Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights, etc.. No surprises there, so I decided to compose my own list (in no particular order).
The Great Gatsby (shoe-in)
Anna Karenina
Ethan Frome (the greatest love story never told, this book does not get enough recognition)
The Awakening (obviously)
Tess of the D’Urbervilles (I hate Angel Clare more than any other literary character)
A Farewell to Arms
