I sit at my usual cafe table in Brooklyn. Autumn has arrived - crisp rain, a slight turn of leaves, the fragrance of looming holidays. Although everyone in this room comes from varied backgrounds, one thing connects us - we are unemployed.
Sure. We scrape together money - odd jobs, a phone call to our parents, busking in Central Park. College degree? Check. Laptops? Yup. On these laptops? Resumes and Craigslist job searches.
We're in our 20s-30s trying to fulfill the American Dream promised to us since childhood. However, all we see is a country operated by an older, 'hippie' generation - the one who declared peace and love. The result? Insane debt, AIDS, the Earth's slow death.
Beyond any political matter, this has become a survival issue. Yet, our generation is neglected, struggling to survive in a world built on credit and imaginary numbers.
Sure. The work ethic has changed. However, it is not as simple as tugging off to the local factory. The small-business man has no breathing room in today's 'global economy' (remind me: what do you need for a loan these days?).
Education has morphed into big business as well. Heck, college students worry more about how to pay and how high their debt will be than they do on learning (just a note to the reader: I will be in debt for my Northwestern University education until the year 2025 - at least! - and, oh yea...don't even get me started about establishing 'credit' and maintaining 'assets').
We've been defined as 'slackers,' 'apathetic,' 'dreamy.' Yet, everyone around me is practical, resourceful, knowledgeable, multi-talented, optimistic. We donate more, volunteer, and have the highest creative output the globe has ever seen. The Internet connects us to new cultures, new ideas, our own identity. We have established a community to aide in our suffering.
But, how do we - this generation - survive?
President Obama. We have translated our sense of community to Washington. But, my 'hippie' friends, this is only the beginning. One person cannot change the world, nor does he deserve the weight of the country's problems.
We're in this together.
Things won't change, revolutionize over night. Heck, our generation may never see benefits (I'm looking at you, Social Security). However, we don't care. We want future generations to look at us as a group that made the world better, not worse.
True. The 'hippies' were selfish. Their message was not. We understand the difference. Just one more thing...
Can I have a job?
