Why Are Young People So Messed Up?
Seriously, it feels like everyone under 40 is a wreck.
Have you ever looked at the state of younger folks (i.e. those of us under 40 or so) and wondered “What the hell is going on with these kids?” It seems like we’re all depressed, burnt-out former gifted kids with ADHD, piles of trauma, and at least one kink. I don’t think I know a single person in my age bracket who could be defined as “well-adjusted.” Granted, I don’t have the best sample size, but I’m starting to believe that there is no such thing as a well-adjusted millennial.
The answer to this question, as far as I can tell, is two-fold. The first part of the answer is capitalism. Specifically, the brand of capitalism that our parents built for us which has resulted in a whole generation of people who have very little hope for the future. The soul-crushing capitalism with no protections for workers and no guaranteed healthcare, vacation, or even expectation that we will have a job when we come back on Monday. The kind where we are all replaceable cogs in a machine that grinds out profits for a small group of oligarchs. That kind of capitalism.
The second part of the answer is what I really want to talk about because I have already talked at length and volume about the horrors of American capitalism. From my perspective, the other primary…
