We're living in corporate dystopia and Gen Z is reacting accordingly

[@trickpatch]

"Nobody wants to work" is a phrase you will see in news stories about labor going back to the late 1800s. It's a scapegoat phrase for not offering an actual living wage for employment.

[@AnnAndNala]

Exactly!

[@bdwon]

I saw a BBC documentary by Lucy Worsley about England as during the Black Plague, and the elites were also complaining about laborers wanting more pay and not wanting to work.

[@RosaliePacheco]

In a high school course I took, we read a text that was from Ancient Greek or Rome, where the author was essentially saying that about the younger generation. We had to write an essay in response saying if we realistically thought each generation from Ancient rome/greece to 2010 was getting lazier and more privileged. Always thought it was an interesting assignment.

[@zofiajaneczek184]

Stop paying people the same as you did 30-40 years ago and maybe you’ll actually be able to find people that want to work! 😂 Companies expecting the world from workers but giving breadcrumbs in return. If you ONLY give minimum wage as a company, expect realistic results=minimum wage worker output, high turnover, low morale and deep worker dissatisfaction!

[@bmanmcfly]

It might be an ongoing criticism, it stems from the fact that parents attempt to make their childrens lives easier than they had to go through. Anecdotally, I started working with a paper route where I had to wake up at 6am, deliver the papers, go to school and after school try to collect payments for what I delivered. Where it comes to professional work more recently, I've worked alongside people who would sleep at their desk during working hours and expressed a laziness to where I, as a coworker, would attempt to warn them that their laziness indicated a lack of interest in their work that would get noticed by those signing the paychecks.... mostly those people wound up getting fired. The fact is, if you've ever run a business, you'll find that if you have 10 employees that it's about 1-3 of them account for about 50% of the profitability, if it grows to 100 employees, then it's only about 10 people that produce 50% of the profits. Most people really only work hard enough to not get fired. Generational issues aside, those people who are modestly smart, dedicated, and hard working always have the least problems keeping their jobs.

[@ohgumdrop2208]

I hate when older generations say “your generation doesn’t want to work”. I graduated MONTHS ago and have been endlessly applying to jobs. Most of them I get ghosted by and only a handful have gotten back with an actual rejection email. I’ve even talked to one hiring manager for something I got rejected from to ask how I can improve my resume/cover letter and she said it was perfect for my skill level. The older generation as managers don’t want to hire the younger ones and take the time to train them, while also saying that we’re lazy when most of us are actually trying. On top of that, entry level positions aren’t entry level anymore. Tell me why I need 3 years of experience and they prefer a masters degree for the lowest level job in the field I’m trying to get into? That job literally just requires you to do basic data entry and other responsibilities that can be taught in one week, tops. Make it make sense 🙄. Edit: Honestly, I wrote this when I was feeling bitter and angry. I know that this is just the way things are set up now but to everyone else in a similar situation to me: I hope you’re able to get out of it soon or at the very least, be able to find the optimism in your situation!! I’m trying to do that too :)

[@RecklessFables]

I can speak to this a little since I'm currently working in a big huge corporate multinational. It isn't that we don't want to train, it's that we could never get approval to hire someone who is truly entry level at the costs Americans require. If you need someone to work in a call center, you go to the Philippines... if you need IT, you go to India or Poland. if you need general office work, you can go pretty much anywhere. Everything is remote and in shared documents so why hire Americans? It isn't like our educational systems are cranking out people that are far superior anymore. Other countries that Americans used to look down on have been working very hard for the last 30 years to be more competitive on quality not just price.

[@xandercorp6175]

I only say it when I see someone actually refusing to work right in front of my eyes, in a context I understand inside out and have made repeated attempts to communicate to them in their own terms.

[@ohgumdrop2208]

@@RecklessFables I understand that completely, my older sister tells me the same. I’m Canadian but it seems like the job market/economy in general is following similar trends. I just wish that someone would have told us new graduates how tough it really is and how much harder it will be for us before we graduated. I’m not hating individual companies or even “looking down” on other countries (my parents are immigrants), it’s just an annoying situation.

[@sailorspills3025]

I remember when I first left college and I was trying my hardest to get a job. Everywhere wanted experience. People didn’t help me, they would call me a bum or spoilt

[@goodfortunetoyou]

Basically, you have so many competitors that they don't need you. They have the ability to pick and choose whether and how many resources you are allocated to live on, because you are dependent on people in their positions for your livelihood. You and your colleagues have no other options but to get a job or start a company/side hustle (Something like half of new small businesses fail). Additionally, they are not required to hire you, and they are not required to pay you well. There is no systemic safety net to guarantee your livelihood if you live in America.

[@chrisz7494]

"You dont like to work!" Babe, i didn't sit through a bachelors AND a master's just to be overqualified and underexperienced. I WANT to work. I WANT to be useful to the world around me. But i cant even get an interview Edit: holy crap, y'all are really engaging in the comments. My education is in the environmental field. I believe green jobs are the new frontier and i have a passion for environmental conservation and justice for people wronged by the climate crisis. I am surrounded by many people who are highly educated and occupying necessary and in-demand jobs. Unfortunately, i am facing the unemployment loop of "needing a job for experience/needing experience for a job" and I'm just waiting for that one foot in the door for my life to change. I dont regret the field i chose, but if i had to go back and advise 18-year-old me what to do, i would just say to give yourself options

[@DellikkilleD]

that often comes down to what the degree is for. not all degrees are created even remotely equal.

[@lucyferos205]

​@@DellikkilleDIt's pretty universal for most fields today. How old are you?

[@DellikkilleD]

@@lucyferos205 43, and having dealt with these kids with no work ethic for years, Im over it. And your claim is false. there are a huge surplus of useless degrees, and an excess of limited use ones.

[@LadyIarConnacht]

Thanks to the AI that you love and embrace.

[@w2lf]

@@LadyIarConnacht The tool is not evil, its the companies that make them evil. So companies = evil. Why are companies structured in a communistic and private manner as if its private dictatorship. When we live in Democratic and free country? Shouldn't companies be the same way? democratic and free open. Google Private Goverment this is the whole problem that creates more problems in the long run. It might look in short run that its good and grows the economy, but its the other way around. This 2 words should never be together "Private Goverment" but this is what the companies are now. Hidden communist discatorships.

[@piccalillipit9211]

*Gen Z is reacting accordingly* This is freakishly powerful and observant. I worked with victims of abuse for 8 years - they often used to blame themselves for being a mental wreck... I used to tell them "Its normal to have an abnormal reaction to abnormal circumstances"

[@madison_kr]

I needed to see that today so thank you 💜

[@piccalillipit9211]

@@madison_kr - go for a walk, what ever it is - a walk will help I promise you !!! 😀

[@Mirak-el]

You gotta be crazy to act normally in a crazy world.

[@lucanandrews774]

​​@@piccalillipit9211and if one cannot walk? Or going for a walk equals taking the standard pain level of 3, accrued by simply existing to a six or seven, leaves one needing their rescue inhaler and expends what functional energy they can get out of their body in a day? (chronic illness and chronic pain being the reason for the above, for any record... and standard pain scales stop being relevant when existing itself is painful) Not really up for relying on an exhausting walk and hoping it might make anything better when expending that energy to make a meal and maybe (hopefully) take a shower, or at least wash my hair.🫠🥲🥴

[@blackmagehedonist]

With the shite I recently had to deal with, I needed to see that. Thank you! Like a tell people, I will not bare the burden of actions I had no real choice in taking, and being abused doesn't really give you many good choices. . .

[@gentle_rebel]

My immediate response to people seriously saying "no one wants to work anymore" is: "No one wants to pay a livable wage anymore." - plain, simple, irrefutable

[@prophetzarquon1922]

Indeed. Anyone who thinks any job isn't worth ≥$30 an hour, should enjoy doing it theirself. If employees need 20% tips to earn a living, the prices & pay should be raised 20%.

[@ULTRAOutdoorsman]

"Looks like it was contagious"

[@namegoeshere8458]

No one ever wanted to pay a livable wage. That was never in the plan.

[@smirkyshadow4152]

@@namegoeshere8458that’s why the federal government made the minimum wage It was the bare minimum wage someone could live off of Therefore it was put in the plans, and needs to be adjusted for inflation like all other modern countries

[@prophetzarquon1922]

@@smirkyshadow4152 💯

[@Insightfill]

Sadly, a fair number of adults tell their children "I suffered so you should have to also."

[@spacebar9733]

Too true people used to be so proud to give their kids better than they had.

[@vaderladyl]

Everybody suffers, that is life. Paying your dues in life goes before having success and helps us grow. It is unrealistic expecting to have a life with only the nice part of it.

[@sickening_love1154]

I remember when Biden tried to fix the college debt situation and how expensive college is but congressmen shot the idea down because "we had to stuffer, younger generations have to also! It's tradition!!" 😅 not all traditions were ever good.

[@whateverbabe]

That's literally all humanity. Only the rational empaths would break the vicious cycle.

[@angelainamarie9656]

Yeah I guess they want to go to the nursing home.

[@izabelaR]

Saw this meme: "Nobody wants to work anymore" is just "girls don't want to date nice guys" for businesses.

[@Rutabega_NG]

Damn, that's accurate

[@ginathecookie]

So, so accurate

[@mgntstr]

a dependable and stable income is not good enough, that's booooring! people would rather shitpost on the internet all day and hope for a sponsor to sweep them off their feet one day

[@eugeniabarsukova]

@@mgntstr people would like to afford their rent, is that too much to ask?

[@avalerionbass]

That's true, because both claim they want one thing until you're lured in and when it's too late, you've finally realized that what they ACTUALLY want is not what you signed up for because you were led to believe a disappointing lie and after you've been gaslit into loyalty and some level of dependency, you've been used well beyond a means of mutual exchange.

[@NatalieZii]

“I don’t.” As someone applying to jobs, I felt this in my bones.

[@neilcognito]

I'm 100 Job applications strong (heard the threshold was 200, so I need to up my numbers) been ghosted by 95 and the other 5 rejected me with no reason even hen asked. I am even trying in the tech market, ya'know, the one people claim is the most lucrative due to the current economical direction? there is no safe industry and we're all fucked.

[@pieceofpeace35]

​@@neilcognitohospitals always need people, including tech people if you haven't already checked them out! That's where I finally found my current job

[@thenonexistinghero]

I don't want to work either. Never wanted to. Do have a job though. And I'm not gen z, but x. That said, that's just me being me. A lot of gen z (and x as well) does not have much motivation to work because it doesn't pay off. It pays your immediate bills, but it's already practically impossible to afford buying a house if you don't have a partner who also works fulltime (or at least part time if you do earn a good amount) and finding a decent partner is harder than before as well. There's all kinds of other issues as well. Basically one of the biggest motivations for work has been mostly taken away... the possibility to work for your future.

[@n.d.7931]

​@@thenonexistingheroSo TRUE about needing dual income and finding a decent partner

[@ULTRAOutdoorsman]

@@neilcognitoNice hustle, but the threshold is in fact above 200.

[@Quixote3]

No no, they don’t want “our children” to have a better life. They want that for THEIR children. It’s nepotism all the way down, baby.

[@picobarco4407]

@Quixote3 , I see you put the same idea I have. Just want to say, you really know how to see what reality really is! Just want to thank you for your writing!

[@nettewilson5926]

Spot on

[@kyleconnor2759]

Maybe if Gen Z didn’t cry all day every day about race and gender, this issue would get more attention. It’s almost like they’re being misdirected…

[@crazyasalways9272]

Not even for theirs

[@AuntNessie-u2e]

So right. They want THEIR children to have the best life ever and employees children living off crumbs

[@Lila-ie1eo]

People say "children are hooked on those phones" as if their parents weren't the ones who bought their kids phones and tablets to replace parent-child time.

[@lilyyoung1002]

Agreed

[@_tripalong]

Yup. My boomer mom complains about phone addiction in younger generations but the very FIRST thing she does when she babysits my 2 year old nephew is turn on KZbin Kids for him.

[@bigfoot9049]

As if the government didn't create the need for both parents to work thus manufacturing the problem you're blaming on parents.

[@Lila-ie1eo]

@@bigfoot9049 1 - What government, you're not from my country. 2 - Nope, rich parents with loads of free time are the first to replace themselves with consoles, smartphones, and tablets. 3 - You sound like you never quite spelled out the word "accountability".

[@amac9443]

"Why are we giving AI the art?!" YES!

[@lurker993]

Because most of it is worthless anyway.

[@SkySong6161]

Serious answer: Cause the boring gruntwork requires 5-17 different programs owned by about 3 different companies (optimistically) that don't interface with each other on an even the most basic level. Putting together an AI to interface with them and then do the grunt work jobs with any degree of accuracy requires negotiating with those companies (and that's assuming they negotiate in good faith) and reprogramming software owned by a different company. Companies have the money and the lawyers to defend themselves with. Outside of some major animation studios, almost no artists do. And with a modest amount of file formats and no competing software to deal with, the art is just *easier* and cheaper to do. Though make no mistake, once it becomes cheaper to automate the gruntwork stuff, they'll go for that too. But right now, art and literature is the low-hanging-fruit of AI generation.

[@FlipTheBard]

As an artist myself, I felt this one. AI should've been used to do boring demanding jobs like doing a lot of calculations in a short time. Yet the AI bros decided to use it for art, so they could feel like artists themselves, and rather than spend time learning and developing actual artistic skills they decided to let AI use stolen art to make collages based on prompts. So basically, anyone using AI for art is an artist-wannabe that was too damn lazy and too impatient to develop the skill themselves.The "get rich quick and easy" crew.

[@dmoogle2006]

@@FlipTheBard I wholeheartedly disagree. Judge the people trying to pass AI art off as their own art, sure. But AI generated art can have useful insights and discussions around it. Just because it's made by an algorithm doesn't make it not art. Your argument seems more of an inherit fear of AI than an actual criticism of its place in art. Art doesn't belong exclusively to humans. Apes and Elephants are capable of learning how to paint: would you not call their creations art?

[@Zeonixi]

@@dmoogle2006I’m also an artist, and ai “art” is just generated images. There’s no passion or thought or love put into the piece itself. And you are aware that ai’s use bits of other artists work (WITHOUT CONSENT) to make the image?? And the artist gets no money for that?? It’s just plain stealing, but not many ppl outside of the art community know this because the people making all this money off ai don’t want you to. The reality is, if companies and etc can use free ai to make advertisements, they will. And plus, the more people use ai, the less real artists will be needed and wanted, making art an even harder career to pursue than it already is. And your right, some animals can make art, and I would consider it so, because it was made by a living thing, ai is just a machine. Machines don’t have souls, they can help us and I’m all for that, but no matter what anyone says I will never consider ai-generated images “art”.

[@NathanielHellerstein]

This goes back awhile. Soviet era Russian joke: "they pretend to pay us, so we pretend to work."

[@calvinfinney5083]

Yep, hence all the communist echo chamber arguments on here.

[@Tragicide]

It’s all coming full circle now.

[@arturintete2461]

Then why do the people who lived through soviet russia protest to get it back?

[@calvinfinney5083]

@@arturintete2461 They don't, in fact they are here warning us of how terrible it was. In regards to Russia itself, the really only experienced true democracy for around 8 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, they've been under an authoritarian regime.

[@nightraven2975]

​@calvinfinney5083 Many Russians would disagree on both ends of that statement.

[@Sarara14]

Boomer: You can't use a fax machine! Doomer: You can't convert to PDF

[@itubemember]

Get you a man that can do both

[@vaderladyl]

Here comes Gen X to save the day.@@itubemember

[@SkySong6161]

I'm over here wondering who the hell still uses fax machines that aren't lawyers or doctors. lol.

[@vaderladyl]

I actually had to and I am not a doctor. You still use faxes, especially over seas. @@SkySong6161

[@angelainamarie9656]

​@@SkySong6161that is a lot of people though

[@cniht]

The phrase "Nobody wants to work." should always be accompanied by "at that wage."

[@dhanurvishnu3035]

Good one

[@SImonDeLikaeble]

Exactly that. There used be guys on the news stating “we can’t get IT staff”. And I’d be like “everyone knows you pay less than your competitors “ It is similar for other jobs - companies that pay properly have a lot less problems finding staff.

[@abellseaman4114]

AGREED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is an EXCELLENT RESPONSE about wages generally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And a supporting response is this: "you do not pay me enough to operate a car and public transit DOES NOT OPERATE at the times you expect me to show up for shifts - therefore I CANNOT work for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ruijie1961]

"Nobody wants to work anymore!" Not for a wage that makes us have to decide between either homeless or starving with how prices are rising. Nobody "wants" to work, not even the older generation. We NEED to work, not want to. Of course, being choosy is bad; but it has to cover the bare minimum needs for living, otherwise there is no point. Thank you for bringing up the bleakness of both perspectives fairly.

[@astraamarante6233]

And a bunch of people are still applying for jobs that don’t give them enough to live off of, but companies will still just pass them by and ignore skilled workers and post on Twitter how “the younger generation is so lazy because I didn’t want to accept any of the 3,000 applications I got!”

[@hfg369]

as a millenial, i'm getting a sense of déjà vu because this is exactly how we were treated. i'm dissapointed to say that a lot of us fell in line to the demands of late stage capitalism.

[@DiscordBeing]

I hate that we were kicked from both sides. Our generation has had it really terrible too. Everyt time we would start to get up, the world would fall apart. Gen Z hated us even though I agreed with everything they said and stood for. And Gen X just thought we were lazy. I hate watching Gen Z do it to Gen Alpha.

[@abramjessiah]

Yeah, we still gotta pay rent

[@feliciaroseantonia]

@@DiscordBeing Tale as old as time, unfortunately. I heard recently that, thousands of years ago, when writing & scriptures really started becoming commonplace around the world, older generations often tended to say things along the lines of how this practice will "distract" people too much from the "real work" they should be doing, & that their societies would "collapse" as a result of such. Now imagine how things would have actually fallen apart if people did stop writing. & that's just one example, honestly. I've heard people say similar things about pretty much anything regarding gaming, cooking, pretty much any sport in general, interior design... etc. There are tons of incredibly well-off people in any of those professions, but even then, ultimately, what really matters is that you're happy & doing what you truly love... ...buuuuuut also you can't really be truly happy if you're living in a financial hell hole & struggling to make ends meet. So unfortunately there are bound to be some things that are out of your control if you're living in a social climate like the one we live in today. But I do really like to think that things are only bound to get better from this. (For context, if it adds any perspective I guess, I'm an "older zoomer" so to speak; aka I'll be 25 this summer lol)

[@Anonymous-vr6ph]

I think the term "late stage capitalism" isnt really correct. Its just capitalism. It works as intended, for the benefit of the capital owning class.

[@TheSultan1470]

​@@DiscordBeing still hate u

[@bradkrekelberg8624]

I'm a late Gen Xer. This really made me think about the "no one wants to work" thing. Regular jobs have gotten really sh**ty thanks to management/owners/stockholders exploiting their workers way beyond reason.

[@ajstudios9210]

Exactly! Thank you!

[@keanuxu5435]

Welcome to capitalism

[@HighLow_Milo]

Lol way beyond reason like theres a reasonable amount of exploitation. Not a criticism to you, just funny wording.

[@timgibney5590]

I am early Gen X. Dude kids today have it easy. We didn't have remote work before 45. We got written up for being more than 7 minutes late for work and got fired for being more than 7 1/2 minutes late (when ADP rounds the hours during the clock in) 3 times per year! We didn't make 100k salaries fresh out of school! Yes prices for apartments have gone up considerably! I am not unsympathetic to young people. But where do we draw the line? Yes the shareholders should dictate only the top performs can work from home as not everyone can. Yes India and other places should be considered for labor as they work harder and are happy to put in 60 hours a week when a critical project is needed. The last sentence I am sure triggered some readers but it is true. Our generation is happy to put in the hours to get ahead. Younger folks need to realize too that a college degree is not final destination and finish line for a 200k a year job. You start at $15/hr like we did and work your way up and keep educating and certifying yourself. It takes 20 years to get to the top after pouring blood and sweat. Sorry Gen Z but results and no gaps on your resume and sticking with your employers matter. Employers have a right also to want the best deal just like you. Someone who sticks around 2 to 5 years means they don't have to rehire. Call me a bootlicker all you want but reality is reality. HR has the power and if you make yourself exception get your certs after school and put in the hours and impress people doors slowly will open over time.

[@CinemalecularFilms]

I'm right there with you, bub. For the record, Gen-Z didn't invent this perception/attitude as any Gen-Xer will tell you. If anything, Gen-Z learned from their Gen-X parents, who planted the seeds of dissent because...yeah...we saw the writing on the wall. Obviously, the difference is the internet-amplified, visceral reactions and the fact that Gen-X was small and lucky enough to "get into the system" before it became REALLY difficult...but trust us, Gen-X has been fighting the actual Boomers for quite some time now who lived under the "Greatest Generation" mentality of their parents.

[@PricefieldPunk]

I wish i had the confidence of this gen z applicant. Most of my Millennial generation entered the work force as a recession started and still got blamed for being lazy by the generation who ruined tanked the economy. Sorry we couldn't afford to buy homes at a fair price while we were in Middle School...

[@ApequH]

YES

[@Bav92]

Dude your entire life is a continuous bull market. 2008 was a blip at this point.

[@jjoohhhnn]

@@Bav92 lmao, for investors. How much of that has been shared with the people actually making the company function (the employees)?

[@SENSEF]

​@@Bav92 The state of Texas laid off 76,000 teachers in 2011, the largest teacher layoff in Texas history. The Great Recession was much further reaching than just a blip of 2008.

[@thehappyproject7117]

In middle school I was still watching Lizzie Maguire and trying to figure out how to afford Abercrombie and Fitch. A housing crisis was the least of my worries.

[@chanela.7786]

It’s more like no one wants to hire or train. Literally got a job through a temp agency and was let go on the second day without an explanation. I hate it here man😭

[@ivydenver260]

The same thing happened to me!

[@beepboop1330]

I would cry, I’m so sorry to whoever experienced this

[@evanwademan5602]

Dear god they were going through you workers like coffee filters 💀

[@crisisasp5396]

@@evanwademan5602 thats a lie, the coffee filters probably stuck around longer

[@andyj1394]

I'm gen X and I am thankful for these gen Z kids. They actually bring balance. I've noticed that most of them are willing to do good work, or at least be taught. However, they don't want to be abused. As more of them enter the workforce, employers just have to be smarter about whom they choose as managers. I have very good luck getting gen Z kids to do good work.

[@lonrot]

The funniest part is that both generations are quite depressing in their arguments 🤣

[@Shinichu]

This

[@iyonah3769]

What are you doing here Lonrot?! 💀

[@Zett76]

**hug** You know, there are people who offer help, for depressed people like you. Get well soon!

[@omarmoramariachi]

Hey Lonrot

[@TerraBlacc1]

Depressing? More like painfully entitled.

[@Basta11]

I asked my younger cousins why they didn't work at stores or restaurants or something. They told me it is really difficult to get a job in those places and you'd be lucky to get one. I know they are telling the truth because they are not lazy. When I was a teenager in the 2000s, most of my friends had jobs after school. It was not difficult at all to get a job in fast food. This is similar to the boomer situation. The have no idea how hard it is out there. I listen to their stories and it amazes me how chill it was when they started out. They just graduate and boom work at a prestigious institutions. They didn't even knowing what those places did. In 5 years, they were Senior Partner or VP. Quite unbelievable compared to today. Today, if you graduate from Harvard or Stanford, you are not even guaranteed an interview.

[@josepablolunasanchez1283]

Many old people think 2000 was yesterday, but things have changed.

[@LashknifeTalon]

Not to mention that if you have a degree of some sort, it closes many doors because you're OVERqualified for many positions. When I first got my BA it was the height of the recession and I tried to get jobs working in Fast Food, but they figured I would just jump ship the instant I got another job offer from some corporation and thus wouldn't hire me. I was too qualified for minimum wage, but too inexperienced for anything else.

[@DellikkilleD]

ehrm, restaurants are desperately hiring all the time, but the current generation can not(on average) handle the job. 1 out of 20 (ish) make it. at simple tasks like seating guests or washing dishes. This was at a place where we paid both hosts and dish washers 19 an hour.

[@FelipeKana1]

​@@DellikkilleD😂 fan fic, nice one

[@FelipeKana1]

Basta, not long ago I clashed with a boomer online, that said that she also had to "endure hardship" to get a job. Such hardship? Waking up very early ONE SINGLE MORNING to get in a line for applications to get a job. She got the job in one day of search, stayed in it for life, bought everything needed. AND SHE CONSIDERED HERSELF A SUFFERER

[@trevisagie]

the most unrealistic part is the boomer actually listening

[@RecklessFables]

To be fair, boomers are mostly retiring at this point, hiring managers are usually Gen X.

[@Jon_Nadeau_]

Nah it's the part where the Gen z'er showed up for a job interview.

[@EpicMuttonChops]

@@Jon_Nadeau_ ok boomer

[@Jon_Nadeau_]

@@EpicMuttonChops Exactly!

[@Levish01]

Not accepting blame?

[@atomatopia1]

“This isn’t a negotiation” is the power fantasy showing. They don’t want employees, they want desperate worker-bees.

[@BusinessWolf1]

You mean slaves

[@sandermez3856]

the word u r looking for is slaves

[@evanwademan5602]

No they want mindless drones

[@MulkeyBlueQuartet]

​​​@@evanwademan5602worker bees infamously don't really think or act for themselves, so I think ur both pretty on the nose haha

[@stephanos6128]

​@@MulkeyBlueQuartet actually i think some bees do leave the colony and go and make their own hive. or im thinking about ants.

[@Meileehere]

“Don’t you want a better life for your children?” “No, I just want more money.”

[@wafflingmean4477]

"... wait... I have children???!!"

[@LogarAcc]

@@wafflingmean4477 FR. Most of those old male prunes in management/CEO positions don't even know their kids' birthdays.

[@Sirawxy]

Aren’t we all

[@waludalu5102]

my parents keep telling me how am i gonna feed my family like mom i dont intend having children, hell i dont even see anyone i would end up with

[@sleepingkirby]

Look, as a former immigrant to the US, we're constantly told we had to change and adapt to the US and its culture and ways of doing things. Because it's the new way, the modern way and the right way. And then we're told by those same people that they can't learn new things. If my grandparents, one of which ran from the communists during the communist revolution and the other lived through the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, learned how to use the computer, boomers can learn how to use a smart phone.

[@vaderladyl]

Most do know, let's not generalize. I have seen Gen Z who barely can navigate Google and do research properly, doesn't mean it is all of them so there is an example.

[@sleepingkirby]

​@@vaderladylThis isn't a "One side can't do it, the other side can." situation. This is a "You've been alive long enough and it's been around long enough. If you don't know how, that's on you." But also Boomer: Young kids these days doing their dances and eating avocado toast! Young kids: Okay boomer Boomer: Don't generalize! Like, I was an immigrant. Do you know how often we were generalized? But the moment the other side gets even a faint whiff of their own medicine, it's "Oh no! Don't do that! That's not right!"

[@vaderladyl]

@@sleepingkirby Well, you started with the comment generalizing about boomers, I responded back in kind. Fair is fair. Don't want to be generalized , don't do it yourself. I am a woman and a foreigner, I also know about generalizations, so I don't use them.

[@sleepingkirby]

@@vaderladylAgain, this isn't a "one side does it so the other didn't." I didn't say you generalized. So I don't know what you think fair is fair. And if you think boomers first generalized, we generalized in respond, that somehow justify the initial generalization, boy? Boy, you must be such a Karen. What do you mean "don't do it yourself"? It's not doing me any harm. Not any more than the newspapers about avocado toast or not saving for a house or "Millennials are ruining the industry." It certainly hasn't hurt the boomers, how would it hurt us? Seriously, that's not a rhetorical question. Boomers have, through their willful ignorance, complacency in passing on the very abuses they suffered, have done more than alright despite generalizing. And, often at times, it seems that generalization has benefited them. So, Ms. foreigner women. So please, I implore you, explain to me why generalization is a bad thing that I shouldn't do? But also, I've seen maybe a minuscule few gen Z that maybe can't navigate to a search bar. But I use to work in tech support for a hosting company and a cell phone provider. The VAST MAJORITY of our calls where we literally have to explain what to click on just to open a browser page were boomers. My favorites were the ones that call and go "I'm not talking on the device I'm calling from." And then I go "Okay (knowing that isn't true), I need you to restart your phon--." *call drops immediately*. So, yes, I'm going to generalize. Because you don't go "That water in the glass is 0.003% minerals so I'm not going to generalize and call it water." Let me also emphasize something. My initial statement isn't about boomers not knowing how to use a smartphone. It's a statement how they're UNWILLING to learn how to use a smartphone.

[@Bill-mq7wr]

you got some history in your blood, i assume both chinese?

[@ValidatingUsername]

0:30 EVERY job interview is a negotiation, do not forget that and get the hiring manager to sign your copy of the contract with corrections 😊

[@AnnAndNala]

Totally agree! Corporations often forget that the interviewee is interviewing them just as much as they are. Goes both ways.

[@kapasitorcpt9249]

true but you have to be realistic as well. a business might take a chance but if you say am worth x, you will have to prove it. example - many business are doing flexible hours for office workers now, the expectation is that they still get work done. if you ask for flexible hours but you abuse it or use it to work less, then don't be surprised if you are fired. Same thing with overtime, many companies will say outright we can't pay overtime so once your shift (8hrs) is done go home. If you then do over time and say where is my pay that is on you for not listening to them when they said they can't pay and to go home.

[@ProRaiKage]

⁠@@kapasitorcpt9249woosh. It went over your head 😂

[@oliverfulayter5515]

I mean, you're not wrong, but I don't think anyone was arguing against any of that initially. The majority of people understand that if you abuse the stuff the company gives you, it either gets taken away or the employee(s) get fired. @@kapasitorcpt9249

[@Arachne-qw1vr]

The point is that it's a negotiation

[@DiscordBeing]

Absolutely. If anything, I wish Gen Z would quietly quit more radically. I'm a high school teacher, and, honestly, the world we are giving these kids makes me embarrassed to welcome them into it. I always encourage them to just not accept this BS. I don't judge them at all. We gave them how many traumas and a cost of lviing crisis that you work to death in? Yeah, I'm pissed as a millenial. I don't blame them for opting out.

[@Hythenos]

Exactly, also just how many of them had to miss out on a normal life because of Covid. Those kids are smart and resourceful. I’m just a baby millennial but I can realize I have it way better than gen Z and alpha. I realize in school I had hope of a good job and a home. I did manage to get those things. I wouldn’t be able to if I tried again today. I’ll sadly miss out on having kids but then again I’d want to bring children into a world I felt they had a chance in.

[@NJGuy1973]

What do you and your education colleagues have to offer young people?

[@АлександраГришина-с5р]

There will bever be enough words to describe how much I hate this world for making me deal with so much insane bullshit that wasn't my fault and blaming me for not being okay.

[@TycoonBarnaby]

You sound like a terrible teacher

[@stephanos6128]

​@@TycoonBarnaby considering ever day could be a childs and teachers last with the shootings n stuff not worrying qbout this bullshit is all one can do, its not like the kids can vote anyway and now child labors back (and thye still cant vote!) the kids have every right to act a fool honestly

[@josiahgoes9633]

What older generations might not realize is that us Zoomers were actually taught job interview etiquette. one of the things taught was asking the company questions like you are interviewing them. Know your worth and negotiate. Ask why there is a job opening in the first place. Did someone get fired? Did they quit? Why did they leave? During my lunch break, will it be an actual break or will I be expected to still work? The average cost of rent in this zip code is _____ would you be willing to pay 3x that amount so I can afford rent? Etc.

[@lilyyoung1002]

Agreed

[@BusinessWolf1]

Yea well only if you're not desperate for a job. And that's another reason companies try to keep unemployment high.

[@greedbun]

I really felt the "why do you want this job?" "I don't" because, yeah. This is not the job I wanted but I don't have any other options, but I ALSO NEED MONEY!! LIKE HELLO????

[@ULTRAOutdoorsman]

Grandpa didn't leave me his farm so now I've got to work for Joja

[@ButMadNNW626]

Xennial here and I’ve always wondered why “because I need money” isn’t an acceptable answer. 😂 Maybe you do admire the company/organization and the work they do, maybe you’re one of those types who find work fulfilling/enjoyable somehow, but end of the day? “Money” is the only fully truthful answer for why any of us apply to and accept jobs.

[@Sirawxy]

That’s kinda the situation I’m in now. I don’t hate the job, but it’s definitely getting boring and will get more boring from a long term career view

[@hotchocolateandcats]

​@@ULTRAOutdoorsmanLMAO I love that

[@captinzoom]

whats going on. I'm 40 and I haven't meant one Gen z kid like this in the office. They are always so hard working and just over stress everything. The most I can say is that they need to be more brave in doing stuff on their own.

[@Bav92]

I have a few gen z’s in my office. One got caught sleeping by our CEO and fired. The second had a chronic issue where he called in sick 3x per week. The third is still here, he doesn’t really know how to hold a normal conversation but other than that he’s willing to learn.

[@Jon_Nadeau_]

Your company probably does a pretty good job on screening new employees and know how to filter out those who aren't disciplined. T

[@InversePacman]

Because most aren’t actually like that, this is satire meant to portray how the broader gen X and boomers are making them out to be.

[@josepablolunasanchez1283]

Parents educate them. Blame parents.

[@Bunny11344]

It’s the boomers in the office I have issues with they’re so bitter and refuse to retire yet everyone including supervisors have to walk on eggshells around them

[@Mastakilla91]

Many people started shitting on Gen Z for being dysfunctional, self-centered yaddi yaddi yadda.. but 1. they didn't raise themselves but were raised by their parents and society 2. they got exactly the right attitude to not let themselves be screwed over by the people in power aka. boomers I for myself wish them all the luck.

[@Shin-kf5ux]

idk about other gen-zers but I raised myself in a single parent household.. I quite literally learned everything by myself so I wouldnt end up in the same ditch.

[@Milkymalk]

Who EVER ended up the way their parents raised them? We all rebelled against our parents.

[@Jdmj1703]

​@@Milkymalk what

[@shanouboubou]

This clash of generations is actually quite sad to me. It's so clear that the capitalistic system has all exploited us in different ways, taking advantage of each's gen socio-politcal contexte to do it. We should stand together for a better future, not apart.

[@NJGuy1973]

Young people got more in common with old people than they got with rich people.

[@lianashivers4988]

I wish more people understood this.

[@thepanda9782]

it's because of lateral violence. Many Boomers use relative power (due to having access to generational wealth, status as a community member and elder, higher positions within the workforce, etc) to exploit their younger coworkers, community members, and family. Standing together would require many Boomers to let go of the idea that they are perfect beings and genuinely make efforts to improve their workplaces, communities, and families for the greater good. That would require listening to constructive criticism and resource sharing. The boomer generation holds over 70% of all wealth in America right now.....those under 40 have 7%....Remember those with money tend to be more conservative? Boomers are the largest voting block right now, and we've seen waves of extreme conservatism nearing Neo-Nazism at times. It is not a coincidence. They voted for things that helped them, then voted against them once it started benefiting their stock portfolios and house appreciation values. That is why many in Gen Z have taken an unapologetic stance ...previous generations being kind about these differences in 'ideology' hasn't done anything to fix climate change, the workforce, or abuse in family systems. It has just emboldened many older people to continue passing the buck and using lateral violence to cope instead of dealing with the root cause of these issues and changing things so we all enjoy a better society instead of whatever crap show this is. So yeah, absolutely we need to stand together...but that's not gonna happen when older gens don't want to do their part in fixing the mess they created.

[@vaderladyl]

This is precisely what is going on, they are dividing us so we get distracted with squabbles, and not get along.

[@vaderladyl]

Younger ones can learn to not be so dismissive of older gens as well.@@thepanda9782

[@miriam8376]

Gen X here: its been a corporate dystopia for a lot longer than you guys know. We were talking about this when I was in my early twenties-we just didn’t do it online where it’s hyper visible. Are corporations more corrupt than they used to be? No. Wealthy people have always wanted to profit from people with less without balancing the scales in return. The only difference is that there’s less oversight and less regulation and corporations are allowed to form conglomerates that form monopolies that get away with price gouging and driving inflation. And it all got worse because of the policies that the Reagan administration started passing. This is much bigger than jobs and housing, guys. It starts in laws and politics. Reagan deregulated a ton of industries-essential removing government oversight that allowed for record profits because of record bouts of taking advantage. When people blame the boomers, this is absolutely what they mean. If you want to want a job that’s paying a livable wage at a (realistic) entry level and the chance for affordable housing, run for office and/or vote blue. Corporations will not regulate themselves, and the super wealthy will always value money over people-thinking like this is how they became super wealthy in the first place, after all. Honest politicians who aren’t business-first are the only way to balance these scales. (Beware even the democrats who claim to be business-centered; that’s code for “I care about people as long as it doesn’t damage profits”). My parents had better lives because they had better laws, and better ways to enforce them, and for no other reason.

[@fredblake6135]

Well said.

[@KevinKimmich44024]

Gen X lived through the transition to full neoliberal economy corporatocracy... And now this system is at its end just like the heavy regulated super union economy was at its end for our parents. That didn't work. The corporate system and scam based economy doesn't either. the government is corporate owned and politicians are scumbags like always. There's no fixing this thing as a nation. People will just make little bubbles that are functional within a sea of failure. I think that's how it'll unfold anyway.

[@megt7128]

Honestly I don't think only voting blue fixes it. Corps buy politicians on both sides of the aisle. I believe we need to take a more participatory, DIY type approach to wealth redistribution. There are so many of us peons, boomers and zoomers and everyone in between, with common interests, and if we could just unite around that and against them, they'd be done.

[@sirius8477]

Fight Club already described the Gen X struggles perfectly.

[@Defeat-Ruzzia--Delete-Putin]

Wow, very thoughtful post! Appreciate it. Sometimes these videos seem so negative, but it's good to see all sides. Unfairness is a reality but not a reason to stay in bed all day.

[@hellofriend545]

“The hiring budget is always higher than the retention budget.” They’ll dangle a promotion over your head, then fire you in an eventual round of layoffs because it’s cheaper and easier to exploit new hires who are bright-eyed and desperate to prove themselves rather than build the career of people who are already getting frustrated with their exploitation exceeding the value of their pay. They burn you out and toss you aside. You are disposable, so why not treat jobs that way? :( cynical and disheartening vibes out here.

[@vee1267]

It’s so depressing it makes any foray back into job searching all the more intimidating, because there’s no guarantee of stability and no room to really become a part of something (which is a basic human psychological need).

[@pexoto5093]

Wow this is literally what happened to me Mfs kept asking me (working as junior dev but my responsibilities were actually mid-level) to build a mobile app to get to get a raise. I did. I learned the technology, migrated our base libs to .net core, added some infrastructure. Took me a few months to deliver. The raise never came, and i got fired some time after, in what was supposed to be the meeting where I would get my raise

[@markchristiansen5683]

Why is no one mentioning the part where she refers to Squarespace as her father? 3:28

[@ajsassafrass6883]

It's referred in her other videos as her daddy. It means sponsor. Like sugar daddy. You've dated yourself.

[@Douchey_Elkmen]

​@@ajsassafrass6883 fax

[@jabble__]

Because nobody watched it

[@sif1083]

im someone who recently graduated with a bachelor's and applied to 20 jobs and i still felt defeated... I feel sorry for everyone who is/was job searching for 2+ years

[@amv240]

With a PhD from an Ivy League in the US I applied to 200 jobs, got two interviews, and one offer. It’s sadly a numbers game nowadays, and it has to be played if you want to get a job without knowing someone.

[@t.l.5755]

No contacts even from your high value high priced school couldn't help you?@@amv240 What did you pay for then?

[@dalimillazan2877]

Oh, I am sorry sweet summer child, I for example apply to 60 jobs in 1 day when I am searching for a job and on average I get like 1 positive answer for 100 applications. Now I have bachelor degree in law and I worked part-times as customer care representative throught my studies, still I am mostly hired into this low-entry level jobs, thats it (5 years in Customer care jobs, with stellar statistics). Change finally came last year/this year (I am 27 now) when I got hired on 8.1. 24 as tax associate in 1 of the "big 4" companies, Suffice to say, I am extremely happy, as I have actually less work and better pay, even tho I work overtimes a lot, etc. its extreme upgrade as now I earn 250 euros more(850 to 1100) (I am form Slovakia - Europe)

[@kyleconnor2759]

What is your PhD for?

[@kyleconnor2759]

A lot of this is on parents for not seeing through the college scam. The job market is always going to come down to the actual value you can offer in a specific role. A bachelors is no guarantee you can do anything close to that. College is and has been a scam for 80% of students for decades now. Only a small amount of majors make sense.

[@AnnAndNala]

Early Gen-X here, and I have to say I have such immense admiration for Gen Z for not putting up with the abuse that corporations have loaded unto employees for too long. I've always felt the way you do, but when I pointed out the abusive tactics I received huge retaliation and no-one was brave enough to stand up to them with me. Hell, I got made fun of just for asking for a stand-up desk when they weren't a thing yet. I endured it for decades, and hated every minute of it. I finally ended up telling my last employer that things had to change because it was just too much, but instead they attempted to make a fool of me for speaking up and ignored my request to lessen the load. With that I ended up having a mental breakdown because I couldn't take it anymore. and quit the company. I finally quit the corporate world and never looked back. If they don't have employees to do their sh*t-work, then hopefully they'll learn their lesson and instead begin to treat people better in the future. Huge respect to Gen Z for not having it, huge. 🙌

[@NiekNooijens]

Oh no they'll just leave. In the Netherlands some big corporations are already threatening to leave because the gouvernement killed the tax benefits for expats.

[@jimx45]

As a millenial this is something I liked about Gen Z. I also do like Gen X's attitude of stop caring what people think and Gen X didn't really chase after big name companies.

[@rottin_3669]

If you could quit and leave that world behind why were you in it the first place?

[@HomeEcSewing]

Love this. I'm Gen X and totally on board with the interviewee. When I go to job interviews, I am interviewing them, and that isn't nearly normalized enough. It's going to take Boomers a bit to get used to this switch because they have been brainwashed into believing they are powerless, and want to perpetuate the cycle because they don't know any better. It's time to change the narrative and I'm so glad Gen Z is taking this to task.

[@jjn6914]

The sad thing is this is true of most Gen Xers, too. They also espouse the same attitude and manners as Boomers and Silent Generations. My Gen X boss worked through a serious medical emergency that landed them in the ER, even though their millennial direct reports (me and others) said they should take the week off. All the Gen X folks I worked with are workaholics with no real private life. Emailing at midnight, then working again at 5 a.m., another "I just remembered" email at 5 p.m., etc.--they're not helping the cause at all to undo the irrational entry-level expectations for younger generations and the extreme working hours.

[@vaderladyl]

That is the American way of life actually. Other countries are not like that including all generations.

[@Wild4lon]

Extreme working hours are normal. I'm a gen Z and I would expect anyone I work with to work most of the time with little time off.

[@margotpreston]

@@Wild4lon No they bloody aren't. You simply think they are because it's the only thing you have ever known. Wake up mate, because extreme hours are not normal in the bloody slightest.

[@adhaincroi]

I am gen X we were raised in a time of great upheaval and a lot of us were forced to take care of everything ourselves. what with absent parents etc. This is mainly what makes us have the attitude of if I don't do it nobody will do it correctly. It makes it very hard to step down and relax.

[@flowbot159]

​@@adhaincroiI feel this in my bones.

[@wipis59]

Hiring and training employees is expensive. So when they lay of a thousand of them at once and then hire new staff a year later it costs them a lot of money. So they feel put upon by the employee for having the audacity to ask for more money. But they could have avoided the whole situation by keeping employees on at reduced hours or not expecting constant growth for their shareholders and just calling a year a wash.

[@kenji214245]

The biggest issue right there. Constant growth for shareholders and dividends ruin huge portions of the market how many dramas do we see where companies do lay-offs while still doing record profits anything to keep the books in the green with a minimum of +2%

[@DigSamurai]

If a CEO doesn't perform for shareholders they get replaced. Capitalism is flawed and it might be the worst system out there, except for all the other ones.

[@TonboIV]

@DigSamurai It's not a binary choice. There are no "capitalist" countries, because every country has socialist aspects of its economy and interferes with the economy to some extent. There is no example of pure capitalism or a completely free market. The question is how many socialist policies should we have and how much should government intervene? The problem is that we're getting this question wrong.

[@imperfectly_megan]

I keep saying that though: why are we giving AI the art?

[@hazelhazelton1346]

Because it makes buying art cheaper, and selling art more profitable. :)

[@willythemailboy2]

Because the difference between AI art and human art isn't worth the price difference. Human art will become a luxury good the same way handmade furniture is, as compared to IKEA. When AI can drive a garbage truck or deliver mail as easily as a human, we'll use it for that too.

[@ULTRAOutdoorsman]

@@willythemailboy2Ironically the capitalists' insistence on a car culture has made it necessary to drive garbage trucks in the first place. But at least they have an idea of how to solve their own problems (and as usual, impoverish most people in the process).

[@calistafalcontail]

WE could do something about it by rising up against it, but we let the tech nerds, who dont know ish about creative work, ruin it all. We are really good at complaining online and be loud in comment sections (me included), but we never do anything! You will see more people on the actual streets protesting for men to be let into womens changerooms, than people demanding laws against art theft and the destruction of the job market.

[@Sirawxy]

Because it’s easier to train imo, and it’s profitable. You don’t need more reasons tbh

[@emomuzz5883]

Anna has pure gold here. This GenXer was born in 1970 when a starting salary of 20k/yr was around the same price as a starter home. We all need to REALLY listen to the Millennials and Zoomes who just want the same deal we did or they are going to find a solution that will benefit nobody in the long run. btw, "boss-Anna" does have some points too. Respect-2-Anna.

[@doraemon402]

Companies are refusing to train employees, which is absolutely pathetic and despicable behavior, creating the endless loop of needing a job to get experience and needing experience to get a job. And even if you manage to find a way through, you'll get an absurdly low salary with a promise of "don't worry, every year there's a revision and you'll get a raise", which turns out to be a 2% raise that will not even compensate for normal levels of inflation (let alone current ones).

[@koalabro6118]

"nobody wants to work"... For a wage that doesn't even afford them the ability to survive.

[@Griefball]

I don't know what to say. Living as a relatively young individual currently is slowly draining my will to live where the question I ask myself is not if I want out of a bad situation, but whether I want to participate in a society that is as abusive as ours.

[@moonman2022]

Both the Mystic and the Troll asked themselves the same question.

[@livinglifeleona]

I regularly peruse the job boards and I've noticed a concerning trend. Employers are expecting HIGHLY qualified people (Master's degrees, PhD's, 5+ years of experience) to work either low paying jobs or jobs that very obviously are 3 different jobs combined in one. Example: HR-Front Desk-Secretary person needed with 10 years experience for $75K.

[@TreeHairedGingerAle]

All of this ☝🏾✨

[@Nerotique]

I'm gen x. Wages are stagnant and do not reflect the price of rent, food, or utilities. That's a fact Jack!

[@bh5826]

Yes and they were the same before you were born. Some die others live, facts of life kid

[@Nerotique]

OK, Boomer.

[@ominousbiscuit]

@@bh5826Objectively wrong, average wages before a Gen X'er was born could easily keep up with the cost of living. If you think otherwise you don't understand basic math.

[@adhaincroi]

Yep Im Gen X and according to my mom and my grandmother its always been like this. I do remember my grandparents' parents and uncles and aunts always being at work trying to make ends meet. that's why GenX raised themselves.

[@dimpledsunflower]

2:38 they don’t care, literally they’re just thinking about their retirement

[@atanamorell2]

I'm old (54). Things are much worse now than when I started working. Fight for your rights.

[@Sultan-cf5wf]

A job near me had 44 applicants. Through a connection of mine, I found out that this company had: 6 internal applicants and; they only offered 6 interview slots. I was 7th in line. :)

[@msFiBi]

I hate how memes try to imply that Millenials or smth "started it". I am 40 and I felt and keep feeling all those struggles: hardly surviving salary, small apartment, I never had a CAR and I travel for 10 days once in 6 years! Its not the "40s smth" who lead the world to outrageous state of econimics. Its the older people who are stuck to their places and didnt ever let us take their place because older people (60+) are still in charge!

[@samuelbarrett5701]

Ive spent so little money on myself these past years that to hear somebody say i live beyond my means is demonstrating their ignorance. Oh, and yes, i do know how to use a fax machine. I also know how to work hard and work well - and will happily do so if compensated appropriately.

[@elly7199]

That brought tears to my eyes. I’m 54. I’m stuck in the middle as Gen x with gen z kids. I’m frustrated by those in my generation who are boomers in mentality if not age. Sigh. I am one of those who are cheering on gen z. Go get ‘em!

[@stumbling]

Remember kids, destroying your body working 50 years for some faceless corporation who never so much as remembered your birthday is noble and worthy.

[@FalbertForester]

I've seen it summed up as: "In five years, the only ones that will remember all that overtime you put in are your family."

[@EmilyEquinox]

​@@FalbertForester not when you've got a dysfunctional family :( lose-lose all around it feels like

[@mr_0n10n5]

I had older relatives who complained I wasn't working after I quit my job to go to college. Then complained that I quit college to work a 9-5 (it was a good white collar job). I would be winning if I moved out when I had the chance in 2021 😂

[@InJeffable]

The world my Baby Boomer parents entered the job market in was very different from what Millennials and Gen Z are facing now. The cost of living alone makes the 2020s and, say, the 1970s not really comparable. Baby Boomers weren't paying over half their net income to rent a one bedroom apartment like I'm doing now. I'm making $40k a year and just getting by. For me to live comfortably just as a single person (forget about having a wife and kids), I'd probably have to make $60k a year.

[@jessmith7324]

Try 70K. Im making about 60k and still working through it

[@InJeffable]

@@jessmith7324 You're probably right. The funny thing about that for me is that the owners of the apartment complex where I live have a so-called "affordable" rent option (which is not what I would call affordable, but I digress) for people making less than $62k a year. They're basically saying that if you make less than $62k, you must be struggling financially. That's wild to me. Just 15 years ago, anything approaching $62k would have been an awesome salary as a single person.

[@jjoohhhnn]

@@jessmith7324 Depends on where you live, in Wyoming it's cheap AF to live, but in NYC and LA and Chicago, where the work is? Oof, 70k is enough in meh to bad neighborhoods. My college town of 120k it's rare to find any property under 500k. I would say the median is between 600 and 700k, meaning 70k is 1/10th the price of the MEDIAN house. Absolutely INSANE, especially with these interest rates.

[@jessmith7324]

@@jjoohhhnn True. Big cities and college towns are the most expensive because capitalism. Also too, big cities anywhere in the world tend to be most expensive. London is in top 5 I think

[@jjoohhhnn]

@@jessmith7324 Indeed, even in the East, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Toyko, and I'm sure India will create a city comparably expensive, as well as Africa. Cairo and Lagos are beginning the climb.

[@stephanimahl]

amazing dialogue! I relate to both sides, and this reflexion made me empathyze so much with gen Z. It's like they received a ruined, comdemned, hopeless reality world, without even the chance to dream of a better future. Must be tough.

[@threeducksinatrenchcoat]

“Lack of being able to build a community or understand the nuance of social interactions” Bbg social media and the internet isn’t the issue, it’s the lack of third spaces. We have nowhere else to GO? To the mall? Susie lives too far and can’t afford gas and shopping. Janet is working minimum wage at 16 because she was conditioned at a young age to get into the work force as fast as possible to help run the capitalist machine. I’m here raising my siblings while my parents are run into the ground by lack of socialization and the machine. We spend more money keeping people OUT of third spaces, all because of boomers. It all started during segregation. Black people started to get their own houses and it’s been PROVEN through population movements that when the oppressor no longer has power, they lose interest and go away. They built highways and parking lots to separate the people of color from the white people. Now we’re eternally reliant on vehicles to get anywhere because everything is so spread out (most of the country is just asphalt and concrete!). And have you SEEN hostile architecture? It’s ugly, painful, and cost more than just helping the homeless! But NO, people want the homeless out of sight instead of dealing with the situation. 1/3 homeless people are veterans, the rest are people living on pay check to pay check, disabled, the list goes on. The US isn’t BUILT for “community” it’s built to keep you running as long as possible until you drop. Why do you think phones are so addictive? It’s called “instant gratification”. When you’re on social media you get a hit of dopamine when you see something you like. It’s a feel-good chemical. They make us miserable to the point where we hit a survival mindset and prioritize short-term pleasure over long-term happiness. We don’t have the energy and resources for more than that. We’re trapped on our phones that were die signed to keep us on for as long as possible. So, yes, we don’t know how to build community and social interactions! Most of us were raised by the internet! We never see each other outside of work, school, or homes! You say the truth but you don’t know the real reason behind it all and you’re pointing fingers at a straw man instead of looking at the problems you and the past generations caused! Third spaces are ugly, uncomfortable, hostile, few and far between, and expensive. Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk

[@pexoto5093]

Damn. Word

[@kieronfarley1924]

I’ve been legit saying this, AI and automation is only an issue because we’re living in a society where we all have to work long hours for extremely little. With automation we should embrace it and allow ourselves to work less as technology picks up the slack, we only works sake anyways.

[@brittney3156]

We can't expect companies to fix this. It has to be the people and an actually democratic government.

[@austinlevreault6211]

I'm a millennial and a huge part of the reason I'm in therapy now is that I can't find a job, or afford a place of my own to live. I majored in STEM can't pay my student loans. My thinking keeps taking me back to the obscene wealth inequality we have today. No more billionaires OR Corporations valued over one billion dollars is as far as my thinking takes me.

[@Rutabega_NG]

Who do you think owns the government? As long as lobbyists can buy politicians, it _is_ the companies that will have to fix this.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

Vote, sure, but don't think that is enough. You need to set up social structures yourself. Get about a hundred people together and you should have enough hands and brains to cover basically all required skills to have an independent (not isolated though!) and stable society. Then support each other in as many ways possible. The more you support each other, the less dependent you are on government or business, so the more power you have when negotiating with them. This gives tons of options, working as much as you want is one of the mayor benefits. If at all possible get a derelict block or plot of land and build houses, that should allow your community to massively reduce the living costs for its members. With as added benefit that living in the same street increases social cohesion automatically.

[@SkySong6161]

@@bramvanduijn8086The problem with that is if you think the corporations and the government they own are gonna *allow* something like that... I get you mean well, but that is gloriously naieve. Get a community together yeah. But then arm them. You won't be left alone unless you can *make* them to leave you alone. And sometimes that means making sure they aren't around to be a problem.

[@tranquilclaws8470]

@@SkySong6161 Congratulations, you have created a gang. But seriously, once gangs become large enough and are forced to actually manage their people and territory, they become sovereign nations in their own way.

[@Sergei_Ivanovich_Mosin]

"no one wants to work" really means "no one wants to work for 20 year old wages but modern day cost of living."

[@GTRFREAK17]

Nailed it! Most people know this is the reality yet refuse to acknowledge it because that would mean changing their world view and yet I've experienced heaps of people questioning the way I choose to live my life as it's not the predefined path of following societal bullshit, instead it's a gradual building of my own business to work for myself so I don't have to deal with the unnecessary drama of what is offered to us.

[@LadyWolf6692]

All of that was also said about Gen-Xers as well. We were also called lazy, slackers, accused of not wanting to work, etc.

[@strangelyukrainian7314]

If they say, “nobody wants to work anymore” the only response should be, “nobody wants to pay anymore”

[@JessicaMorgani]

If salary doesn't pay for the cost of living to work in the job then yeah I'm becoming a youtuber. How was this ever a missunderstanding?

[@vaderladyl]

So who is going to do the important jobs like doctors, teachers, lawyers, policemen and so on?

[@Jasondurgen]

@@vaderladylwho’s going to pay them properly so that there’s no incentive to drive folks to those careers outside of their moral compass?

[@Jessica-ch1yi]

@@vaderladylyou think people should do those jobs even when they aren’t making enough to live off of?? No.

[@vaderladyl]

Ok how are doctors, lawyers and such not getting paid well? You are not getting my point@@Jessica-ch1yi

[@vaderladyl]

I am talking about the important jobs that are already well paid. Who are going to do those if every one wants to be a youtuber@@Jasondurgen

[@Sheisme120]

I love how we younger people are such pros at setting boundaries and calling things out for what they are.🙌🏻

[@mjp152]

The brilliance of this bit is that both sides are correct - and that is the conundrum we are facing collectively.

[@cameronheron8551]

Gen Z is not a generation that will work a full-time job, buy a home, have a stable home life, and live comfortable and balanced work and pleasure until we retire and live off a pension till we die in our sleep. Unfortunately, it is on us to create that for the next generation. I have so much motivation and willingness to work, but I will not give that to huge corporations who don't reward such effort yet expect and demand it. I will work so that I can pay my bills and eat. I will be defensive of management in my skilled position, where I am paid the bare minimum and treated like the biggest problem for not doing everyone else's job. But on my weekend, I will work on my passions; I will fail again and again in my own projects in a shitty apartment, not having enough to start a family and barely paying for the necessities, and like all other Gen Zs, I will die here, or I will hold out long enough to replace the failing, out of touch, and greedy corporations that exist now. Corporations are to Capitalism, what Fascism is Democracy, its enemy. But like Fascism, Coroprationism is unsustainable.

[@RealMilester1]

01:49 👈 This, right here, thats what makes me so angry about our current situation

[@Drosenv]

Nobody wants to work is code for "I don't have enough employees to abuse at walmart and my burger took too long to make😢"

[@lurklingX]

definitely some valid points from both arenas. but the one that REALLY stands out is the doing repetitive tasks when we have automation, and WHY NOT all be artists, why does AI get that?? -automation saves companies money. the workers never see it. and the workers do not get an upgrade like more time off or shorter work week. we've been doing this same pace for DECADES, despite improvements in technology. AND there should be some laws in place to let some of that profitability come back to the workers. we ARE struggling with the financial crisis, housing crisis, and all sorts of things. GREED of the few will destroy the many.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

Once more for the people in the back: "Automation saves companies money. the workers never see it. "

[@ericepperson8409]

It depends on the automation. I worked for a software company that provided a tool for centralization and management of "batch" and scripted tasks. The licensing cost of just 1 task was about half the salary of a regular worker. There is a cost of implementation to any of these things - The company has to pay a programmer to create and test the task. It also has to maintained as the base software and hardware gets updated and upgraded. These things break ALL the time. Don't get me wrong where I'm coming from. Companies should invest more in their infrastructure and employees rather than their C-Suite. CEOs' salaries have risen over 1000% in the past 45 years. The ratio of CEO to avg worker pay has gone from ~40-1 to 400+-1. Although the latest data is showing that in the past 5 years this has dipped to ~250-1, so progress... I guess?

[@firebreathingchickenduck4936]

"You dont want to work!" I dont want to work at a job that is going to kill me

[@RubikalCube]

"Your generation doesnt want to work" I WANT more hours but im being FORCED to work PART TIME FOREVER for a company to not give me the benafits of full time in a minimum wage job

[@colinf2316]

I’m a millennial and I’ve been screaming from the rooftops about everything the gen z kid said as long as I can remember. Boomers are the problem. They still are.

[@baneblackguard584]

the most unrealistic part is the HR person not looking at the kid for 2 seconds in silence and then just saying "have a nice day... NEXT"

[@tristanneal9552]

Honestly both made good points. The Boomer's mini rant at half time was spot on

[@pluglife7381]

I need to make 3x the amount to qualify! Thank you for saying that, I’ve been trying to tell my job this. I joined the military to help with the cost of living and they want me to provide for myself but are not paying me the amount I need to survive. And they keep telling me it’s my fault. So I felt seen with this. I’ve been working on my housing situation for the last 6 months and my paperwork for it has not gone through. I know it’s going to get resolved but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been stressful.

[@DiscordBeing]

Live on base then? Army pay is famously low. They make up for that by having you live on base.

[@pluglife7381]

@@DiscordBeing I made rank quick and wasn’t prepared to move off base financially and now I’m being forced too. But they are not give me BAH or basic allowance for housing so I don’t make enough to afford an apartment off the base and because of a “policy” change they wouldn’t route my paperwork till I get a lease but no one will lease me because I don’t make 3x as much on my basic pay. If they gave me the housing allowance then I could afford. But they’re forcing me out without giving me the allowance and I can’t afford to live off base. Someone would say roommate and yeah but in the military personal space is not a thing and I’d like to just have my own place to come home too. But hey that’s enough bitching.

[@dougdimmadomeownerofthedim2918]

​​@@pluglife7381You should include your BAH & BAS pay in your application even if you haven't received it yet. If a leasing office ask for pay stubs as proof, I would also bring whatever documents stating you WILL be receiving BAH & BAS to explain why it isn't reflected in the given evidence.

[@인형바보]

Well, these labelling exists because of what generations collectively gone through and the events that shaped them. There are always differences in each generation because of how different the environment that shapes them when they grow up, in my opinion.

[@sarah.s.flanagan]

Another thing I don't see mentioned often enough: most minimum wage jobs will exclusively hire part-time employees so that they don't have to cover any benefits. I worked at a gym when I was younger who would schedule you for a max of 20 hours a week so that you could sub extra shifts if needed and still not hit 40 hour average so that they'd never have to put anyone but the manager on their health insurance

[@LeadrynMcKrotch]

The push for people to become sociopathic is kind of wild. Like why is empathy and compassion considered weak? Why is having emotions bad? Like we do know to not have empathy, compassion, and shows no emotion to sad things is sociopathic behavior. So why are we told to act like that?

[@anshevel]

I love how gen Z is portrayed very comically but still says things which make a valid point 🤭

[@meaganthemarionette4899]

0:53 I mean...as a 23 yesr old, she has a point on the instant gratification and possibly beyond livable means thing.

[@zasta7]

Gen Z is figuratively giving the middle finger to the corporate exploitative behaviours.

[@mimilapush]

I dont think they will win. Corporations will imo. They are already automating as much as possible, order gens will be workong there still and probs being paid higher as younger gens dont want to join

[@zasta7]

@@mimilapush Older gens will be working because they won't be bothered by bad salaries and overworking. That's been the trend of what corporates have been doing to obedient people.

[@sandermez3856]

"i suffered so you should have to also" is what everyone who did NOT suffer says.

[@mxm7647]

I love that " nobody wants to work " comment. That's what greedy owners say all the time. People want to work for decent pay so they can afford to live. People also want legal contracts with no loopholes. And the greedy owners? There is no chance they will change their ways. Instead, they will try to employ foreigners from countries with worse economies and get away with paying them less, especially when the foreigners don't speak the country's language.

[@davidcrowther9504]

I love how Anna shows views from both sides. And it is interesting seeing the kind of children that one generation produces which then in turn creates another different one thereafter.

[@Ash2theB]

My GenX co-worker always running around with her head cut off always asking me do you want to switch places like it's freaky Friday. I'm like no mainly bc of her boomer boss takes a two minute phone call and turns into a ten minute one, I use my vacation time to actually go on vacation and 9hrs at work twice a week waiting for email responses.

[@steggopotamus]

Elder millennials and I still don't know how to give myself space at a company. And I'm better at it than most gen x and older that I know. So, power to you. I hope to learn from your work type some day.

[@DrakeStardragon]

As a boomer, I have agreed with the position of Gen Z long before generations were given ridiculous f'ing compartmentalized labels in what is actually a fluidic reality (babies are not born in blocks of years). But, simple minds think simple. The best answer/gift I can give you all, read/listen to Robert Sapolsky's Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will. Don't stop fighting the programming of your elders.

[@gardenwonder7977]

I'd caution against sharing academic books. Those are turning into capitalist ways for them to generate money by appealing to certain people. Why do school books cost $300? It's supposed to be real education and it's not. Even these small little books.

[@DrakeStardragon]

This is not an academic book, just a book written by a professor and it costs very little@@gardenwonder7977

[@PokeNebula]

Libraries.

[@DrakeStardragon]

@@gardenwonder7977 It's not an academic book.

[@nickpacitti3247]

Anna, as an average white male in his 60s…this is the greatest example of “putting the stick to pig”…I’ve always taught my kids that it’s their world literally and I’m just living in it 😂…way to put self ignorance in its place…I’m so proud of my kids/your generations pursuit of knowledge, inspiration, and compassion. Keep up the great content 👍👏✌️

[@justicebrown1077]

Got an interview for a job that pays 17.50 hourly, for 32 hr weeks. After tax that's 24,752 yearly. The average cost of living is 42,697 yearly. Thankfully i still live with my dad but i don't *want* to. This economy is so fucked

[@justicebrown1077]

Cost of living is for where I live

[@KBos72]

I'm 51. (Not a boomer, Gen X technically) I never wanted to work. I mean, I did because I had to, but want? Nah. I think you can divide older people into two camps (I'm generalizing), some who totally get that housing affordability is off the charts, and have been suffering through corporate bullshit all their lives and are secretly, but genuinely, rooting for Gen Z to topple the whole thing. Or, the people who are so out of touch that they can't even conceive that things could possibly be different or why, seeing the world as it is, younger people might not want to participate. But, then, you know, Gen X has always been described as cynical and y'all are our kids and nieces and nephews, and we love what you're doing.

[@RamadaArtist]

"You can't even use a fax machine!" "Well you can't use a cotton gin, what's your point?"

[@Daniel_Zhu_a6f]

btw, polls in different countries regularly show that there are almost no people who would like to work more for proportional increase in salary. it's not that most people don't want to work, they just can't reliably handle more work.

[@vee1267]

Yes! Terrible pay is only half the equation, the other half is that young people saw what workaholic burnout did to their parents (and, consequentially, their entire families) and are saying “no. I don’t want that. I know my limits and I’m not willing to self-destruct in a futile effort to break those limits. Sure, I COULD do that, but I’d rather live life instead of merely exist. I work to live, not live to work.”

[@stevepreskitt283]

A "proportional increase in salary" is a misnomer - wages have not kept up with inflation by a long shot, so why let an employer rip them off even more? For most folks that have worked for the same employer for 5 years with no adjustment, a 20% increase STILL puts them at less than what they made when they were hired if you assume a (conservative) 4% inflation rate each year. Employers like to complain that "no one wants to work", when it really should be "no one wants to work for a 2-3% pay cut every year".

[@livingliminally]

"Why do YOU want that? Gross." 💯

[@69SalterStreet]

I agree with a lot of what you said. I would still caution younger people about becoming someone that only thinks about themselves and cannot work as part of a team. If you can’t be dependable in your little office job, if you never volunteer to help others or expand your skills, then you won’t be that person when there’s an opening at your favorite start up or charity or whatever you’re really passionate about. A lot of people use the current State of things as an excuse to actually act like a big asshole and treat their coworkers like garbage. Don’t be anybody’s fool, but don’t take advantage of anyone either.

[@xXHollysoxXx]

Don’t forget how businesses are foregoing degree requirements as an excuse to pay you even less money! They really could not care less about the average person, that’s why we need regulation laws to protect workers and consumers!!

[@MrReese]

I am an older millennial and I am not any different honestly :D. I mean I don't care for social media and all that, but regarding the work landscape I couldn't agree more.

[@FiveMCity]

The mandatory overtime and understaffing.. This can't just be me, has to be happening to others as well..

[@jacobruiter592]

It's in nearly every employment sector. Corpos don't want to pay a fair wage and aren't willing to hire on with these restrictions. They'd rather outsource employment or make a handful of compliant workers take on more responsibility and work with little to no increase in pay.

[@bastianogr4960]

A couple of years ago I wouldn't have imagined to ever say this, but the corporate world and politics have pushed me onto the side of Gen Z. And I'm Gen X and supposed to hate the young ones. But come on. All they're doing, is what we older ones have never dared to do in the job world: setting boundaries and standing our ground. Yeah, maybe some take it too far. But in general, they're doing the right thing. The corporations are the ones that deserve all the backlash.

[@Anleifr]

they realize we are all corporate slaves and want no part of it, I am in agreement with them. I have felt the same way for years now a whole generation is saying it. I work in IT, it is 100 times worse because you have to be oncall and expected to be available 24/7 or during your rotation, yet they will only pay salary so you don't get overtime!

[@keybgbeez5713]

"and that's how a doomer schools a boomer, follow me 😘" It's too early for me to be laughing this hard 😂