‘What's striking isn't just that young adults are delaying milestones - it's that many are questioning whether those life events are achievable at all’ one financial expert said
The use of the term “milestone” or “goal” when the article talks about how these are neither for a growing percentage of the population is interesting.
A goal is something you seek to achieve. Looks like a lot of people are no longer seeking to achieve the things previous generations have attempted to convince them to chase.
It can be very hard to disentangle the cause and effect of ‘not wanted so it doesn’t count as a failure to not get it,’ vs ‘can’t do it, so won’t say I want it,’ vs ‘might want to do it but everyone and everything is getting fucked so hard these days and I don’t want to watch my kid get fucked, so not going to bother having one.’
I don’t. I’m saying it’s really hard to tell why people aren’t doing something without putting in a lot of effort.
If someone says no to an offered glass of red wine at dinner, it can be very hard to tell why. They could be an oenophile, and it’s not good enough. They could be a former alcoholic not wanting to fall off the wagon. They could be pregnant. They could just prefer white. They could be practicing moderation and not taking a second glass. They could be a designated driver. They could recognise the vintner as one who supports a cause with which they disagree. It could be for some other reason not mentioned here. It could even be true they really want it but don’t want to be seen wanting it, or don’t want to take one glass because what they really want is the bottle and it just feels better to say no to the whole thing rather than get less than what they want, or they don’t want to ruin their ability to enjoy really shitty wine by tasting better wine, and so on, and so on, so they say they don’t want it even when that’s not strictly true.
You wouldn’t know without digging in and expending a lot of time and effort. The same applies to those ‘milestones.’ We can see people without them, but it’s not obvious in what ratios the big group of ‘people over age XX who aren’t homeowners’ can be divided as to ‘why.’ I’d like to know, but I don’t have several million dollars to send out swarms of researchers.
They’re not seeking to achieve them* in the same way a homeless person who’s been homeless for years might give up on not being homeless. They’re not attaining enlightenment and abandoning their mortal coil here; they’re being priced out of things they want to do.
*Says you, at least. That’s not what the article says; that’s what you seem to want it to say.
The use of the term “milestone” or “goal” when the article talks about how these are neither for a growing percentage of the population is interesting.
I mean, an unachievable goal is still a goal.
A goal is something you seek to achieve. Looks like a lot of people are no longer seeking to achieve the things previous generations have attempted to convince them to chase.
It can be very hard to disentangle the cause and effect of ‘not wanted so it doesn’t count as a failure to not get it,’ vs ‘can’t do it, so won’t say I want it,’ vs ‘might want to do it but everyone and everything is getting fucked so hard these days and I don’t want to watch my kid get fucked, so not going to bother having one.’
Why assume everyone wants a house, a marriage, and children to begin with?
I don’t. I’m saying it’s really hard to tell why people aren’t doing something without putting in a lot of effort.
If someone says no to an offered glass of red wine at dinner, it can be very hard to tell why. They could be an oenophile, and it’s not good enough. They could be a former alcoholic not wanting to fall off the wagon. They could be pregnant. They could just prefer white. They could be practicing moderation and not taking a second glass. They could be a designated driver. They could recognise the vintner as one who supports a cause with which they disagree. It could be for some other reason not mentioned here. It could even be true they really want it but don’t want to be seen wanting it, or don’t want to take one glass because what they really want is the bottle and it just feels better to say no to the whole thing rather than get less than what they want, or they don’t want to ruin their ability to enjoy really shitty wine by tasting better wine, and so on, and so on, so they say they don’t want it even when that’s not strictly true.
You wouldn’t know without digging in and expending a lot of time and effort. The same applies to those ‘milestones.’ We can see people without them, but it’s not obvious in what ratios the big group of ‘people over age XX who aren’t homeowners’ can be divided as to ‘why.’ I’d like to know, but I don’t have several million dollars to send out swarms of researchers.
Because by and large most people do? People are essentially hardwired for the second and third, and almost nobody rents because they want to rent.
Sounds like you haven’t met much variety in people, tbh.
Also sounds like you have a pretty set idea of what life should look like. I wonder who set it?
They’re not seeking to achieve them* in the same way a homeless person who’s been homeless for years might give up on not being homeless. They’re not attaining enlightenment and abandoning their mortal coil here; they’re being priced out of things they want to do.
*Says you, at least. That’s not what the article says; that’s what you seem to want it to say.
Correct, says me. I am combining concepts in novel ways and reasoning through the implications.
Ya know, thinking.
Clearly you’ve never taken a management class.