Aborted Dreams

The above is an example of the "parents at my age" meme, which highlights the horrible economic conditions we've bequeathed to Millennials and Gen Z in the form of student debt, precarious employment, and ridiculously low wages.

Gothgrrl and I had a discussion on renting vs. owning a home, and the conditions that favor one over the other. She said she cannot imagine staying in the same town for long enough to justify buying a home, since the only way to get a raise in your career is to get a different job elsewhere. And she must have that option, as she will have considerable debt when she graduates.

I can relate, as I spent the 1980s and part of the '90s job hopping from radio station to radio station, but back then a decent-sized town might have ten radio stations. With deregulation, one man owns all the stations in a small town now, and in some cases, in several small towns. Not only is he not giving out raises, he is eliminating jobs by automation and syndication. That's why I changed careers to one that meshes with my home ownership. Still, my student debt was paid off for many years by then.

See more of these "parents at my age" illustrations at The Daily Dot.