by Count Mippipopoulos

Created on: November 01, 2007

"Money, prestige, power...these are the tools you need to lead a worthwhile and happy existence." This is American society's core message, and this is why so many of us seem to lead such futile lives. Any society based upon such a shallow mantra should be viewed with skepticism and a burning desire for change. The problem with modern America and American youth in particular is that nobody wants to admit that our society is a time bomb in the final seconds before detonation.

We are the Nowhere Generation. As children of the Baby Boomers, we are held to the societal standards of our parents while we slowly drown in the reality of our own modern world; a world infinitely different from that of our parents'. The resulting confusion and conflict between us is frustrating and disheartening to say the least. Our parents and our parents' parents were able to hold down a steady job, pay for college, buy a house and have two kids by the age of 25. Not to say that they didn't sometimes struggle to make ends meet, but things are far different today. By the time we've made our monthly student loan payments and put gas in our cars, we barely have enough left to have any sort of life outside our jobs. Being able to pay over $2,000 a month for a mortgage or $1,500 a month for a hole-in-the-wall apartment in a questionable neighborhood is simply a pipe dream for most.

My friends and I are all intelligent young professionals; hard workers, and yes, underpaid and under-appreciated. The American Dream became an unattainable feat long before we even reached adolescence. We are faced with the fear that one day, if we are fortunate enough to have devoted 30 of the best years of our lives to our employers, we may be laid off without warning and with no promise of retirement benefits. It happened to my father and I would be naive to think that it couldn't happen to me. In fact after only six months with my current employer, I barely escaped an unexpected round of layoffs. In light of the generous severance packages and my current disdain for everything about my job, the layoff would have been a blessing. I know for a fact that many of my colleagues feel the same way, and we anxiously await the coming of future 'separations.'

As much as I hate griping about life and those who make it a habit, I can't help but notice vast hoards of Twenty-Somethings trudging through life with frowns on their faces, despair in their hearts, and the weight of the world (on top of six-figure student loan

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