Throwing baby boomers out with the bath water

(Be forewarned: Major bellyaching to follow, but continue to the end I think it's worth it.)

The search for the structure of meaning in a lengthy career won’t unearth what you’re looking for. Your years of experience are of little value when you’ve been cut adrift multiple times within a career. It’s tough trying to keep the narrative of your story together so you’ll make sense to the next interviewer. Many of my former colleagues now live with the unrelenting stress of looking for work in a world that values none of their skills, wisdom, acumen, hard skills, soft skills, ancient skills, acquired skills, transferable skills,—all are lost in the game of personality management. People want to be surrounded only by others they view as similar to themselves.

So, I have developed little empathy for the twenty-somethings with huge college loan debt, and few job prospects. It’s worse at this end of the spectrum. Cynicism is sinking all our boats.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much inspiration in the current state of conventional wisdom. Case in point: An article in the NYTimes published 7/12/11 by Thomas Friedman entitled The Start-up of you. The article made points we’ve heard before, but what I found particularly encouraging was the wisdom of some of the comments that followed the post. Utterly brilliant! (emphasis, mine.)

This, from someone in New York:

Technology has simply fulfilled its promise of relieving the human being from so many dirty, dehumanizing, mindless, physically debilitating tasks. What is outmoded is our system of distributing resources/wealth. We must rethink the concept that in order to live a comfortable life every adult must work 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, every year, until age 70. If we have reached a point where it only requires 20 hours a week to produce all that society needs,then that has to become the standard for a weekly wage that pays the rent, food, and utility bills. If making room in the workforce for the next generation requires this generation to retire at 60, then beginning at 60 people have to have the resources to retire. There are more than enough resources to sustain the world's population in comfort and dignity; we just need a better system than the 40 hour a week, work ‘til you die system of distribution. ~from NY, NY

This, from someone in Bloomington, Indiana

It seems to me that what we're seeing is a change in how we determine value, and not in a good way. People enjoy using Facebook, but if it ceased to exist tomorrow, so what? It isn't as if people would starve, or we'd suddenly lack water or fuel or clothes to wear or clean air to breathe. People wouldn't stop sharing their experiences with each other; they'd just find another way to do it. And relatively few people would even be out of work. The economic value of Facebook is pure illusion. Ditto Twitter; the people who use it would miss it, but its existence doesn't solve the real problems confronting us, nor would its disappearance create new problems.

The supposed value of social networking companies, or internet companies that serve as mere conduits for what others create, is precisely what's wrong with the economy. They're valued in absurd disproportion to what they actually contribute to society. It's all perception and no substance. I'd feel much better if you told me that the fastest growing companies were developing new energy sources. We need to think strategically for the long term, and not simply react like infatuated teenagers to the sensation of the moment.

Electronic time-wasting has replaced what was once the world's greatest manufacturing economy in the world. Did we really have to ship the production of everything overseas, even clothing and furniture? Both political parties have failed to look out for what used to be a middle class, and America may never be the same again. I'd rather go back to stiff tariffs than see us descend into nothing but a computer-based entertainment nation.

What everybody seems to keep forgetting, is that a business transaction is at least two-sided. It's wonderful to have a new perspective on entrepreneurialship, but without a 'purchasing public', there's no market for it; it's all one-sided. And the 'purchasing public' has been dwindling for years. Why not repair roads, bridges, and other crumbling infrastructure, through making a startup to do something selfless and practical and actually needed, instead of creating new markets where there previously were none, and adding to the junk factor? Does anyone ever step back a few feet and look at the big picture? Also it's never a good idea to put all the eggs in one basket...which seems to be encouraged here. What we need is a break from bad advice, on all fronts, and just the rolling up of our sleeves and getting to work. ~from Bloomington, IN

Thank you my fellow Americans!! After reading these comments I see at least a few of you ARE GETTING IT!!  Thanks for writing this so I didn't have to. Again, the bolded italics are my emphasis.