Change in expectations is a generational thing, experts say. People who grew up during the Depression were happy to have a job and stuck with one for a lifetime. Many members of generations X and Y were raised in a different light. They expect a buffet of opportunities and are peeved when they don't materialize.
Oh, now what happened to that little group in between that was born between 1945-1964...hmmm, if only there was a name for that high growth period. Gosh, what would we call that baby boom period? Every generation complains about the next generation and saying this is the most extreme ever is rubbish. People can spin this story as much as they like - and they do, almost every week as Boomers just eat this up as much as a story glorifying their own generation - there's never any proper context.
The children of Boomers may have been showered with stuff from indulgent parents though the kids also witnessed a generation that increasingly worked more jobs with less job security. As they enter the working world, they receive much less compared to previous generations in terms of salary and benefits. (The peak of take home pay was in the early 1970s.) Are these kids supposed to sit back and be praiseworthy and accepting of these new dynamics? As much as I don't buy into the buy-your-way-to-happiness mentality that exists in America and Europe, it's not quite as simple as the weekly Boomer hit pieces suggest.
