Remember the ’80s? That was the era of Pac Man, punk rock, and boom boxes. It was also the time of YUPs (now called “yuppies,” because it sounds cuter). YUPs were a whole class of Young Urban Professionals, making their own successful ways in the job market. (Ah, the good ol’ days.)
But, since the ’80s everything has changed. Now that we are in a recession, we at USDemocrazy would like to reclassify the YUP acronym and instead refer to them now as: Young and Universally Poor.
That’s right folks, as of now we are all poor — including those aformentioned yuppies.
And it is not just contemporary yuppies who are under seige… current college students (aka: AYUPs… aspiring yuppies) are also in trouble.
Morgan Oliver, who was featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” is a recent graduate of Columbia College. Like so many of her peers, Oliver just can’t find a job! Are we surprised? No. But what does one do with mountains of student loans with no substantial income to pay them off? (Ignoring them doesn’t work… we’ve tried.)
Anyone looking to enter the workforce now may want to run and hide… or consider getting another degree. Hibernating in academia for another few years (or decades) looks increasingly attractive. (Many a college senior could tell you this is a great idea!)
Other would-be yuppies are finding themselves in soup kitchen lines. Nick Turse at Mother Jones discusses the changing face of the working poor in America… a face that is getting younger. (Does this remind anyone else of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?)
So much attention is being paid to those who have been laid-off (and rightly so!). But let us not forget the youth of today (and yuppies of tomorrow) who can’t even break into the job market to build up some savings. These kids might listen to Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” and beg to differ.
Image courtesy of crunchgear.com.
