35. The Unluckiest Generation: What Will Become of Millennials?

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/04/the-unluckiest-generation-what-will-become-of-millennials/275336/

On April 27th, Derek Thompson wrote an article about the current generation, the Millennials, and their disadvantage for having been born during the mid-1980s. He introduces his topic by clarifying who makes up the Millennials and gives a short historical background on what they have gone through, explaining that despite these experiences, they have suffered because of the faltering economy. He says that education has become more expensive and since the generation is so large and technology is advancing quickly, the number of jobs available is decreasing rapidly. Thompson says that the generation has “postponed adulthood” (marriage, children...) because of the weak economy and are living with their parents. But since the economy is driven by the people buying things (consumer economy) such as food, clothing, houses, cars, paying for children’s expenses, and other things, Thompson predicts that the future of the economy will definitely not favor the Millennials. To lighten the mood, he states the favorable conditions the Millennials are living in such as cheap society. Food and clothing are much more affordable than before, the Internet has allowed people to pay less and also make more through practical retail, and entertainment has also become cheaper and more convenient. Thompson adds that the economy is slowly recovering and that the Millennials still have time to improve their financial status, though they will still remain below the previous generation in terms of wealth.

The author’s purpose in writing this article is to inform his readers about the difficulties many people (youth and adults) who make up the new generation have gone through and are still facing. He uses historical facts to support his ideas as well as statistics to demonstrate what he says. Appealing to logic, the author uses logical assumptions to successfully convey his message. The tone employed forms a gloomy mood in the beginning but is changed to a hopeful, yet realistic one when he states the favorable circumstances. Towards the end he uses a quote which summarizes the message and the overall negative feel of the article.