ARGUING YES
Jill Filipovic
Journalist, lawyer, and author
ARGUING NO
Scott Winship
Senior Fellow and Director of the Center of Opportunity and Social Mobility at the American Enterprise Institute
GUEST MODERATOR
Nick Gillespie
Editor-at-Large of Reason
Here is what we have in store this week:
• This week’s debate on whether Millennials will ever catch up financially and emotionally to the generations before them
• A closer look at how old each member of a generation is
• Your Sunday reading list
In this debate, we question the future of the Millennial generation (or those who were born in the 1980s or 1990s).
What are the arguments? Those who argue “yes” say that while they are considered the US’s most educated generation, they are also currently the most broke, leading them to make tough financial choices on everything from when to buy a house to getting married and having kids. Those who argue “no” say that because they are so well-educated and want to have better, high-earning jobs, millennials are a few years away from reaching their peak earning years and are close to doing well financially.
What’s at stake? Despite generation-defining events such as 9/11, multiple recessions, and a pandemic, there is a chance that Millennials will struggle to achieve the American dream. Plus, their level of success could be unequal across different ethnicities, with wealth from Baby Boomers trickling down to only some millennials, and high levels of student loan debt making an impact on others.
Now, we debate the question: Will Millennials Be Left Behind? Arguing “YES” is Jill Filipovic, a journalist and lawyer who is the author of “OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind.” Arguing “NO” is Scott Winship, a senior fellow and the director of the Center of Opportunity and Social Mobility at the American Enterprise Institute, where he tracks income equality, and has previously researched social relationships.
Listen to this episode as a podcast or on your public radio station (check your local schedule). Let us know what you think of this debate on our website or Twitter.
DEBATING THE DATA
As of 2023, the oldest Millennials are turning 42.
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POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Will Millennials Be Left Behind?
YES:
“Despite the fact that millennials have more or less done everything right… We’re far behind where our parents were at our age. We’re less wealthy. We have less upward mobility. We’re less happy, and we enjoy less political representation.”
Jill Filipovic
NO:
“[Millennials are] better off on most economic measures than previous generations. We can’t predict the future, but there’s no reason to assume that it will leave millennials worse off than their forerunners. And there are several reasons to think they’ll prosper… millennials are the most educated generation. This enhanced human capital will continue to pay off down the road.”
Scott Winship
WEEKLY POINTS OF VIEW
The Legal Foundation of Women’s Sports Is Under Fire
David French | June 25, 2023
The New York Times
Watch David’s debate on constitutional free speech principles and social media
Putin’s Death Knell
Edward Lucas | June 25, 2023
CEPA
Watch Edward’s debate on Russia as a marginal power
An economic model for the AI age
Dambisa Moyo | June 23, 2023
Gulf Times
Watch Dambisa’s debate on America’s economic outlook
Will India Surpass China to Become the Next Superpower?
Graham Allison | June 24, 2023
Foreign Policy
Watch Graham’s debate on if US policy toward China is productive
