Hope is fuel. Let’s not strip it from the generations who are chasing American dream

Is the American dream on life support? I think it is, most especially for younger millennials and zoomers. I fear the majority will never be able to achieve the quintessential quest of doing better than the generation that preceded them.

For instance, my parents radically changed the circumstances of the lives they were born into. My father was an orphan, and my mother was the daughter of a West Virginia coal miner. They eloped at 18 and then proceeded to have four kids in five years. My mom never went to college and my dad didn’t get a degree until I was in grade school.

Yet, my dad became the CEO of a rather large corporation, and I had a childhood that in today’s lexicon would be termed privileged. They both were the embodiment of the American dream. They worked hard and transformed their lives.

I also feel like I had a piece of the American dream but I’m not so sure that it’s there anymore for young adults. I worry that my kids’ generation won’t be able to do better than the one before it.

And really how can they? Housing prices have increased almost 162% since 2000 while income has only increased by 78%. Childcare is in crisis mode. Many families report spending upward of $20,000 a year on day care costs per child.

Then add in egregious student debt, which has basically become predatory lending, and you have a generation that is drowning.

As for grandparents helping out with house down payments and childcare duties like the “good old days”: Well, boomers are working past retirement age due to rising costs, and the fact that we’re living longer necessitates more funds. Getting old is expensive.

I have no patience for people blaming young adults for all of this instead of looking at the facts. I’ve heard all the tropes, like “they’re lazy,” “they’re snowflakes” and “they don’t want to work.”

Sure, in every age demographic you’ll find people who fit those characteristics but to use these to define an entire generation is ridiculous and you know what? Lazy. I also don’t want to make this about the presidential election. These issues were here during Trump and Biden. So there’s no winner.

In fact, we’re all losing, especially if we don’t do anything to keep the American dream alive. Do I have any grand plans to share? A call to action? Sadly no. But there needs to be one.

Young adults should be able to get an education without going into insurmountable debt. Home ownership, the foundation of the American dream and one of the best ways to build wealth, shouldn’t be out of reach for more and more people. And having quality affordable childcare seems like a no-brainer. It’s an investment in our country’s future.

We ignore what is happening at the peril of our country. This is because the American dream is all about hope. Hope for your future and your children’s. Hope is fuel. It’s what drives all of us to do more, to strive for self-improvement, to work harder.

Without hope — a belief that you can do better — are we even America anymore?

Reach Sherry Kuehl at snarkyinthesuburbs@gmail.com, on Facebook at Snarky in the Suburbs, on Twitter at @snarkynsuburbs on Instagram @snarky.in.the.suburbs, and snarkyinthesuburbs.com.