There's a huge cultural shift happening right now that isn't being discussed nearly enough.
It's the effect that our educational system is having on work ethics. I hear older people talk a lot about how gen z is lazy, entitled, soft etc. but there's never much talk about why that might be the case.
The answer I think has to do with the way kids were raised in the last few decades. It's been accelerating since sputnik shook American elites to radically invest in public education.
Schools pump out young people who are programmed to think of themselves as intellectuals. This is especially true of college and higher education, which the lower grades are geared towards setting kids up for. The average Starbucks barista or McDonald's employee has spent about 15 years of their lives learning all kinds of things that don't immediately apply to them. Imagine the investment. The long hours spent in a classroom instead of playing with friends. The hours and hours of studying, homework and frustration. Now imagine after all of that your life consists of repeating the same menial tasks every day for barely enough to afford gas. That's the world young people face today. No wonder people aren't giving a shit.
Giving everyone access to a broad education has unforeseen consequences. It endows each person with an identity that doesn't mesh with the outside world of adulthood, where most people find themselves with "unfulfilling" jobs. Kids spend the first quarter century of their lives being encouraged to dream, develop self esteem and think highly of their own abilities. Then they run into the brick wall of adult work culture and become depressed and disillusioned. Many turn to socialism or self destructive behaviors to cope with the loss of their perceived status. They feel unrecognized and abused by the system.
I don't know what the solution is here, but I've been thinking about this a lot and felt like typing this up. I'm wondering what everyone else thinks of my hypothesis.
Not wrong.
Several people here have touched on other symptoms, as well. But surprisingly, given what this site is about, I didn't see anyone hit the target. (I only skimmed the bottom, so I may have missed it.)
The issue is role models and leadership. Most teachers are not good role models, yet they see the children more than their parents. Parents are often focused on themselves, their careers, and financial struggles, not the children. So when they reach adulthood, many just kind of shrug and ask why they should bother. There is no one in their lives to lead them forward and show them why the struggle is worth it.
The solution is not simple.
We've lost the family structure. Even otherwise intelligent and decent women no longer see any purpose in family structure. Their mental concept of life is for themselves and their children, and men are largely rotating and incidental to their desires. This leaves a void in the home.
We've also lost community. Strong men in churches and other organizations were once surrogate role models for those who lacked one in the home, but now the person who would have filled that role has been poisoned as "patriarchy," or, if they take on roles of mentoring for children, they're often cast as potential child molesters. Only women are acceptable now, and women are (in general) nurturers, not leaders. They build the nest, not lead the path out from it. Thus a generation who has never taken flight.
This may sound a little misogynistic, but it is not meant to be. Women are amazing. Especially when they embrace being women instead of trying to be men. It's no different for men. They thrive as men, not in trying to be women. We can't escape our biology.
Everyone can find ways to make a difference in their personal lives. But to turn the tide culturally? History suggests that only happens when a tragedy occurs. A great war, a plague, genocide.
Maybe this time can be different.