No festive family gathering would be complete without elder relatives waxing lyrical over “the good old days”, as millennials mumble anxiously about their future. Baby boomers were indeed a lucky bunch. After the second world war, many were able to accumulate substantial fortunes as fast-growing economies propped up earnings, real estate values, and stock markets. By contrast, younger generations today have been hit by low productivity growth and several economic crises, from the 2008 financial crash to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many young adults cannot afford their own digs. And to top it off, there is the threat of climate change and geopolitical instability.
沒有長輩們對“美好舊時光”的滔滔不絕，任何節日家庭聚會都不算完整，而千禧一代則焦慮地喃喃著他們的未來。嬰兒潮一代確實是幸運的一群。二戰后，快速增長的經濟支撐了收入、房地產價值和股市，許多人因此積累了可觀的財富。相比之下，今天的年輕一代受到低生產力增長和多次經濟危機的打擊，從2008年金融危機到新冠疫情。許多年輕人無法負擔自己的住所。更糟糕的是，還有氣候變化和地緣政治不穩定的威脅。