CHAPTER 2Why Our Crisis Exists
A young man named Tony walks into the cramped apartment he shares with his wife, Carmen, a scowl marring his face. His wife of two years looks up with sudden concern. She's used to seeing him exhausted at the end of another day juggling multiple gig economy jobs while looking for a full-time position in his chosen field. Yet today he looks more unhinged than usual. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she asks, “Baby, what's wrong?”
It takes a full second for Tony to check his emotions. “You know, I remember how my dad would get angry when he'd check the mail and get a handful of bills …”
“Yeah?” Carmen leads him over to the table so he can sit down.
“Back then I swore to myself, I'd never be like him. Now here I am, just 24 years old, and I've already turned into the guy.” He waves the mail in front of his wife before continuing. “In addition to all these bills we've just received, our wonderful alma mater just sent me another donation request.”
“They did?”
“Yeah. It's supposed to fund some new business school building. Um, last time I checked, they have $10 billion in the bank, and we have nothing.
Carmen snorts. “Um. Actually, it's worse than that. They sent two requests. One for each of us … and neither of us studied business!”
*****
A little backstory of Tony and Carmen is in order. Both Gen Zers graduated from a pricey California university. Each came from middle-class families that scrimped and saved so they could afford the hefty tuitions. ...
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