I think you may be comparing the people of an older generation today to where you are today. I'm of a previous generation (gen X) and yes, I can afford all of those things. But I couldn't when I was fresh out of college. I faced the same struggles you do. But after working for 25+ years, I am now at my max earning potential and have saved enough to where I can afford more. I promise you, I didn't have a gravy train when I was in my twenties. In fact I was in debt and living in a shitty apartment with a crappy car.
Absolutely true. My first apartment was a two-bedroom, and five people lived in it. At one point I was moving a light bulb from the lamp in the bedroom to the lamp in the living room. I've walked around with holes in my shoes. Yeah, college was cheaper for us, but minimum wage was 3.35/hour, and everyone worked at some awful jobs during college to avoid loans. That list could go on. Yes, jobs were easier to get when I finished college, but we bought houses at 10% interest. And today's just-out-of-college crew has some benefits that they don't stop to acknowledge -- probably because we don't really appreciate what we've always had; for example, do you really stop to appreciate indoor plumbing and electricity -- a few generations ago, people really did because they'd lived without those things: Similarly, today's young people don't really stop to appreciate the internet, more casual dress codes (that cost less!), greater personal freedom for minorities and people other than heterosexuals. Details vary, but the Mils aren't all that different from previous generations.
Maybe this happened to you too, but I think the difference is that we are bombarded with constant messages about needing to get a degree ... Consumer debt is regarded as trivial or even worse as a status symbol.
That go-to-college pressure was around in the 80s too, though the pressure to attend private colleges or to have "the college experience" wasn't so strong. I do agree that society in general has "decided" that debt is okay. That was not the general feeling when I was in college -- I was genuinely afraid of debt, never being sure that tomorrow would be better than today.
I strongly disagree.
There's no way I would go back to the past, and that standard of living. Our standard today is so much higher than anyone's, ever.
I also disagree.
I was raised in a house without air conditioning. I learned to type on a manual typewriter (anyone remember numbering a paper 1-33, then 33-1 to include footnotes on your research paper?). Soda was served only at birthdays and other special occasions. I never really got into drinking alcohol (or even coffee) because I couldn't afford it when I was younger, and I never developed the habit. When I went away to college, I didn't have a phone;
I don't mean I had no cell phone -- I mean I had to go downstairs to the dorm lobby with a handful of change to make a call. When I was a kid, we had two pair of jeans every fall, and in the spring they were cut off into shorts. We had one TV in our house: a 13" black and white model; of course, we only had four channels. When we got together with our cousins, bags of hand-me-downs were passed around; being the smallest girl, I often had the most clothes. No one I knew took cruises or vacations that required a plane ticket. No stores were open past 9:00 pm. Teens all had part time jobs, and they were actually expected to save that money for college. Fast food was a rarity; restaurant meals were rarer still -- when I was a kid, we ate out maybe twice year. Christmas presents tended towards the practical; for example, a new set of sheets.
Yes, like a previous poster, my family was poor, but most of my friends weren't, and although they had more than two pair of jeans, most of the above was true for them too. My best friend was solidly middle class and shared a tiny bedroom with her brother AND sister.
Do you really want to argue that today's young people have a lower standard of living?