[CalRobert]

When I was a kid in the US people told me "you can do anything! Anyone can be president! Just set your mind to it!"

Now as someone raising kids in Europe the general sentiment is "The system is rigged, don't even try, anyone with nice things got it through avarice or corruption, nothing ever changes" (to be fair, I've lived in only two European countries, but this seems to be a common sentiment that varies primarily in scale - it was utterly atrocious in Ireland)

As smarmy and unrealistic as the first one is, I'll take it over the latter.

[saagarjha]

You should see how American children feel these days.

[Muromec]

It's the Eastern European mood taking over everything. Doesn't seem to be a sign of anything good, but at least, if you get lucky, you get the endless supply of gallows humor.

[happytoexplain]

That's a valid emotion. Unfortunately, the sentiment you prefer doesn't exist any more. Essentially nobody but the most wealthy and politically elevated have said that for years. And I don't think what I'm saying is pessimistic - I think it's pretty common knowledge.

[CalRobert]

You’re probably right.

I miss optimism.

[disgruntledphd2]

> it was utterly atrocious in Ireland

Speaking as an Irish citizen, this does not match to my experiences at all. But countries are large, and individual experiences are rarely a good sampling of population level traits.

[CalRobert]

Well, I’m also an Irish citizen (albeit naturalised) and it certainly matched the sentiment of both the circle I hung out with in Dublin (champagne socialists and frustrated artists) and Offaly (a different sort entirely….)

Though I did appreciate that the culchies were pretty practical about getting things done.

All the same, “maybe I like the misery” didn’t come out of a vacuum…

[disgruntledphd2]

I dunno man, like Ireland was incredibly poor even in my lifetime and I'm in my 40s. The changes from 1997 to 2007 were absurdly large and the changes from 1987 to 1997 were similarly large (but I was younger so less exposed).

That being said, I come from a pretty long line of culchies so maybe that's it ;)