[sho_hn]

> The people who fail to do this are simply that: failures.

Yup, sounds 21 to me. Quick to anger and lash out, quick to judge, moral certitude, and lack of empathy.

For one, there's significant variance to how family units function across the human population. In many parts of the world, living together for far longer than 17 is the norm, and the model of how one generation financially supports the next, or families co-manage/pool their finances, works very differently. Often systems emerge that entrench this (e.g. the massive up-front down payments on rental apartments in the South Korean retail markets, which kids simply cannot afford because there's no time to make that kind of money).

So blanket statements like this reek of cultural superiority and lack of education, frankly. I get that you're pissed because you don't feel you're getting the respect you deserve for your accomplishments (or at least that's what I seemed to read there), but starting with some humility and respect for others might change how people respond to you.

(And yeah, I was financially self-sufficient at 21, too. Big deal. It's possible because I happened to enjoy doing work in an area and market that allowed for it. Many things worth pursueing, and of great contribution to society, don't make you money at 21.)

[morgante]

> For one, there's significant variance to how family units function across the human population.

This article and discussion seem to be pretty squarely focused on the west (and particularly the US). I've lived around the world and realize that the norms are very different elsewhere, but here at least the expectation is for adults to leave their childhood home in their 20s and we have policies in place to encourage that (ex. mortgage tax incentives).

> Yup, sounds 21 to me. Quick to anger and lash out, quick to judge, moral certitude, and lack of empathy.

I might be quick to judge (often a useful trait), but nothing about this made me angry. And, in case you missed it, my second point (that it's not necessarily their fault) was specifically because I emphasize with the situation of people who are adrift in their 20s. As a country, I think we've in many ways failed them by providing insufficient educational and employment opportunities. That it's not their fault doesn't change the fact that living at home at 28 is a failure of the normal American life.

> So blanket statements like this reek of cultural superiority and lack of education, frankly.

Interesting that you dislike blanket statements, yet that's exactly what I was objecting to in the article (the blanket characterization of people in their 20s as "emerging adults").

[sho_hn]

FWIW, I don't actually have any beef with your distaste over the "emerging adults" label - I agree it's not a useful category, in so much that it seems equally loaded with notions about what adult looks like. Both positions seemed like extreme forms of ageism that aren't anywhere near universally applicable, essentially.

[omni]

> The people who fail to do this are simply that: failures. (Though that failure isn't necessarily their fault.)

Did you just omit the second sentence so you could go on a little rant? Or did morgante edit his post?

[sho_hn]

It was there originally. I didn't feel that the second sentence did much to affect the overall thrust of the post ("not necessarily" isn't exactly very generous), and even if it did, it's still quite possible to disagree with the notion that having moved out and achieved financial independence by 21 is a requirement for "not a failure" status.

I feel it's exemplary of an arrogance and myopia many of us programmers are possessed with. Our profession is undoubtedly high-impact, but it doesn't actually require all that much knowledge to be useful at it, nor is it that difficult or time-intensive to learn. It's relatively easy to be successful at it and make money even at a young age. Many other paths are much more difficult, take a lot longer, and are no less worthy. Ones that require much more knowledge, or experience and personal growth, for example.

If you try really hard you can chose to read that parenthesis as a passionate plea for society to recognize this and support them better, I suppose, but I'm not that optimistic.