In A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College, Andrew Martin and Andrew Lehren discuss the tumultuous effects of college expenses on average American students. In capitalist America, it seems as though education has become another product to sell to the highest bidder. Schools market their programs to perspective students like any other advertising campaign, highlighting the glamour and glossing over the negativity. They fail to admit the true, staggering costs for college--for independence, and ultimately, the American Dream. The Millennial generation, throughout our education, has been consistently bombarded with reminders to succeed in school in order to attend a prestigious school in hopes of landing a decent job. This steady diet of academic, economic, and social pressure urges individuals to pursue a higher education, no matter the price tag. The American Dream is shrouded with materialism and is nearly unattainable in today's economy, especially when the path to a degree, the gateway to earning a salary, leaves one penniless.
Joshua Holland speculates the reasoning behind the individualistic behavior of America's youth in his article Millennials Didn't Abandon Our Institutions--Our Institutions Failed Them. Growing up in a country "[dominated] by a faceless few" and run by "partisan politics", it's no wonder Millenials lack the trust that their ancestors had in their government (Holland). It's pretty easy for America's youth to feel disregarded by our government when, last year for example, they spent nearly ten times what they did on education on the military. With instances like this, we have been assured that our institutions are not always the altruistic communities they claim to be.
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