Patton Oswalt to William & Mary grads: 'You poor bastards'

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Originally published at: Patton Oswalt to William & Mary grads: 'You poor bastards' | Boing Boing

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Something tells me that Patton Oswald likes Blade Runner.

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I find myself having these thoughts when I see anyone under 30. They have great progressive attitudes I wish I had at their age and will no doubt do wonderful things in the future, but their adult lives are going to be a lot rougher than mine was.

Like Patton, all I can do is let them know I’m on their side.

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I don’t know if you actually watched the speech but he directly quotes this scene and points out that it was made up on the spot and uses that as an encouragement to ‘wander easy’.

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now on the other side of 60, i realize how relatively easy things were for my generation. need a job? pick up a newspaper and check the want ads…then call the number and actually get an interview! need an apartment? you could find one that was affordable, if not luxurious. no cell phones to doomscroll. sure, there was strife all over the world and in the US too, not downplaying that. but life seemed a little more manageable for people my age. IMO the kids going out into the world today have a much tougher road. but there are many signs pointing to them being up for the challenge and i am hoping for the best for them.

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i love that he’s a Gen-Xer like me. he is just as snarky and sour and overwhelmed and miserable as we all can be, but he’s also hopeful and optimistic and hilarious and encouraging, and that’s a great balance to have.

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Thanks @Rusty_Blazenhoff for this post.
Being roughly the same age as Oswalt and having teenagers - this speech really resonated with me.
Kids today face an increasingly polarized and complex world. But - as @dabeyc alludes to above - this world is also increasingly more competitive. Whether it’s jobs or housing - the supply/demand equation is not likely to ease.
That said - I think the advice about wandering is excellent - everybody needs to wander more.

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