Young White America Is Haunted by a Crisis of Despair
&gt; The fates of the less-educated and those who graduate from universities diverge in dire ways. Middle-aged white Americans without four-year degrees are at increasing risk of dying, a well-documented trend driven not only by drug use but also by alcoholism, suicide, and slowing progress against heart disease and cancer.<p>While that&#x27;s pretty damn horrible, the fate of people with newly-minted bachelor&#x27;s degrees isn&#x27;t much to write home about either, unless you happened to major in the few areas of study where gainful employment is possible. Crushing student debt, high cost of living cities, an unreachably inflated housing market, low (but non-zero for now) job prospects, the looming threat of automation and robotics, underemployment--and if they get a professional job--a workplace full of only entry-level opportunities, with senior and management opportunities sucked up by boomers who refuse to, or can&#x27;t, retire.<p>Sure, it&#x27;s not at the level of dying of a heroin addiction, but there&#x27;s plenty of anxiety and lack of opportunity to go around.