The Myth of the Age of Entitlement

A deeply necessary intervention into the debate about the millennial generation. James Cairns explodes "the myth of the age of entitlement" and urges engagement with the demands of today's young radicals. Our futures may all depend on it. -- Sarah Jaffe, journalist and author of Necessary Trouble: Americans In Revolt James Cairns immediately grabs the reader, challenging prominent assumptions about the concept of entitlement and how it applies to millennials. He demonstrates that the myth of an entitled generation is more about an elite's effort to suppress the just and democratic demands of masses of people who see their hopes evaporating. Much like Ronald Reagan's focus on the supposed "welfare queens," the myth of an entitled generation aims to distract popular attention away from the theft of our savings, hopes, and futures by what has been termed the "1%." Cairns has presented a counter-narrative that needs to become the new common sense. -- Bill Fletcher, Jr., Former President of TransAfrica Forum, trade unionist, co-author of Solidarity Divided, and author of 'They're Bankrupting Us!' - And Twenty Other Myths about Unions

The Myth of the Age of Entitlement peels back the layers of the entitlement myth, exposing its anti-democratic faults and offering a more nuanced understanding of the millennial generation.

We are said to be living in the age of entitlement. Scholars and pundits declare that millennials expect special treatment, do whatever they feel like, and think they deserve to have things handed to them. In The Myth of the Age of Entitlement, Cairns peels back the layers of the entitlement myth, exposing its faults and arguing that the majority of millennials are actually disentitled, facing bleak economic prospects and potential ecological disaster. Providing insights from millennials rarely profiled in the mainstream media, Cairns redefines entitlement as a fundamental concept for realizing economic and environmental justice.