Some people might rent an RV once every 5 or 10 years. I have a sister who found her family renting one often enough that it made sense to purchase one (used, in good condition), but they were smart enough to sell it when they stopped using it so much.
I lived 15 years in Chicago without a car, in circumstances where owning a car would have been a burden to me. Now I live somewhere I find it essential.
Seriously, as long as people have choices and options I don’t the problem here. OK, people might make poor decisions for their particular circumstances, but that applies whether they’re renting or buying stuff. Plenty of others make choices to fit in with their actual needs and lifestyles.
I honestly don’t see a bunch of young people being “bitchy”. I see them being defensive because they are being wrongly attacked and insulted.
I’m not young. I’m not even in “this” generation we’re talking about. But I can’t stand stupidity. Anyone who thinks owning racks and racks of movies and music, all stored on degradable pieces of plastic, makes them superior to someone who consumes media through subscription services is a jackass who needs to sit his ass down somewhere. If it makes me a “bitch” for saying asmuch, then I guess I’m a bitch. But I don’t think that makes me a bitch.
I’m tired of sanctimony from older people handing out unsolicited, judgment-laden advice.
According to the US Census for 2015, home ownership rates have declined to the lowest level in 25 years - 63% - so it’s not your imagination.
On the other hand, we’re just back to 1990 levels. So what the hell does that mean? Does anyone seriously think of 1990 as some crazy time in this country when as a society we were opposed to owning homes? Nobody I’ve ever heard of.
People with decent memories might note there was a mild recession going on in 1990, but not a big societal shift toward renting. If we weren’t shifting in 1990, where’s the evidence we’re shifting now?
A lot of people rent software like Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Cloud now. You pay a monthly fee forever instead of buying a license once. You get to upgrade whenever new versions are released as long as you continue paying your monthly rental fee.
Rental is a much more appropriate model due to the way software is developed over time. You do not want to own a piece of software that is never updated or patched - sooner or later, a nasty bug that was never fixed or found in the initial testing may destroy your work, and hackers can do whatever they like. You want the programmers of the software to continue working on it. They won’t do that if they aren’t paid.
In a prior era, I would have deeply objected to “renting” the Adobe toolset. But like few other things, having the very latest versions and updates to those tools is mission-critical if you’re in the graphics, web or video industry. So buying the Master collection at $2500 and then paying $3-800 a year for updated releases was not optional… so I am very happy to pay a flat $600 a year and always-always have the very latest updates, patches and applets.
I think it’s ridiculous for MS Office and those categories of tools which haven’t fundamentally changed in over a decade, nor are likely to. Gimmicks, junk, “features” and a restyled interface every two years do not make Word 365 any better than Word 97.
I have a firewall on whatever connects to the internet.
Meanwhile, I have the problem that I have data in old formats that the new shiny upgraded software will no longer read. Sort of like how my CD player doesn’t play my old vinyl LP’s. But I still want access to that data, so I have to keep my old software whether it’s upgraded or not.
We still have a computer with an old version of Windows on it to enable us to play games we purchased 20 years ago that we still enjoy playing. If we hadn’t hung onto that stuff we would be completely unable to access those games, those old e-mails of memorable events, old original artwork, etc. because the shiny new rental software operates on the notion that if it’s older than six months you don’t want it anymore. I’m sorry, my private life is not a business, I DO want to keep those remembrances of those times, especially the ones involving people who are no longer among the living.
And I don’t want all my data in “the cloud” because, first of all, I don’t trust it. There is no way the security on an internet-accessible storage mode can be as secure as me putting it on a computer that does not connect to the internet. I don’t want all my stuff lost forever because due to either my temporary inability to pay rent or because something fracked up my payment so >POOF!< all gone! If it’s in MY hands it’s stored on MY terms, I don’t have to try to scroll through a 14 page “end user agreement” - have you read the one for Facebook? ANYTHING you post on Facebook you lose all rights to, it becomes available to all. That’s death for someone like me who actually makes some of their income off selling art and writing.
Now, if that person is making their living on the bleeding edge of what computers and software can do, in which case, yes, the rental model does make sense - but that’s only some users, not all.
Clearly, a lot of people don’t care about that (Facebook is wildly popular), and may prefer cloud storage, and more power to them. ** What I object to is a lack of choice.** It doesn’t matter whether it’s the software companies or the car makers no longer permitting you to own, saying you MUST rent, or some old fart saying owning is the only sensible option, or some young’un dissing the old farts for not getting with the new paradigm.
Choice is good. Alternatives are good.
Apple and Microsoft do not want to give you a choice. They want to lock you into their brand forever so you have no choice but to keep paying them, one way or another.
The EDA software business has been like this for years. Even if you bought you got a maintenance contract which covered patches and small upgrades. Bigger new releases required a new purchase.
Not to mention some people don’t want to upgrade. Once you figure out how to use something effectively, you don’t to be forced onto a new learning curve against your will. (Look at Win 7 -> Win 8. Imagine if MS forced people to make that transition.)
Also depending on your usage model, it is often much cheaper to buy in the long run, which is why software companies like Adobe are pushing rental.
With regards to streaming music and movies. Some of us don’t have a choice. My internet, my ONLY option internet is in no way capable of doing it. Heh, a couple of youtube videos that are 10 minutes long and my data usage is used up for 24 hours.
In addition the percent of people who intend to buy homes, particularly among Millennials, has been rising the last few quarters spurred by rising rents. This is seen as a leading indicator so it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see home ownership rate increase over the next few years.
I won’t buy their software if they expect me to pay them constantly. I don’t care if they stop releasing updates after four years, because I’ll be buying a new computer and new software by then.
When I bought my new laptop last year I bought a copy of Office 2010 from Amazon rather than the ridiculous Office 365 thing that MS kept trying to direct me to.
You’re probably right. I too can’t stand the “Kids these days” speeches at all, and whenever old folks start in on the “current generation” I just stop listening.
If Zipcar is communist, I can’t even conceive of how the OP would view public transportation, or a city where a substantial fraction of the affluent and the middle-aged prefer to ride the bus or the subway than commute by car.
Anaamika, monstro’s reply to you pretty much says what I was going to reply with. I like you, but I just think you’re off base here:
… no shit?
I’m one of the older Millennials. I don’t think that everything “older generations” did is teh dumb and obviously I know soooo much better than they do.
But this OP is just one in a long, looooong series of bitchy snipes at Millennials and I’m seriously fed up. I particularly love the irony when I read (self-described) Gen-Xers* rant about clueless and selfish Millennials… saying the exact same shit that was said about them in the early/mid 1990s.
Newspaper columns, blog posts, random commenters or posters, talking heads on TV and random conversations you’re part of or overhear in person. Over and over hearing how we all feel entitled, are stupid, are lazy, don’t know what we’re doing, we think we’re speshul snoflaykes,** we grew up with the “everyone gets a trophy!” mindset,** any shift in cultural values (like renting instead of buying or not caring as much about getting your driver’s license and your own car asap as a teen, to give a couple examples from this board) is inexplicable and OBVIOUSLY completely moronic and ignorant and further proof of what utter failures we are. Our struggles to find jobs or careers and our higher proportion of people living with their parents or renting as a result can’t be related to the gigantic shit that was (is) the Great Recession and truly fundamental changes that mean it really isn’t like “how it was when [hypothetical you/they] was a kid”.*** Nope, it’s just further evidence of how stupid and shitty we are and that we can’t do anything right.
So, yeah. That’s why at least some of us are bitching right back.
this isn’t including you, just want to be clear. This is background context to explain why at least this particular Millennial replied as bitchily as she did.
** which have never been universal or widespread anyway (hello, media’s focus on upper middle class+ white people!), but even if they WERE… Why should WE get the scorn and derision when our parents would be the ones who did this shit?
*** having a college degree doesn’t “guarantee” you a job, outsourcing most labor and manufacturing offshores, hiring more internationally via H1Bs, college tuition skyrocketing, etc etc etc.
I’m in my fifties. I rent. I had a brief moment where I could buy when I was married. Considering how everything (including the marriage) went to hell shortly after, I am so very glad I didn’t. I’d’ve been ruined. I have a good and steady job. I live in a neighborhood I like and I have the money to do most of the things I want to do. Single with no children, I don’t have anyone else’s future to consider. Likewise, I have no one else’s income to count on. I could buy a house. Provided I would be willing to live in the next county and in a less secure neighborhood. I’m not. I like the convenience of living smack dab in the middle of town where I can walk when I want.
Back in the 80’s when I’d move, I probably had 10 milk crates of record albums to move and find room for. Later, it was CD’s in jewel cases. Still a lot of room. Now I have my cd’s in two IKEA file boxes and my music collection on a hard drive. I download to a thumb drive when I’m going on a trip and want a new book or music for my car. Likewise, I either had to make room for hundreds of books. I still have a few hundred, but I buy many more electronically. Magazines? Most of those I buy electronically. I’ve got two years of National Geographics in the Amazon cloud and just the current issue on my coffee table.
I LOVE the streamlined options of downloading music and movies and books and magazines. I love my rental services like Netflix and Hulu and Prime where I can watch a movie without a huge investment. Good lord, what if I’d actually BOUGHT Howard the Duck? I might feel obligated to watch it more than once.
Lament for those who rent if you must, but your pity may well be wasted.
ETA: wouldn’t leasing a car be more like renting than Uber or Zipcar?
Not really. It’s buying under a different name. You’re still 100% responsible for the car, 24/7/365 x the lease term. Leasing is just a way to make a structured buy of the car’s first couple of years.
I’ve heard the same thing referred to as “Uberfication”.
The thing is, technology, business, fashion and society in general is changing so rapidly, there is very little incentive to maintain any sort of longevity. In the past, you might buy a house that stays in the family for generations. Many people I know change towns every couple of years.
Many jobs, particularly ones in tech, didn’t exist 5-10 years ago. And jobs where you just do the same thing for decades are rapidly being replaced by technology. Companies don’t need armies of accountants. They want consultants to come in, install an accounting system, then leave.
Why buy videogames or movies you’ll play or watch a couple times then let sit on a shelf?
If you live in a city, why buy a car that you’ll use once every few weeks that just sits in a garage costing $300 a month?
In the interest of fighting ignorance, I can’t leave it at that since this statement indicates a profound ignorance of communism, capitalism or how Zipcar even work.
Zipcars are not owned by the “community”. They are owned by the Zipcar company (or their affiliates). It’s not some commune where everyone borrows some beat up VW minibus, never fills it with gas or repairs it and then wonders why it doesn’t run.
What Zipcar does is create a market for short term use of cars. Not really that much different from a livery car service, taxi or traditional rental car service. The main difference is that instead of patrolling around for fares or operating the cars out of a central rental garage, the Zipcars are scattered around the neighborhood. To use the car, you need to schedule the start and end time and have it back by that time or get fined.
From an economic standpoint, Zipcar only makes sense if you live somewhere where your use of a car is infrequent and parking and maintaining a car is exorbitantly expensive or difficult.
Depends. Some people like to have tangible things like that. When I was a kid, getting a new album or CD that you could physically touch and look at the album art felt a bit more “real” than simply downloading an MP3 to an iPod. I also kind of miss the days of just wandering through a book or music store.
But as a practical matter, I’m not going to buy my entire music collection on 10,000+ CDs or vinyl records.
I too can’t stand the “Kids these days” speeches at all, and whenever old folks start in on the “current generation” I just stop listening.