Ep. 16: Yuppies

Silent Generation

Yuppies get a bad rap. In his seminal work The Culture of Narcissism (1979), Christopher Lasch described how the coming generation of baby boomers would broadly exhibit symptoms of pathological narcissism such as hedonism, envy, greed, and an aversion to aging. Yuppies (young urban professionals) migrated en masse in cities during the1980s and were the apotheosis of their generation’s narcissistic pathology; they had wildly successful careers but each promotion and salary increase was never enough. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin by acknowledging these traits but then approach Yuppies from a warmer angle, examining the beauty of their clothing and expressing gratitude for the ways in which they helped revitalize cities during the 1980s. Amongst other things they discuss sweater vests, slicked back hair, shoulder pads, and if Trump was a Yuppie. They then conclude by discussing Yuppies in a modern context, addressing if they still exist and contemplating where you can find them in Chicago.

Links:

Yuppies Pinterest Board

The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch

The Yuppie Turns 35 by Luke Seemann

The Political Distinctiveness of Young Professionals: "Yuppies" or "New Class"?

Eric and Donald Trump jr.’s slicked back hair

How the biggest yuppie of the 1980s became the white working class’s president

Whatever Happened to the Yuppie by JPCrocks

The Yuppie Rap

Pajama Crawl

The New Yorker’s politically polarized duplex cover

Artwork:

Lisa Diserio and Richard Ryan dressed for success on Fifth Avenue in New York City

Recorded on 3/10/2024