Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Are Grandma’s Social Security benefits imperiling Junior’s future? Is owning a home still a defining part of the American Dream, or a relic of a bygone era? When we look back on the 1950s, do we see a golden age, or are we simply indulging in nostalgia? And how large is the gap between different age groups on whether intergenerational wealth is still achievable?
In the inaugural episode of a new Open to Debate series, “Generational Divides,” Reason’s editor-at-large Nick Gillespie brings together three debaters from three generations — Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Z — to unpack how age, experience, and economics shape our ideas of prosperity, opportunity, and freedom. It’s a lively, cross-generational debate on whether the promises of the past still hold up in a rapidly changing America.
Featured Debate Topics:
1. Are Grandma's Social Security Benefits Imperiling Junior's Future?
2. Is Homeownership Still A Defining Attribute of the American Dream?
3. What Are People Really Nostalgic for About the 1950s—and Was the Economy Actually Better Then?
Our Guests:
For Baby Boomers: Joe Nocera, Deputy Managing Editor at The Free Press
For Gen X: Stacey Vanek Smith, Journalist and Reporter; Co-host of "Everybody's Business" at Bloomberg Business
For Gen Z: Kyla Scanlon, Financial Content Creator, Economic Commentator and Author of "In This Economy?"
Nick Gillespie, Editor-at-Large at Reason, is the guest moderator.
Visit our Substack to watch more insightful debates and subscribe to our newsletter.
#boomer #genx #millennial #genz #generations
===================================
Subscribe on Substack: opentodebate.substack.com/
Official site: opentodebate.org/
X: twitter.com/OpentoDebateOrg
Facebook: facebook.com/BeOpentoDebate/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/opentodebate/
Instagram: instagram.com/opentodebateorg/
TikTok: tiktok.com/@opentodebateorg
Open to Debate Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/bdzmz5xt
Open to Debate Spotify Podcasts: tinyurl.com/22tuxu7h
===================================
00:00:00 — Introduction: Who's Winning the Wealth Game?
00:02:47 — Are Grandma's Social Security Benefits Imperiling Junior's Future?
00:10:04 — Is Retirement Still a Realistic Goal?
00:12:50 — Are You Where You Expected to Be Financially?
00:16:13 — Is Homeownership Truly Out of Reach for Younger Generations?
00:31:18 — Were the 1950s a Golden Age?
00:43:26 — Is Generational Hostility Real?
00:49:43 — Which Generation Is The Most Screwed?
00:53:22 — Final Thoughts
Are Grandma’s Social Security benefits imperiling Junior’s future? Is owning a home still a defining part of the American Dream, or a relic of a bygone era? When we look back on the 1950s, do we see a golden age, or are we simply indulging in nostalgia? And how large is the gap between different age groups on whether intergenerational wealth is still achievable?
In the inaugural episode of a new Open to Debate series, “Generational Divides,” Reason’s editor-at-large Nick Gillespie brings together three debaters from three generations — Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Z — to unpack how age, experience, and economics shape our ideas of prosperity, opportunity, and freedom. It’s a lively, cross-generational debate on whether the promises of the past still hold up in a rapidly changing America.
Featured Debate Topics:
1. Are Grandma's Social Security Benefits Imperiling Junior's Future?
2. Is Homeownership Still A Defining Attribute of the American Dream?
3. What Are People Really Nostalgic for About the 1950s—and Was the Economy Actually Better Then?
Our Guests:
For Baby Boomers: Joe Nocera, Deputy Managing Editor at The Free Press
For Gen X: Stacey Vanek Smith, Journalist and Reporter; Co-host of "Everybody's Business" at Bloomberg Business
For Gen Z: Kyla Scanlon, Financial Content Creator, Economic Commentator and Author of "In This Economy?"
Nick Gillespie, Editor-at-Large at Reason, is the guest moderator.
Visit our Substack to watch more insightful debates and subscribe to our newsletter.
#boomer #genx #millennial #genz #generations
===================================
Subscribe on Substack: opentodebate.substack.com/
Official site: opentodebate.org/
X: twitter.com/OpentoDebateOrg
Facebook: facebook.com/BeOpentoDebate/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/opentodebate/
Instagram: instagram.com/opentodebateorg/
TikTok: tiktok.com/@opentodebateorg
Open to Debate Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/bdzmz5xt
Open to Debate Spotify Podcasts: tinyurl.com/22tuxu7h
===================================
00:00:00 — Introduction: Who's Winning the Wealth Game?
00:02:47 — Are Grandma's Social Security Benefits Imperiling Junior's Future?
00:10:04 — Is Retirement Still a Realistic Goal?
00:12:50 — Are You Where You Expected to Be Financially?
00:16:13 — Is Homeownership Truly Out of Reach for Younger Generations?
00:31:18 — Were the 1950s a Golden Age?
00:43:26 — Is Generational Hostility Real?
00:49:43 — Which Generation Is The Most Screwed?
00:53:22 — Final Thoughts
