Endless Bummer

by Zoe Pollock

Rebecca Traister insists this might be the worst summer ever. Balk counters with a nugget of hope and nostalgia for an increasingly apocalyptic future:

I see anarmy of young people out there having a good time. They retain all theoptimism of youth. Their prospects may be just as grim as everyoneelse's, but they don't let that affect them. They use their relativepoverty to their advantage, creating fun through thrift. They arebuilding the very memories that they will look back on...