Oct. 29 headlines: Millennials are “boomerang crumb-snatchers” according to an economics professor
James Johnson knows how to grab people’s attention, as some of you boomerang crumb-snatchers discovered Tuesday.
Johnson is that rarest of creatures, an economics professor who can spend an hour walking a crowd through dense reports on demographics and leave them wanting more. The key is a repertoire of zingers, sprinkled through some very serious talk about race, public education and the economic challenges that young people face.
I tweeted one of his quirkier comments during a Tuesday forum hosted by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, delivered as he talked about how aging Baby Boomers are going to need the support of a younger generation struggling to support themselves.
Johnson to #CMSbd: only about 1/2 of millennials work. We call them boomerang crumb-snatchers.
— Ann Doss Helms (@anndosshelms) October 27, 2015
//><!--Shortly after that, I logged off Twitter and started writing my story. When I checked again, I had to laugh at the responses.//--><!
Wait … what? https://t.co/8nAW0OLFmY — Corey Inscoe (@CoreyInscoe) October 27, 2015
@CoreyInscoe @anndosshelms Thanks to this gentleman & Urban Dictionary, I have discovered a new humorous insult!
— Philip Sanford (@thephilsanford) October 27, 2015
@CoreyInscoe @anndosshelms Just thought of this: The Boomerang Crumb Snatchers would be a brilliant fantasy football team name.
— Philip Sanford (@thephilsanford) October 27, 2015
@CoreyInscoe @thephilsanford Sorry late to convo: I think he was just cracking wise about a serious challenge. — Ann Doss Helms (@anndosshelms) October 27, 2015
Johnson, a 60-year-old professor at UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business, clearly enjoys a good laugh. But his message is very serious: Older America is predominantly white, but young America is browner, poorer and far more ethnically diverse.
He talked about the “triple whammy” facing public education: People who are old, white and/or affluent tend to be isolated from the folks who will shape our future. And if empty-nesters decide they have no stake in public education, smarter nations are, to use another of Johnson’s favorite phrases, going to clean our clock.
– Ann Helms
In other headlines …
– Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools topped the list of 21 big-city school districts on math performance for fourth- and eighth-graders and was near the top on reading scores for the same grades, which is good. The problem is the “nation’s report card” exams show most public schools across the country are struggling.
– The South Carolina deputy who was caught on video throwing a student to the ground and dragging her across the floor was fired Wednesday. The video sparked a civil rights investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department.
– The N.C. Department of Transportation won a $25 million federal grant to build Gateway Station, an uptown hub for Amtrak, commuter rail, and local and long-distance buses in Charlotte. But it’s unclear who would provide the rest of the $150-200 million the project needs.
– The 85-year-old international jewelry thief wanted in the July theft of a $33,000 ring from a SouthPark mall jewelry store was arrested in Atlanta after a pair of earrings was stolen. CMPD said she uses a “sleight of hand tactic.” That’s one fast 85-year-old.
– First Ward Park is set to open Dec. 8, but the construction of planned apartments and a parking deck nearby are on hold because the developer said he’s waiting on payment from UNC Charlotte.
– Bank of America is cutting about 100 mortgage and technology jobs in Charlotte.
Photo: Ann Helms
This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Oct. 29 headlines: Millennials are “boomerang crumb-snatchers” according to an economics professor."