A Christmas Gift for Those of You Who Celebrate Christmas

I give you the real Old Economy Steve:

In the past several weeks, a photo meme has exploded on Reddit, Facebook, and in several other corners of the social web. The meme, called "Old Economy Steve," is designed as wry commentary on the way today's young people struggle with student debt, unemployment, and other recession-era economic concerns, only to be described as lazy and entitled by members of an earlier, luckier generation. The photo associated with the meme, of a seventies teen with a Partridge Family haircut, has sparked nearly a thousand Quickmeme posts and has become, as The Atlantic put it, "the official meme for embittered Millenials."

Until now, nobody has identified the smirking teen in the photo. But with some Internet sleuthing, we tracked down the genuine Old Economy Steve and asked him what it feels like to become the face of an out-of-touch generation.

The real Old Economy Steve is Kenneth W. Kiser, a 48-year-old graphic designer and hobbyist photographer from Coshocton, Ohio. Contacted by e-mail, Kiser said he had no idea his old school photo (taken "in the late seventies," when he was about 14 years old, he said) was being circulated as a meme until a relative brought it to his attention less than a week ago.

Good to know, huh?