Old Economy Steven is an advice animal image macro series featuring a 1970s high school yearbook photo of a young man with a bowl cut. The meme first surfaced on Reddit in 2012 to satirize the 'bootstrap' mentality of the Baby Boomer generation, who often enjoyed significant economic advantages like affordable housing and low tuition costs. Each caption typically contrasts a minor effort or failure from that era with a disproportionately high reward that is unattainable in today's economy. It remains a staple for discussing socioeconomic frustration, student debt, and the evolving job market through a humorous, nostalgic lens.