> I think all of us learned these lessons the hard way, what's amazing is how much resistance I've encountered when I try to share this wisdom with folks in their early 20's. I guess the old adage is true, people like to learn their own lessons.
I think it's arguable the lesson you're referring too is not "wisdom," but rather an obvious form of status-quo acceptance. I don't think just "accept the status quo" would be counted as wisdom by many. The status quo used to include many awful things that are now rightly regarded with horror (for instance, executing someone for criticizing the king), and there are many things we accept now that will be regarded with similar horror in the future.
I'd bet money that the resistance you're encountering is moral rejection. You argue that something is true but acceptable. Your interlocutors also understand that thing to be true but they see it as unacceptable. And frankly, they're right: criticizing working conditions is always acceptable (even if they're not your working conditions, but those of your colleagues), and the people who do so need strong productions against reprisals by their employers. That's how working conditions are improved.