2000-2001 hires do seem to have fared the worst. Surprisingly, most of the guys from that demographic who I've flown with actually complain the least and seem more willing to help out their junior co-workers than the guys hired in the 90s. Of course I'm generalizing here and there are exceptions to either side.

There are too many nuances to this discussion to really be able to target something effectively. It's unfortunately a crappy, unfair industry where you really have very little control over your destiny. It's all determined by when you get hired (which is a function of mostly when you were born), the state of the industry, the state of your airline, and (recently) government generosity.