Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation
by Giulianna LamannaIt must have been the year 2000, because that’s when Neil Howe and William Strauss’ book Millennials Rising first came out. USA Today or some such paper published a survey meant to be filled out and returned by teenagers - questions about drug use, sex habits, schoolwork, etc. My mom showed me the survey and asked if I wanted to participate; I declined. A while later, the results came out. Shockingly enough, a bunch of teenagers willing to respond to a USA Today survey turned out to do well in school, not do drugs, not be sexually active, and generally be upstanding citizens all around. I may not have known what the phrase “self-selected sample” meant back then, but I certainly knew one when I saw one.
The entire article was basically a tie-in meant to publicize the concept of Generation Millennia. We could no longer be called Generation Y, because that implied a continuation of Generation X’s cynicism and self-absorption. We were more conservative, more hardworking, more driven. We were less violent, less vulgar, less sexual. We had the Baby Boomers’ idealism and the G.I. Generation’s optimism. We were going to follow in the footsteps of the “greatest generation” that had won World War II. Five years later, a new survey would reveal that a shocking number of us believe that the government should control the press. And according to an article linked to in a Metafilter post yesterday entitled “A Solid Foundation for Fascism?”, it gets even better:
Nearly 70% of Millennials agreed with the statement that “Authority figures should set and enforce rules� – compared to around 40% of GenXers.
60% of Millennials agreed with the statement, “I trust authority figures to act in my best interest.� Only 40% of GenXers agreed.
Nearly 60% of Millennials said they “felt comfortable asking for special treatment,� while only 40% of GenXers felt that way.
The article pointed to a generation of children protected from anything and everything bad in the world, whether it be sharp corners on coffee tables or teachers’ red pens:
“I think they’re very reliant on people to tell them what they need to do,â€? notes Hershatter. “The least positive thing I can say about this group is that they’re not very good at accepting end-line responsibility.â€? Many students have grown up in an environment where, even in college, parents and professors give them constant reminders about what they need to complete and by when, according to Hershatter. …
Hershatter fears that this group, which has had such a structured life so far, may have difficulties if they run into situations that are less structured and ambiguous than their life experiences have been thus far. “They don’t do very well in situations of ambiguity,� Hershatter says. “They have been protected and directed since early childhood. The helmets they have worn during every potentially dangerous physical activity are a great symbol of their early years. From nanny-cams to after school programming to teaching-to-the test curriculums to early and binding college admissions, they have been shielded from unstructured time and unknown outcomes their whole lives. They have not had to be big risk takers thus far.�
But by far the statement that struck me the most in the article was this: “Millennials tend to believe ‘they’ll either be on the platform on time with their ticket punched or they’ll miss the train and never be on the platform again.’” Now where could we have gotten that idea from? I was instantly reminded of a similar statement made by Matt Stone, co-creator of South Park, in Michael Moore’s film Bowling for Columbine:
I remember being in sixth grade and I had to take the math test to get into Honors Math in the seventh grade, and they’re, like, “Don’t screw this up, because if you screw this up, you won’t get into Honors Math in seventh grade, and if you don’t get in in seventh grade, you won’t in eighth grade, then not in ninth grade, and 10th and 11th grade, and you’ll just die poor and lonely.” And that’s it, you know? You believe, in high school - and a lot of it is kids, but the teachers and counsellors and principals don’t help things. They scare you into conforming and doing good in school by saying: “If you’re a loser now, you’re gonna be a loser forever.” … They just beat it in your head as early as sixth grade: “Don’t fuck up, ’cause if you do, you’re gonna die poor and lonely. You don’t want to do that.” You’re, like, “Fuck, whatever I am now, I’m that forever.”
I can attest to the truth of that. I wouldn’t have dropped out of high school if I hadn’t honestly believed that what my teachers had been telling me was true - that because I’d failed eighth grade, I’d ruined my entire future. I would never get into college or get a good job. By the time I dropped out, I figured that it was too late for me: I’d already caused more of a disaster in middle school than graduating high school could fix, so I might as well leave now while my sanity was still intact. Of course, as Matt goes on to say, none of that is really the case: “All the dorks in high school go on to do great things and all the really cool guys are all living back in Littleton as insurance agents.”
Our teachers and parents gave us an uncompromising, black-or-white image of our futures: either succeed at everything or succeed at nothing. Apparently, their dire warnings lit a serious fire under the asses of 60-70% of us. As a result, the generation now being hailed as the next “greatest generation” are excellent at academics, but painfully reliant on authority figures to tell them what to do, where to go, and how to think. The Millennials seem to crave leadership not out of any philosophical attachment to fascism, but out of a fear of being on their own.
Of course, this rigid message had exactly the opposite effect on me: it alienated me from society by convincing me that I’d already ruined my chances of being anywhere near the mainstream. And I couldn’t have been the only one. I can’t help but notice that the official Millennials Rising website briefly mentions, but ultimately glosses over, the Columbine massacre and other recent examples of teenagers snapping. And I wonder, as people like Howe and Strauss worship the 60-70% of my generation they have dubbed “the Millennials,” who’s looking after the other 40-30%? Is it possible that, in my generation’s overachieving, conformist culture, the ones that are left out are really, really, really left out? And if so, what are they going to be like? How are they going to affect our culture?
When I first heard the phrase, I was very happy that someone had coined a prettier term for my generation than a plain old Y. (As if we were a lowly chromosome!) “Generation Millennia” sounded romantic and futuristic. Now that I have a better idea of what it means to be a Millennial, suddenly I prefer “Generation Y” - or perhaps “Generation Why?” - if it sets me apart from those of my peers that refuse to ask any questions. I get the feeling that my generation - not the Millennials, but Generation Why? - are going to be the real pushers and shakers. If the Millennials sit back and allow a totalitarian dictatorship to take over, the Whys will be the ones to tear that government down. Because we never felt as if we belonged in this society, we’ll be the ones looking for alternatives. And, as such, we’ll be the ones that survive.
The Ys/Whys/wise will inherit the earth.
I prefer “The Nintendo Generation”.
This reminds me of college (I graduated in 2004). It’s ridiculous how much the students whine and complain. ‘This is too hard.’, ‘Is there gonna be a curve?’, ‘You didn’t cover this (exact problem) in class.’ and so on and so on. Not many could think on their own, everything had to be chewed over for them.
Comment by DigitalDjigit — 3 March 2006 @ 2:49 PM
Interesting. The generation that will face collapse is perfectly suited to not survive it.
Comment by Jason Godesky — 3 March 2006 @ 4:47 PM
Hershatter fears that this group, which has had such a structured life so far, may have difficulties if they run into situations that are less structured and ambiguous than their life experiences have been thus far. “They don’t do very well in situations of ambiguity,� Hershatter says. “They have been protected and directed since early childhood.
Betty Freidan said something similar about the Baby Boom generation in “The Feminine Mystique.” Maybe it’s a progressive thing.
Comment by Vicky — 3 March 2006 @ 5:01 PM
“Not many could think on their own, everything had to be chewed over for them.
”
Doesn’t sound very different from my experience in college (graduated in 1996, I guess I am the tail end of gen x).
Comment by rob — 3 March 2006 @ 5:35 PM
I recently (well…I guess it was last summer, maybe if I was younger it would feel like eons ago!) attended a week long outdoor trip that was part of an orientation program for incoming freshman to a college here in Maine. The college purports itself as ‘alternative’.
I was surprised and somewhat offended to have nearly EVERY second accounted for and arranged by the trip leaders. They could have easily allowed for some unstructured time or have done something completely radical like allowed the students to help plan and organize portions of the trip (again, it was an outdoor trip)…especially since this is an “Environmental” college and has a strong outdoor leadership/therapy program. Consistent with their own (and the profession’s premise) teaching, “outdoor recreation” trips lend themselves very well to development of self-esteem, decision making, coping skills, and leadership skills….all things useful for college life and surviving collapse.
I expressed my feelings and thoughts and of course everyone was surprised, offended, confused…you know….just because I expressed a dissenting view and a critique of the method an pointed out the missed opportunity.
Everyone, including the students, wanted MORE structure.
Comment by Charly — 3 March 2006 @ 5:42 PM
Well, I’m the other chromosome - genX. (Jezus, was it 1989 I concluded my BS?)
Those are some ugly lookin’ stats…
This article fills in the foundation for the term helicopter parents - those parents that hover, plan, and protect jr. from cradle to grad skool. Like having your own personal assistant, trainer, and lawyer rolled into one… It’s like a gambling addiction veiled as maternal love - parents so fully vested in this culture, they think doubling down with their kids lives is the play to make…
Sure puts a sharper point on the self-eliminating ways of our culture, for those that haven’t seen coming. Maybe folks couldn’t see the unsustainablitiy of our ways a couple of generations ago - but this is getting obvious. And exactly what we’d expect to see…
This is how many vacation today (literally: vacate their existing lives) - every moment plotted, planed and accounted for, every situation & detail massaged, cartooned, de-loused and scrubbed clean for your protection (Disneyfication).
No room for free-thinking, much less free-play. The silence would be deafening.
-Jim
Comment by JCamasto — 3 March 2006 @ 8:53 PM
Check out homeschooling/unschooling for one alternative. Some are not doing it for religious reasons.
Then turn off the TV, toss ‘em outdoors every now and then, and let them be bored until they figure out how to make up games for themselves.
Worth doing if you can swing it. (Easier to do than most believe.)
Plus, it works.
Comment by Eric — 3 March 2006 @ 9:14 PM
This process was starting when I was at university in the early 90s. The year the at followed mine was noticeably more study oriented and ‘focused’ than my year. If this startling difference between two consecutive years has continued every year since then there is even less hope for the future than I thought.
Comment by Aaron — 4 March 2006 @ 3:18 AM
And here’s the grammatically correct version
This process was starting when I was at university in the early 90s. The year that followed mine was noticeably more study oriented and ‘focused’ than my year. If this startling difference between two consecutive years has continued every year since, there is even less hope for the future than I thought.
Comment by Aaron — 4 March 2006 @ 3:21 AM
Hooray for Generation “Why?”! It’s important to recognize how much the controlling and overbearing techniques for child raising, whether they’re in the home or at school, force kids into either the role of the conformist or the role of the rebel. “Either you’re with us or you’re against us” played out on the intranational scale. I found that in my own story, I couldn’t just partially drop out — the system was set up to push me all the way out. In a way I’m glad, who knows what would have happened had this society provided even more numerous ways for people to acceptably rebel.
It seems indeed that this culture has a death wish, just like Colonel Beatty and the rest of the “happy people” in Fahrenheit-451. As it is, death isn’t much of a stretch from where people already are. Many people (of all generations) just wish to be put out of their misery, whether it be through drug abuse or video games or all of the fast-paced distractions we have available for us. Death is just the logical next step in “playing the game” of life avoidance.
- Devin
Comment by Devin — 4 March 2006 @ 11:06 AM
Excellent post. Yes, things were changing at university in the 90’s - each subsequent year wanting clearer go/no-go boundaries for ‘what is a pass’ and ‘what is a fail’. Of course, to do this is a sign of failure. But how do you argue against it? I feel I have to dig deeper every year, to get to the root of issues of identity and innovation and the difference between people and machines.
*
‘If you will tell me precisely what it is that a machine cannot do, then I can always make a machine which will do just that!’
- John von Neumann
Comment by speedbird — 6 March 2006 @ 6:19 AM
So I wonder then…how do you resolve this description of Gen-Y (the first generation to be named before they were born) with their other generational characteristics like high recreational drug use (pot, ecstasy), hyper-sexuality (phreak dancing, faux lesbianism), and “ultra-casual” office culture?
Comment by Steven Lagavulin — 6 March 2006 @ 4:00 PM
I thought those were more “X” than “Y”?
Comment by Jason Godesky — 6 March 2006 @ 4:17 PM
I sense some regret in the original message. Regret is best saved for personal mistakes, and even then only the gravest. Only regret that which, at the time, you didn’t realize was a mistake. If you didn’t know any better then it’s not something to regret (it’s simply a realization, which can upset all life balance; it’s still not a regret).
As for your parents, they were just following their script. The title was “your child must go to college in order to succeed.� They were just doing what they thought was best, and this was based on their worldview at that time (“at that time� is a powerful phrase than can turn pot smoking parents into Reagan voters). Effective propaganda defines the status quo.
I was the first college graduate in my family; it was pretty much expected of me. Oh yeah, I grew up on a small farm (just feed animals like chickens, cows, and pigs) with my parents squarely in the mid-lower income level. College has done me well (both in career and in relations), but it cost a lot and I just recently finished payment off my school debts. Would I change anything? Only if I knew then what I know now. Not that I regret anything (I regret one thing actually and it’s inconsequential to the grand events in my life).
Steve, that’s just a generation living in the most complex society ever trying the things that the complexity makes available. Specialization in a society is pervasive, both in career options and in recreational opportunities. I wish better party choices had been available to me, the rave scene was slightly after me, not that I didn’t try. Don’t knock the drugs users; they are more level headed than both the sugar users and the God users (although most fall for the sugar). At least they recognize their fix. And never knock natural options, things that grow on the Earth. They are the bounty of genetic diversity…
Today’s generations can try anything and get away with it, culturally speaking. That is something to embrace. People can finally be whatever they think they are (freaks included). All of that might end within our lifetime due to a collapse of some sort. I’m saddened by this, but also relived that nature might get a respite from our constant raping (I’m not that concerned about nature or biodiversity, there will be plenty of time for reworking of the system after the fall of homo sapiens, billions of years if needed).
Comment by Jason Turpin — 6 March 2006 @ 9:45 PM
I had a younger friend for a while at the grocery store at which I work. When he moved on, he wasn’t interested in continuing the friendship because he didn’t consider it appropriate. At least part of that in my own evaluation seemed to mean that because I wouldn’t be a direct part of his pursuit of money and position in society, I was suddenly dead weight that needed to be cut away.
He gave me his e-mail address, but aside from one e-mail of a few sentences back in May, he hasn’t been responding to my e-mails at all. I mention this because it was kind of the psychological tipping point for me that exposed civilization for what it really was. The stuff I’ve been gradually learning since the invasion of Iraq is the real reason for the change in worldview, it just took something personal to make it all gel into a critique of where humanity is right now.
Comment by venuspluto67 — 14 September 2006 @ 6:17 PM