Generational Theory
Analyzing an entire generation is about as scientific as astrology. I’m more apt to trust a horoscope than someone who claims to be an expert in generation-ology, like the entirely biased experts in the field, Baby Boomers William Strauss and Neil Howe. I probably have more in common with my fellow Libra-Scorpio cusps than I do with the 70 million Americans born in between 1982 and 2001. The ties that bind a generation are constructed from the various narratives of their time: we’re summed up by the cultural, political and technological trends that surround us, whether we have anything to do with them, or whether they’ve been passed down to us from Baby Boomer marketers and impresarios, Generation X culture-makers and web developers.
There’s a faulty logic in assuming that whatever the Gen Y demographic consumes the most reflects an authentic picture of its generation: most of us have just started to mature to the point where our own work has become culturally relevant, where we are speaking to each other instead of being spoken down to. Furthermore, culture has become fragmented into micro-niches faster than market research can keep up with it. Over the next decade, I hope that Generation Y will start to define itself rather than let itself be defined by biased voices from the generations that have preceded it. The lasting damage of our elders’ bitter accusations of “entitlement!” will not be erased without hard work.
In terms of authorial origin, I can’t claim the video at the top of this post (which I appear in) is a step in the right direction. It’s basically a bullet-point rundown of the points outlined in Gen X writer Eric H. Greenberg’s new book, Generation We– a call to action for our generation to change the world for the better. While it may not come from an authentically Gen Y source, the book and the video have a good message, using our generation’s lack of an identity as a call to arms, asking us to carry on the project of liberalism that has finally arisen from the ashes in the 2008 election. Underneath its melodramatic earth-saving surface, the video manipulates our fragmented lack of cohesion to recruit us for the liberal agenda, which, as a supporter of those ideals, I believe is a good thing– yet, as a believer in the importance of our generation establishing self-sufficiency, I can’t help but feel weird about.
Regardless of its authorial origin or agenda, the effort to stimulate, address, or identify Generation Y as a whole is clearly something that young people are yearning for: the “Generation We” video has already been viewed 1.8 million times in little more than a week over MySpace, YouTube and Vimeo (reading the video’s comments on each of those sites is an interesting study altogether on the disparate demographics who log on to each of those forums). Sometimes I wonder if it will ever be possible for us to effect positive change throughout our next 15 or 20 years in the sun. Will we end up selling out like the Baby Boomers in the 80′s, or just say “Whatever” and enjoy ourselves like the jaded Generation Xers before us? Will technology give us the edge we need to change the system and its seemingly impassible roadblocks, or will it just lead us to solipsistic navel-gazing? Or will the entire system collapse under the shifting forces of the global market before we even have a chance to make our mark?
But most interestingly, whatever happens, will we ever truly take control of our destinies? Will we write our generation’s own story– or will it be written for us by a cynical group of our elders?
Hi i’m your cynical elder. I have written a story about you. its a NC-17 graham/brenda ship i think you will like it
So, we’re all supposed to vote for a common goal. But not in any way like a political party, right?
I’m 21, and I can see your BS shining through.
i wish you luck but if you look back at the baby boomers we all thought we would change the world too
Oh for fucks sake god I wish I wasnt american.
Yea, lets support ideas we know nothing about because they’re the underdog ideas. Too hell with independent research and decision making. I was born on the cusp of our generation “Y” or generation “myspace” as it’s been called and god damnt, I hate our generation. Spoiled, uneducated, mass-consuming, marketing targets with little to no attention span beyond 30 second blurbs posted up on blogs. They’ll act like their suv driving, debt ignoring, “I have kids but responsibility be damned” parents.
A whole generation of kids raised by kids in their 30′s and 40′s will be left incapable of grasping the width and breadth of the human condition unless they put down their electronic safety blankets.
Chris, the point is that there are enough of us who are plenty capable and smart that it doesn’t matter what the stupid people do, we can change the world without them.
I don’t think of this video as trying to deceive anyone.. if the video doesn’t speak to you than it’s not aimed at you. It’s more of a rallying cry for the scattered youth who hear this and think “there really are other people like me?”, a self-evident promise of hope embodied. If you aren’t see your own positive qualities echoed in the people on screen, then I guess you’d be right to dislike it.
-Sebulon
it was those baby boomers who invented the motherfucking computer that you are trashing the baby boomers on. it was those baby boomers who invented the video games you sit in front of day in and day out. it was those baby boomers who invented cell phone technology that you message your friends on incessantly. it was those baby boomers who invented everything in your life you feel is useful…it was those baby boomers who changed the world and made it so women arent barefoot, pregnant and chained to a stove. it was those baby boomers who gave the possibility to do something with your insignificant little lives.. who made it possible for women to do things like run companies or be president or go into space. you fucking pissant children need to catch a fucking clue. it was those motherfucking baby boomers WHO MADE YOU….pinheads…..
have a great day.
and god bless those baby boomers for all of those electronics i am required to own in this modern age. god bless them for granting us new rights and voting against others. and god bless them for granting us a life to take for granted, a life that asks little of society in terms of social/global/environmental awareness, a life contained and suppressed.
women are still being “chained to stoves” across the world. people are still pregnant and barefoot. 49% of college graduates are out of jobs. but you’re totally right when you say we owe it to our parents for birthing us into this world. how dare we complain?
this shit is only useful because we make it a requirement. and now there is growing dissent among youth culture. do you think this reaction is unwarranted? america is falling and bringing the world with it, and yet, as long as we keep CONSUMING we can achieve happiness.
this game has got to stop. its a work of fiction sugar-coating a horrifying reality. and regardless of whether this video has a liberal agenda or if it is another charade of hope, the fact is that we are all totally fucked if we do not act NOW.
see you in line for water in fifteen years.
see you in line for evacuation to the moon.
Hi!…
I find the things being spoken about, very interesting!.
I am not from the us, rather from the Uk but have been spending a great deal of time end effort watching the world and the changes going on!…
First of all, i wish to say that it is good to see that there are others out there, no matter the age, who are also seeing with open eyes!…
The Objects spoken of that we use in todays world that we FEEL we NEED to own are a creation, not to help but to keep us busy, to keep our directioons focused on one thing while the leaders do as they wish!.
Everything in the world is becoming digital and very fast!.
As wonderful as this is, it also comes with a down side!.
Being that, where ever you go, whatever you do, you can be watched, controlled e.t.c!.
I know this may seem some far fetched thing of the movies but all you have to do is look, read, understand and learn!.
You ALL have great minds and you each have special gifts wether it be creative thought, minds of a mathimatical nature or whatever!.
Each of you has the right to speak out and make the world a better place!.
If someting isn’t done, then there will be many more changes that by then, will be too late to do anything about!…
I would like to suggest a word of caustion though!.
I’m sure many of you know about fema camps around the US and marshall law?.
If not, then it is worth looking up!.
The reason i mention it is because if people try taking control or give the impresstion of such things then marshall law WILL be put into effect!.
Meaning, that the govenment will have control of everything….trains, airports and even your homes!.
i am not one to alarm others and would not wish too but knowledge is very important!.
I agree with you reasons for doing what you wish to do but just be careful!.
Wars are created for many reasons as i’m sure you know!.
However, you don’t wish to be seen as creating one within you own country!…
I hope this makes some sense to you and please do forgive my spelling, not a strong point of mine!.
I wish you well!.
If there is anything i can do that may be of help, feel free to get in touch!.
Peace and respect!.
Wayne
Alright, while I am impressed and somewhat inspired by this video, I find it somewhere far from my personal believes. I’ll admit I’m more than excited to see our generation rise to power and see what we can do together to change this country. However, a lot of the things said in this video are liberal and borderline socialist views. This has become a recent problem for me as a conservative, that I’ve become out numbered in majority of my political talks with friends and family members.
I’ll admit I subscribe to liberal social policies like gay rights, pro-choice, and the decriminalization of marijuana. However those are not the things I base my voting on, like most if not all of the people I’ve met my age. I agree that we need to work on greener energy production, and that’s something that both sides are willing to work on. Yet the current economic crisis, while mostly the fault of Bush propitiating a war we couldn’t afford, had been made worse by the Obama administration’s outrageous spending.
The recent reclamation of the House of Representatives by the Republicans is in my eyes a victory against the high spending and failing economic reform. Our new speaker made a beautiful speech last night, and I believe he was right in saying that this is not a time to celebrate but a time to roll up our sleeves an get to work fixing this country. We’ve learned the hard way that voting for a man who promises change doesn’t mean the change will be good. We’ve had our experiment in hyper-liberalism and the country is worse off for it.
I do hope that some of you will join me in supporting a new kind of view. One where we can be financially responsible and conservative, yet socially and culturally tolerant and liberal.
Also forgive my grammar. I’m not an English teacher for a reason. =]
sounds like hell
be smart and understand what the video speaks of unification in progress and purpose, nothing more. it just means understand the amount of responsibility we have. its not bipartisian or anything just wants to inspire some light on the situation.
While it’s exciting to see a movement of generational identity being brought into effect, it seems to me that equally important the establishment of such a movement is the prudence with which we direct our collective mass.
As Kevin stated earlier, we’ve already seen that a mass movement for “change” is not necessarily beneficial to mankind. As a generation of such vastness and political power, we need to make sure that we are not pressing onward towards goals just because we have the power and influence to do so.
We can not have momentum for momentum’s sake.
If the majority moves towards stupidity simply because they seek movement, there’s no telling in what direction we will push the world.
In short, we must exercise caution when choosing the path along which our generation shall direct the world, for our influence is so strong that a push in the wrong direction could be catostrophic..
I’m a 21 year old, and although things often seem like they’re headed downhill, pessimism is useless. Nothing can change for the better unless we believe it can. Fortunately, most people I know believe think we can change things. Maybe we’re wrong, but it’s pathetic to not try.
I agree with Justin. “We can not have momentum for momentum’s sake.” But there are plenty of other reasons to have momentum. Primarily, the destruction of the planet. And I’m glad that this issue seems to be the prominent issue of the video.
Grahm, you say, “I’m more apt to trust a horoscope than someone who claims to be an expert in generation-ology, like the entirely biased experts in the field, Baby Boomers William Strauss and Neil Howe.” I’m very familiar with their books, and I agree, they are surely biased as Baby Boomers. Additionally, it is somewhat absurd to think one could be an expert in generationology. However, their theory of our generation actually seems to line up quite nicely with this video. They point out our record numbers of volunteerism and discuss how civic minded we are. That seems to be the same message I got from this video.
Van, who said, “So, we’re all supposed to vote for a common goal. But not in any way like a political party, right? I’m 21, and I can see your BS shining through.” I see your point. The post was three days before the election. And while our generation technically “won” the election, we’ve seen that the duty of world citizenship calls for a lot more than the almost symbolic act of voting. Nonetheless, I still think this video is a good call for unification.
As for russ meier’s comment, “i wish you luck but if you look back at the baby boomers we all thought we would change the world too,” the baby boomers did change the world. Look what came out of them: the civil rights movement, gender equality, the internet, rock n’ roll, and free love. And Grahm is right, they did sell out in the 1980s, but they did a lot before they traded in their peace signs for dollar signs. Sure, there is still racism and sexism, but it’s a lot better than it was before.
But whereas the baby boomers focused on equality, our focus is on sustainability. And unlike the baby boomers, we have a time limit. We’re either going to run out of fossil fuels, or destroy the planet’s ecosystem, whichever comes first.
But there’s another option: we could change the way we live before either of those happen. We don’t need SUVs. We don’t need cable news. We don’t need fast food. We don’t need blatant over-consumption.
But change is going to come one way or another. It could apocalyptic or it could be revolutionary. But if we focus our support on the things that are good in this world,–love, freedom, equality, sustainability–they will withstand the change.
Hey, im 19 and i agree with pretty much everything this video says about what we’re receiving as far as the state of our union goes….but i have absolutely no confidence in my own generation to do any better than the generations before us.
I hate to be a cynic but the vast majority of young people i meet hardly have the ability to make a rational or logical decision without letting emotions trump all thinking. “Too often we have opinions without the strain of thought.”
And (as a majority) we’re really too obsessed with Jersey Shore and twilight to pay attention to even to most relevant political news about the world around us. I think, once we really get control, (because by 2016 most of us still wont care enough to vote) all my generation will probably do is place regulation upon regulation upon regulation and shift us towards a very Orwellian or Aldous Huxelian future. (id place my money on the Huxlian future.)
Then again i can only witness a small portion of my generation here in California, is there anyone else who has noticed this about ourselves?
“…and shame on you if you happen to be a part of this new generation who has conservative beliefs!”
Yeah… It’s like a call to action, but it just sort of assumes that everyone in this age group agrees on what needs to be done politically in the future. I’ll definitely vote when I’m 18, but I probably won’t vote the way the people in this video want me to.
Also, did I hear right that it was complaining about national debt and then suggesting initiating ANOTHER expensive (multi-billion dollar) government program?
Also, the claim that we are the first generation to inherit a declining nation is just whiny and downright false. America has always had ups and downs. This isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last.