Generation Disconnect

Lately I've noticed that some of Generation X's favorite topics of discussion are the failures of Generation Y. As a member of this generation, it shouldn't be a surprise that I find this irritating. Some of the points are valid. Yes, No Child Left Behind has skewed our critical thinking and learning processes to some extent. We grew up listening to Barney songs about how special we are, so sure, we're a narcissistic and lazy bunch, not to mention entitled. But some criticisms of our generation are hollow. Their foundation is that we are unlike the past generation, so we must be inferior.

One point of attack would be our utilization of social media. Gen Y has the most access to social media, and most of our peer interaction takes place online. On the surface level, this may appear to be detrimental to social skills. However, social media actually opens up a broad spectrum of easily-accessible information and perspectives.

By communicating with others online, I am able to carry conversations with people across the country. New York, St. Louis, and the reach extends further. Through social media, I have made acquaintance with people (and this does not mean the perpetuated view of 40-year-old creeper, I am talking about people around my age) from Finland, New Zealand, and beyond.  How could digesting so many different, diverse opinions be harmful? This helps our generation have a broader, more accepting view of the world.

In fact, Gen Y is widely considered the most accepting generation as well as the least religious. The latter doesn't have much to do with the former, but take it as you will.

Gen Y graduates, while notorious for returning home after college, face an impossible economy. While unemployment is at a spike, college tuition rates have never been higher. Listening to older generations criticize us for not immediately paying for tuition is painful. Sorry, we have to pay a tad more than $8,000 a year. Many quality schools cost upwards of $40,000 a year these days.

Our generation is different from that of our predecessors, but that is only to be expected. As times change, people must change in response. We can't afford much more cultural lag than we have already, anyway.

If you remain upset over the failures of our generation, I ask you to take a step back and consider some ideas. It wasn't Gen Y that generated these critical shaping mechanisms or supplied us with "unhealthy amounts of pampering." If you consider Gen Y a failure, maybe it is a product of your own generation's failures.