TimmyH
The Y-Lie Generation
August 5th 2008 02:06
There is little to be said for mindless optimism. But similarly, few would contort that blind glumness is any better. For the past few decades the world has been slowly sheathed in a cover of doom and gloom. The fuel for this dismal deterioration has been an environment of dishonesty. But I’m not going to lie, the youth have had a gut full.
Few Generations have been able to build a conclusive reputation for honesty and transparency. But I’m not going to lie, Generation Y is changing that. As Texan J Ridgewood suggests, “Generation Y has embraced sincere interaction with the rest of the world because our goal is to change society through our own self-improvement and involvement.”
Ridgewood’s piece, published on The Daily Texan website recently, underlines the first of two central themes that have been emerging in Gen-Y culture, Honesty & Trust.
Ridgewood rightly explains that Generation X is inherently cynical. But who can blame them? They have grown up with a deterioration of civil rights in almost every country in the Western World. This erosion has been most prevalent in legislation like the US PATRIOT Act and similar changes to civil liberty laws in Australia and the U.K. Cynicism in the face of such challenges to individual rights as well as the exponentially increasing gap between the rich and poor might be a natural regression.
But where Generation X has become complacent and constantly trivialises the challenges of New Millennium social evolution, Generation Y has risen to become a passionate and united force that champions Trust and Honesty as prerequisites for human interaction.
Generation X grew up in the relatively stable international climate of the Post-Communism world. Economic prosperity in the West made it easy for Generation X to lose its social conscience in favour of Grunge and X Games indulgences. They adopted insincerity and found satire an easy escape. It was this loss of the Generation X conscience and concentration that allowed for the deterioration of civil rights and the environmental protection to take place.
In his short story “My Appearance”, David Foster Wallace uses a fictional conversation between David Letterman and a Gen-X actress as a vehicle for examining the Generation X mentality. As Wallace explain, In the Gen-X world “Everything is clichéd and hyped and absurd, and that’s just where the fun is…the joke is now on people who are sincere.”
Generation Y, on the other hand is becoming exceedingly honest. We hold up sincerity as the first pillar of the righteous individual. We have rejected the slap-stick, self-mocking culture of our predecessors in favour of a human-conscious perspective on all things social. Our Baby-Boomer parents thought it prudent to combat social and economic turmoil with protests, strikes and picketing. But the Y Generation has added a more personal touch.
Ridgewood describes this as an “I’ll play my part and inspire everyone” ethos. And while many might criticise this as a deluded take on our own self-importance, it goes a long way to explaining why Generation Y treasures integrity. It could easily be likened to social blackmail. Social movements are just so easily publicised these days.
Social networking sites and indeed the Internet in general make broadcasting one’s own personal social perspective simple. The ease with which these ethical and moral standpoints can be displayed on MySpace or Facebook pages makes them difficult to ignore. Joining a group like the Australian based “FUCK OFF JAPAN, LEAVE OUR WHALES ALONE” isn’t difficult. In fact, not joining can be intimidating because all your “Facebook Friends” can check up on you, should they so wish.
It takes a certain level of trust and faith in humanity to advertise once-intimate details about your personal life on the Internet. The Facebook revolution alone should prove that Generation Y is trusting and sincere, how else would you describe the growth of user-generated content? Social networking is an astounding phenomenon because its Gen Y drivers are so liberal with their content.
Even in Politics and the Entertainment Industry, Generation Y values honesty above all else. Where Nirvana and Pearl Jam built a following based on adolescent anger, with nothing in particular, today’s bands are brimming with self-righteousness. You need only look at Kanye West and the string of hip-hop artists “with a cause” to know that Generation Y appreciates those that talk a good game. Generation X would never have allowed such groups to take themselves so seriously, they would have been cut done right early. In fact, such is Generation Y’s respect for honesty, that we are able to tolerate glorified prostitutes like Paris Hilton. At least they make it clear that all they want is their 5 mins, give it to them and maybe they’ll shut up.
When it comes to politics it doesn’t really matter what our leaders are saying as long as it seems plausible. The overwhelming Gen-Y support for Sen. Obama in the US this year seems to illustrate how trusting Generation Y is. Few have probably read his policies, and it’s doubtful that any of them could name half a dozens of his proposed legislative changes, but as long as his banners say “Change we can believe in” Generation Y seems hooked. We want to believe. We want to be able to trust and are more inclined to do so.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that many Gen-Y voters in the US will be going to the polling stations for the first time, they have yet to be bitten by their poor choices in the past so blind optimism might not be such a bad idea for now. At the very least we’re encourage able.
Few Generations have been able to build a conclusive reputation for honesty and transparency. But I’m not going to lie, Generation Y is changing that. As Texan J Ridgewood suggests, “Generation Y has embraced sincere interaction with the rest of the world because our goal is to change society through our own self-improvement and involvement.”
Ridgewood’s piece, published on The Daily Texan website recently, underlines the first of two central themes that have been emerging in Gen-Y culture, Honesty & Trust.
Ridgewood rightly explains that Generation X is inherently cynical. But who can blame them? They have grown up with a deterioration of civil rights in almost every country in the Western World. This erosion has been most prevalent in legislation like the US PATRIOT Act and similar changes to civil liberty laws in Australia and the U.K. Cynicism in the face of such challenges to individual rights as well as the exponentially increasing gap between the rich and poor might be a natural regression.
But where Generation X has become complacent and constantly trivialises the challenges of New Millennium social evolution, Generation Y has risen to become a passionate and united force that champions Trust and Honesty as prerequisites for human interaction.
Generation X grew up in the relatively stable international climate of the Post-Communism world. Economic prosperity in the West made it easy for Generation X to lose its social conscience in favour of Grunge and X Games indulgences. They adopted insincerity and found satire an easy escape. It was this loss of the Generation X conscience and concentration that allowed for the deterioration of civil rights and the environmental protection to take place.
In his short story “My Appearance”, David Foster Wallace uses a fictional conversation between David Letterman and a Gen-X actress as a vehicle for examining the Generation X mentality. As Wallace explain, In the Gen-X world “Everything is clichéd and hyped and absurd, and that’s just where the fun is…the joke is now on people who are sincere.”
Generation Y, on the other hand is becoming exceedingly honest. We hold up sincerity as the first pillar of the righteous individual. We have rejected the slap-stick, self-mocking culture of our predecessors in favour of a human-conscious perspective on all things social. Our Baby-Boomer parents thought it prudent to combat social and economic turmoil with protests, strikes and picketing. But the Y Generation has added a more personal touch.
Ridgewood describes this as an “I’ll play my part and inspire everyone” ethos. And while many might criticise this as a deluded take on our own self-importance, it goes a long way to explaining why Generation Y treasures integrity. It could easily be likened to social blackmail. Social movements are just so easily publicised these days.
Social networking sites and indeed the Internet in general make broadcasting one’s own personal social perspective simple. The ease with which these ethical and moral standpoints can be displayed on MySpace or Facebook pages makes them difficult to ignore. Joining a group like the Australian based “FUCK OFF JAPAN, LEAVE OUR WHALES ALONE” isn’t difficult. In fact, not joining can be intimidating because all your “Facebook Friends” can check up on you, should they so wish.
It takes a certain level of trust and faith in humanity to advertise once-intimate details about your personal life on the Internet. The Facebook revolution alone should prove that Generation Y is trusting and sincere, how else would you describe the growth of user-generated content? Social networking is an astounding phenomenon because its Gen Y drivers are so liberal with their content.
Even in Politics and the Entertainment Industry, Generation Y values honesty above all else. Where Nirvana and Pearl Jam built a following based on adolescent anger, with nothing in particular, today’s bands are brimming with self-righteousness. You need only look at Kanye West and the string of hip-hop artists “with a cause” to know that Generation Y appreciates those that talk a good game. Generation X would never have allowed such groups to take themselves so seriously, they would have been cut done right early. In fact, such is Generation Y’s respect for honesty, that we are able to tolerate glorified prostitutes like Paris Hilton. At least they make it clear that all they want is their 5 mins, give it to them and maybe they’ll shut up.
When it comes to politics it doesn’t really matter what our leaders are saying as long as it seems plausible. The overwhelming Gen-Y support for Sen. Obama in the US this year seems to illustrate how trusting Generation Y is. Few have probably read his policies, and it’s doubtful that any of them could name half a dozens of his proposed legislative changes, but as long as his banners say “Change we can believe in” Generation Y seems hooked. We want to believe. We want to be able to trust and are more inclined to do so.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that many Gen-Y voters in the US will be going to the polling stations for the first time, they have yet to be bitten by their poor choices in the past so blind optimism might not be such a bad idea for now. At the very least we’re encourage able.
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Trusting, or too lazy to do some research?
Another word for that would be "gullible", which is not a good thing.
Look, Timmy..I appreciate the fact that every generation since WW 1 likes to think that they're somehow "special" and "different", but history tells a different story. The same convictions come from the mouths of the same age group every generation--regardless of technological advances et. al.
Don't believe me? Read any early stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald or Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" or listen to the lyrics of "My Generation" by The Who. That's three different time frames with good examples of youthful convictions; although the issues may change, the view and the approach remain the same.
Gung-ho, but no info.
Don't take this personally; one day if you have kids you'll see that same phenomena, I'm sure. I think your blog and comments are a very good read, but I have to disagree with the whole "we're different from other generations" thing...you're not.
Comment by TimmyH
Tech News
Can you HACK it?
Genyration
You're totally right D. Gen Y is incredibly gullible. A fact I am none too pleased about. We are gullible about our own personal security to the point where we publish almost every detail of our personal lives in a medium which is subject to very few if any national or international regulatory controls.
Different? I should think so.
Just as a side-note I think you'll find that the next line after "The overwhelming Gen-Y support for Sen. Obama..." is "Few have probably read his policies..."
Not just Lazy, worse than ever. We have infinte access to information and we still don't use it. Why? We trust a passionate voice. Support for Obama in the Y Generation is overwhelming not because of his policies but because of his stage manner.
Thoughts?
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Dead on.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of older people who should know better in that particular category as well.
Technology is different. Human nature, however, remains dully predictable..generation after generation.
Comment by Timothy Powell
subjective determinist
Bad men
meditations while in genetics lectures