…I know times are getting hard
But just believe me, girl
Someday I’ll pay the bills with this guitar
We’ll have it good
We’ll have the life we knew we would…
–From the Plain White Ts and Hey There Delilah
If Generation X was born with or raised in the shadow of the Cold War, Generation Y was born with or raised in the shadow of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
Two important pieces were published yesterday about the current plight of Generation Y in relation to the times in which they have come of age and associated joblessness and economic crises. The Huffington Post published, Moving Home: When College Grads Face Uncertain Futures by Amanda M. Fairbanks. Forbes later published a response by blogger Jason Oberholtzer, In Defense of My Generation.
Oberholtzer has a lot of great things, but what strikes me as most stunning is how closely aligned the Gen Y post college experience has become to Gen X. So much of the collective persona of Generation X including distrust of large institutions is becoming more and more reflective of Generation Y. The research I’ve read, including some by generational theorists, did not predict this. In fact, a year and a half ago, Pew released findings in a study on Millennials that found them to be full of optimism.
Hunt For Bin Laden
The Church…is still dealing with the fallout of widespread pedophilia scandals; The Military is stuck in two unpopular wars…in which a decisive victory seems to be impossible; The Government is viewed with such cynicism…corruption is expected, fidelity is antiquated and politics play out like a gladiatorial event where campaign promises are “moves” and “countermoves” to which no elected official is held accountable; and finally, The Market has been handled so irresponsibly…One great injustice has influenced my generation’s perception of adulthood and has made it more difficult to have faith in the attendant milestones. We grew up during the hunt for Osama Bin Laden…Keep Reading
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