My Generation

We are, I have been told, part of the worst generation ever: the entitlement generation, the lazy generation, the generation of Facebook, mass connectivity and environmental activism.  Now, there is a certain tendency in this country to look down on the up-and-coming youth while glorifying the deeds of the old and well established.  Or as The Who might put it: “People try to put us down.  Talkin’ bout my generation.”

I am irked when people identify me as being a part of the worst generation ever.  For one, I just don’t believe it.  I would doubt that any of us do.  What kind of college would we have if it actively believed it was producing a generation that was worse than the one that came before?

I do, however, have some ideas as to where this mentality may have arisen.

There is no doubting our country has changed, even from our childhood.  Looking back at the last ten years alone, one can see significant changes, let alone 50 years ago.  One of the biggest differences is while military might still affects the world, society itself has become less militarized.  The massive influx of veterans returning home post World War II that defined the “Golden Generation” just does not exist for us.  In fact, the luster of combat has faded considerably.  When once conscripted men shared a bond of fraternity, our general outlook on the military is far more sedated.  The same might be said on our views of armed conflict.  The far more global and comprehensive news coverage allows us an individuality of opinion, for better or worse, on events around the world.  After all, it did not take the civilian population long to figure out Iraq was a mistake.

So the rugged militaristic patriotism is something that has faded.  But what has it been replaced by? Apparently, freeloading, narcissistic twenty-somethings that are still regarded as children.

We are regarded as the “Worst Generation Ever,” not because we cannot emulate those who came before, but more likely because the rules of the game have changed.  Community means something entirely different than it once did.  We have lightning-quick access to information and as it happens, are quite savvy with it.  When once you might have to go to the local coffee shop to talk about the news, now we can do it with a status update and feel validated about it.  Political engagement is now more a matter of responding to people’s forum comments as opposed to meeting in person.  Television seems to be an essential in every home and in many ways our generation grew up fearing direct contact with the world and staying remarkably introverted.

It remains to be seen whether these changes are good or bad, but they have happened, a fact that those of older generations might forget in their haste to call us entitled and spoiled.  While they may have had to heave themselves up by their bootstraps, our generation as a whole has not had the best luck.  We were very much the victims of the 2008 crash, and they wonder why we aren’t going to work quick enough? Most of us were brought up in a tense culture of fear and uneasiness, results of 9/11 and the resulting military action.  There is no longer the looming threat of Communism, but instead the far more slippery threat of terrorism.  So yeah, we got a little messed up somewhere along the way.

Where I think there is a point to be made is about our passion.  While our generation comparatively is far more tolerant, and even better educated, we seem to have a hard time finding a cause.  There’s no Vietnam to protest, no Berlin Wall to tear down.  Rock and Roll doesn’t shake our bones and Jay-Z doesn’t have the same political-social thrust of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan or the Rolling Stones.  Some would argue our “cause” is environmental activism.  Do we rally in the same way though?  Do we take to the streets over it? I find this apathy unsettling.  While petty activism is something this campus is all too familiar with, there is nothing that binds us together as an age group in the same way.

So what do we bring to the table? More people are going to college than ever before.  We can coordinate revolutions via internet, we have a level of connectivity that we identify and take in stride.  Are we apathetic though?  Apolitical?  Or maybe just introverted.  One way or another it seems we’re not trying to cause a big sensation, I’m just talkin’ bout my generation.