No, you probably won't
None of us will quite turn out as nicely as the generation before us. Generation Y (those born in the late 1970s and early 1990s) is already quite different from Generation X. In fact, “College admissions offices, employers and marketing companies are going into a frenzy over Generation Y, a cohort of individuals characterized as Generation X on steroids,” states this article. Generation Y is also called the Echo Boomers, Millenium Generation, iGeneration, Einstein Generation and Google Generation. The children of the baby boomers, Generation Yers are noted for their ability to super-multitask, live comfortably in the digital world (especially since PCs and the Internet have always been available since this group was born).
But of course there are negative stereotypes of Generation Yers as well. In light of all the bad things that have happened from the 70s to the 90s, Generation Yers are likely to be labeled as cynical and pessimistic. Consider the following events and the effects that they have had on Generation Y readers.
Members of a Generation are Shaped by the Same Events
When a group of people goes through the same trials, bleed in the same battle and cry at the same movies, it’s not hard to see where many of the attitudes of the generation come from. It’s the commonalities that those born during this period hold; though we are all individuals, it is likely that these world events affect people of the same generation in the same way.
Happy, key events that helped shape many members of Generation Y include the fall of the Berlin Wall and of the Soviet Union. But on the other side of the coin, the current war in Iraq will be the war that this generation will remember best, and have more opinions about; catastrophes like the 1986 Challenger explosion, Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean Tsunami and tragedies like the death of Princess Diana and the Columbine High School shooting are also events whose mention will bring waves of similar emotion to Generation Yers.
It seems strange that things like the O.J. Simpson trial is what Generation Y will remember most, and perhaps be remembered most for living through. Less exciting events for American citizens, like Hong Kong’s return to China, still leave marks on the minds of Generation Y. Even if we don’t particularly care about world events or what happens in popular culture, or realize how these events have influenced the way you think, these are the things that do shape us, that are kept in the back of our minds and affect how we act and react to things. And our actions translate into more occurrences. Is history is in the making? Every day.
I really liked how you pointed out that history is, indeed, in the making every single day. As a generation that has so many resources and opportunities available to us, it falls upon us to ensure that our world will still be thriving in the years to come. Quoting Uncle Ben from Spider-Man, "With great power comes great responsibility." Well us Generation Yers certainly have the power; will we follow through on our responsibilities?
ReplyDeleteMinnie Mouse here! Well, during class we discussed this subject and as my teacher pointed out, past generations help shape future generations so we cannot be fully blamed for the negative sides of Generation Y. Yes, I agree that we should be responsible for the betterment of our generation, but all the weight cannot be burdened on us. Generation X has also contributed to the shaping and development of the present generation.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see that as a child of Generation X, we have developed into people much more capable and, as you said, very much able to take on multiple tasks at the same time. I think one of the most influential causes of this is the growth of the internet and the evolution of much more advanced technology, but yet again there is a negative characteristic that comes with that. With growing technology I think our generation is given the opportunity to become much more lazy than those previous to us. Many people take advantage of the fact that they can just buy a machine to vacuum their floor for them rather than just do it themselves. I think this trend will continue with generations to come, seeing that technology will not cease in its evolution. This leads me to think that what if in 10,000 years humans get more and more lazy and then we eventually evolve to not having legs because we sit around so much or being extremely scrawny from never using muscles. Just a thought...
ReplyDelete-Wanda