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Hmmm, now that i think about it, it's possible that in the future, this, i mean my generation will be the first generation to phase out the strictly democrat/republican dominated political landscape and move towards a moderate mode. Just wishful thinking
If you read their books Generations and The Fourth Turning by Strauss and Howe you will see that they have predicted that Gen X will be more pragmatic and move away from uber doctrinnaire politics and that Gen Y will continue that trend. I do see some evidence for that trend, and it can't come soon enough for me.
Statistically speaking, today's teenagers are better behaved in terms of sexual activity, pregnancy levels, alcohol and drug usage. Believe or not, their parents, the Baby boomers and Xers, when they were the same age, were more likely to use as well as abuse drugs and alcohol. They engaged in more sex and were more likely to become teen parents.
Risky behavior statistics show a trend in the positive direction, something that's expected with the generation archetype that Millennials belong to.
According to the S&H theory, today's youths, the Millennials belong to the Hero archetype. Heros are born in an insecure world, and during a time of increasing protection of children. They come of age as optimistic and team working young adults during the 4T Crisis (the era were in now), fight in the Crisis war and enter the next era (the High) as confident midlifers. The Millennials are on par with the Greatest Generation who came of age during the Depression and fought in WWII. The Greatest generation also belonged to the Hero archetype.
The next generation being born are labeled the Homeland generation, they belong to the Artist archetype. Artists are born and overprotected by society during the 4T. They come of age as conformist and risk averse young adults during the High, and enter midlife as process oriented adults in the Awakening. An example of current Artists are the Silent generation born between 1925-1942. They were sheltered due to the Depression and WWII, came of age as cautious and well-behaved young adults during the 1950s. Thus the reason why they're called the "Silent generation", which was first coined in 1951.
Historically, Heros have started the trend towards more positive behavior and Artists have been the most well behaved. Then the Prophets (which is what the Baby boomers are) start the trend towards more risky behavior. And Nomads (which is the archetype Generation Xers belong to) peak these trends.
So, I think the next generation of Americans will be better behaved.
Today's generation setup:
Youths- Homelands (born since 2005-2025?)- Artist
Entering young adulthood- Millennials (1982-2005)- Hero
Entering midlife- Generation X (1961-1982)- Nomad
Entering elderhood- Baby boomers (1943-1961)-Prophets
Entering post elderhood- Silents (1925-1943) Artists
There is a huge difference in the work ethic of kids and in the early 50s when I went to college. In fact, my sons continually complain about that ethic in the younger ones who work where they do and they are 31 and 27. They hate to have to help those kids of 20 to 21 learn the job since they just don't want to do it, only draw the check.
That's been true forever, though. A worker's productivity maxes in a worker's 30s. It is not as high in a worker's 20s or 40s or 50s. So really, those 20 and 21 year olds are just as productive as 20 and 21 year olds were in the past, and they look less productive to older workers who have gotten more productive as they aged and forgot that they were also less productive when they were young.
If you drew a chart of a worker's productivity it would start low, max out at about age 35, and then decline. However, younger workers tend to earn less so the decreased productivity doesn't make them any more expensive to employ.
Here is a chart showing that:
And here is a chart of productivity among all US workers:
I think it's important to this generation through the lens of the challenges today. It is impossible to relate today's youth to your own youth because it's very different. Not easier or harder in many cases, but different.
We are in the worst economic time since the Great Depression. We are also a much more urban society than we were during the 30s. An uneducated 19 year old might have left the dustbowl seeking farm work in other parts of the country. People on the whole lived on more space, functioned more of a community, and could make due with less because they cooperated. That doesn't happen today.
Additionally, humans are the most productive they have ever been in history, combined with the functionality of technology, means that we are each fighting for a smaller slice of the pie. The average B and C student of the 50s could have gone on to a solid middle management career in the 60s, supporting a nuclear family. Average people could lead average lives. But today, it is much harder to get ahead - average people still lead average lives, but the quality of that average life has gone down. We need 2 working parents to support a family, for instance.
I think the bad eggs are a lot more VISIBLY bad - we have TV shows glorifying lazy, unintelligent scum. And yet, yesterday's rules of thumb are being applied in ways that are unfair. For instance, a 24 year old living at home is not necessarily lazy, unmotivated, or lacks responsibility. The job market has tanked so maybe he's working a part time job, paying off student loans, working an unpaid internship to try to break into his field... or maybe he's helping his parents out with mortgage or bills because they lost their jobs. Who knows?
The fact is, youth today do have to be smarter, more on their toes, and more flexible than 20 or 30 years ago in order to get ahead. And many of us are rising to the occasion.
Today's youth were raised in a society where everyone is a winner and there is no such thing as a loser. Everyone gets a prize for just showing up, hard work/talent be damned.
That's why it is so painful to watch try-outs for American Idol.
1) Theres no way the boomers can escape a claim re eating every candy possible in good times as though the future does not exist.
Make hay while the sun shines doesn't mean you go ahead and eat it all up, it means you know clouds come and go...sheesh.
2) The problem with the younger crowd is a lack of quantity in collective attitude "apart from the extreme constructive-hopeful vrs destructive-give up........( Im going to get a life vrs The world owes me a living. All there seems to be is two extremes. This express's a real problem.
3) So the present younger crowd has no role model in which to focus, as the boomers everyone knows were spoiled by the hard working 1st generation type, as well economic flourish. Thiis combination was a soak out disaster that a toad could predict. The younger crowd are naturally going to gravitate toward meaning outside of dough. Problem is, its going to take time....they will bring their children up closer but not exactly the same as the older 1st generation....This is all how society grows in experience through generations.
Basically if a guy goes out and becomes a pharmacist and the wife is a teacher or something...they gotta break their back to buy and live in the comfort of yesterdays single income, Bus drivers home....so with communication being what it is....that means trouble. Justified trouble because reserving for family bad times has been a total non interest thing....their all in the casinos, trips, 2-3 homes, off shore investments and everybody knows it....as well these boomers for the most part were handed down reserves from family hard working money from the 1st more prudent generation...and we all know don't we...everything just gets spent, its as simple as that. ( I'm sure there are many good boomers but it wouldn't describe the average boomer theme. If the ethic in the older generations continued...we wouldn't have this problem to begin with. I think they would be rather disappointed in the over all boomer general theme.
Last edited by BTreehouse; 04-14-2012 at 06:24 PM..
Do you think today's youth (Generation Y, The Millenials) - let's use 15 to 30 as an age range - are better, worse, or average, compared with past generations of American youth?
Your poll asks one question, and your question asks another. The youth today are no better or worse than youth of any generation, except that they have not been prepared for their futures, they are less employable, and they spend too much time on their media and not enough on their lives. Poor kids. They've no idea what they're missing.
“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”
-Socrates
Every generation thinks the upcoming one is worse. Kids today are no worse than any other generation.
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