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Millennials: Generation ME

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by ZombieSquirrel, Mar 16, 2012.

  1. ZombieSquirrel

    ZombieSquirrel Brrrrrrrains

    Location:
    Oregon by way of "Oh-hi-ya"
    Working for a university allows me to work with Generation ME everyday. Not all the students I work with seem to feel so entitled though. It may be because I work with science students and they are different in a lot of ways. However, I do work with a lot of pre-med students who seem to value the money and prestige of a doctor over genuinely helping their fellow man.

    In an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the current generation is discussed.

    The article talks about an increase in philanthropy, but I agree that it's not out of true altruism. They seem to just do it to boost their resume. When they get accepted to the college of their choice, they seem to stop.

    Do you feel that Millennials are more entitled? Do you feel they have too much focus on themselves and no sense of community?
     
    ZombieSquirrel, Mar 16, 2012
    #1
  2. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    I feel the sense of entitlement is at an alltime high. So many kids are in an environment where smart phones, 500 TV channels, name brand clothes, etc. are expected. And it seems more and more like the ones who aren't able to afford those things expect whatever they want to be handed to them because they somehow deserve them as a human right.

    As far as the focus on community, I'm kind of torn. I think many kids today are more aware of what's going on around them than in the past because of how all-encompassing media is today. But I think also that sometimes they feel clicking "like" on Facebook to a cause does some great good, in place of donating their time, energy, or money for something more tangible.

    Generally speaking, I think money, and what money gets you, has an extremely high place in too many lives. It's less about how happy your marriage is, how you treat others, how you raise your kids, how you contribute to society, and more about the career you have, money you make, latest gadgets you can get, etc.
     
    Borla, Mar 16, 2012
    #2
  3. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I'll come back to this, but I believe the core problem with this generation is a toxic mix of hypermaterialism and hypospirituality.
     
    Baraka_Guru, Mar 16, 2012
    #3
  4. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    I think Millennials are the same as Gen X,
    there was a big change after the Baby Boomers, who as I saw it was more of a "Gen Me" than anyone, once they got older.

    Those following generations were more connected, aware...of media, globalization, etc.
    Sometimes this means giving...sometimes not...really depends on the person...and time & place.
    I think Millennials are more into the interactive media than previous.
    So they can be a bit more oriented to talking & sharing about themselves and the minutiae of the day and feelings.

    For example, my niece (17 yo) is incredibly altruistic,
    but at the same time...she can be a little in her own world...and say, "of course it's about me".

    One thing they do have an advantage of...being "in the loop" more.
    They are aware quicker of trends...and quicker to call bullshit.

    So maybe this "in the know" of facts and times will not so much make them act on giving,
    but perhaps their thoughts, opinions and votes will be more based on facts and up to date information.

    Hopefully, they won't be as easily manipulated in the long run.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2012
    rogue49, Mar 16, 2012
    #4
  5. Manic

    Manic Getting Tilted

    Location:
    NYC
    This is hardly just a generational issue as the entire first world empire exists with no real concern for "self-acceptance, affiliation, and community." Calling out an entire generation (same as with that thread about spoiled kids and their ungrateful fb status updates) feels good and consoling but the real causes of such behavior and the subsequent implications are endless if one cares to see them.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2012
    Manic, Mar 16, 2012
    #5
    • Like Like x 1
  6. Fangirl

    Fangirl Very Tilted

    Location:
    Arizona
    This is an extremely good point. I raised a so-called Millennial and it would seem he fits the stereotype but his 9 years younger brother (now age 19) is nothing like him. Have they coined a cute moniker for him?
    And screw dissing the Baby Boomers. They range from in their 60's down to 40's. It makes no sense that those spaced so far apart in their entrance into the world would have similar enough experiences that they could be tarred with the same brush.
    After 30 years of listening to it, the moral high ground crap just gets really annoying.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2012
    Fangirl, Mar 16, 2012
    #6
    • Like Like x 1
  7. Craven Morehead

    Craven Morehead Very Tilted

    Location:
    third rock from the sun
    I'm sure when I was younger nearly everyone thought of my generation as drug using hippies. Many still do, most likely. But that was only a small percentage. That percentage really got noticed though. And defined a generation.

    Every generation got it's own disease. (a really great song by Fury In The Slaughterhouse )
     
    Craven Morehead, Mar 16, 2012
    #7
  8. Shadowex3

    Shadowex3 Very Tilted

    my response is the sa,e as always: "so what you're saying is that these kids grew up exactly fit for the world they were born into and following the ideals they were raised with, and you're surprised by this?"

    the media endlessly repeats on loop how selfish and stupid the kids and youth of today are while never stopping to realise that these are the kids growing up in a world where it is considered an acceptable point of policy to defend inequality worse than the eras leading up to the great depression. none of this exists in a vacuum, these kids didnt grow up in sterile labs. they LEARNED these values, most likely from the generation that spent so long hamering into them how worthless they are.

    virtually anytime someome says that youth today needs to learn about sacrifice or hard work... odds are the unspoken end to that statement is "so we dont have to."
     
    Shadowex3, Mar 17, 2012
    #8
  9. Lindy

    Lindy Moderator Staff Member

    Location:
    Nebraska
    I'm hype to that.;)

    Lindy
     
    Lindy, Mar 18, 2012
    #9