Danny: For posterity, I'll post it here. An 'American Tradition' is anything that happened to a Baby Boomer twice.
Jo: Cultural critique or jealousy? So hard to tell.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
"You're so Vain", generational edition
A team of psychologists have just published a study of song lyrics from the last 30 years that suggests that today's young people are narcissistic and hostile. I imagine it's actually the Baby Boomers' fault giving out all those gold stars and participation trophies to their undeserving progeny.
There are also studies that suggest a shift in the results of personality tests that measure narcissism. (Who knew such a thing existed?) Now of course, so far those studies have only involved college students, so we don't actually know if they are part of a whole culture of me-ism, affecting everyone from tots to senior citizens. Personally, between the growing popularity of libertarianism and "I've got mine, screw you" attitudes, I'm inclined to think it's not just the kids.
There are also studies that suggest a shift in the results of personality tests that measure narcissism. (Who knew such a thing existed?) Now of course, so far those studies have only involved college students, so we don't actually know if they are part of a whole culture of me-ism, affecting everyone from tots to senior citizens. Personally, between the growing popularity of libertarianism and "I've got mine, screw you" attitudes, I'm inclined to think it's not just the kids.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Activism then and now
Two interesting commentaries popped up in my Twitter feed today, both claiming to characterize today's young adults (and compare them, either implicitly or explicitly, with Baby Boomers). So I ask you, Millennials (especially my offspring) which are you: the slacktivists or a new breed of activists?
First up, Phil Primack of Boston.com, who waxes nostalgic about the Boomers and the first Earth Day, pivoting to smack down Millennials:
In 1970, when I was finishing college, Earth Day fit into the take-it-to-the-streets era of social change, though a bit less angry than both the civil rights and antiwar movements. But it helped unleash a social and political momentum that led to, among other things, passage of the federal Clean Air and Clean Water acts. That was largely because Americans, especially college students and other youth, insisted on action, not platitudes. They believed in collective power and organized protest. They stuck to it – and not just long enough to fill an afternoon with Tweets – and forced Congress to listen
But wait! Van Jones and Lindsay McClusky posted a different assessment in the Huffington Post, fresh from their experience with this weekend's Power Surge in Washington,DC, which attracted about 10,000 attendees:
What will the Millennial Generation do? What young people always do: Innovate and fight back. Students are piloting new attention-getting tactics like Briefcase Brigades. On their upcoming national action April 27, youth and students across the country will dress up for job interviews, some with briefcases, and visit local offices of members of Congress. They will ask their elected reps to stop cutting education and jobs. Photos and videos will be posted in social media. Briefcase Brigades will be followed by graduation actions. Summer actions will build up to bigger actions in the Fall.
I can speak for the Boomers: we weren't all activists; many of us just quietly went about our lives and tried to make good environmental choices. Should we have marched more, rallied more, demonstrated more? I honestly have no idea if that would have made a difference. Drawing on our experience as you see it, what kind of energy and strategies do today's young adults bring to the table?
First up, Phil Primack of Boston.com, who waxes nostalgic about the Boomers and the first Earth Day, pivoting to smack down Millennials:
In 1970, when I was finishing college, Earth Day fit into the take-it-to-the-streets era of social change, though a bit less angry than both the civil rights and antiwar movements. But it helped unleash a social and political momentum that led to, among other things, passage of the federal Clean Air and Clean Water acts. That was largely because Americans, especially college students and other youth, insisted on action, not platitudes. They believed in collective power and organized protest. They stuck to it – and not just long enough to fill an afternoon with Tweets – and forced Congress to listen
But wait! Van Jones and Lindsay McClusky posted a different assessment in the Huffington Post, fresh from their experience with this weekend's Power Surge in Washington,DC, which attracted about 10,000 attendees:
What will the Millennial Generation do? What young people always do: Innovate and fight back. Students are piloting new attention-getting tactics like Briefcase Brigades. On their upcoming national action April 27, youth and students across the country will dress up for job interviews, some with briefcases, and visit local offices of members of Congress. They will ask their elected reps to stop cutting education and jobs. Photos and videos will be posted in social media. Briefcase Brigades will be followed by graduation actions. Summer actions will build up to bigger actions in the Fall.
I can speak for the Boomers: we weren't all activists; many of us just quietly went about our lives and tried to make good environmental choices. Should we have marched more, rallied more, demonstrated more? I honestly have no idea if that would have made a difference. Drawing on our experience as you see it, what kind of energy and strategies do today's young adults bring to the table?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Speaking of context...
It is so very hard to explain some things without referring to the past. Whether it's drawing a comparison between today's music scene and top-40 radio or embedding my own life experience in a gem of parental advice, I am beginning to realize how time-bound I can be sometimes. While context can illuminate, if can also be frustrating for the younger listener, I believe. We got so very tired of hearing about the Depression. What are you tired of hearing about?
Saturday, April 2, 2011
RE: Generations
Since it's been so long since the original post, this will only partially be a reply to it.
First, a quick primer: My generation (the children of the Baby Boomers) may end up being called the Generation Without a Name or perhaps the Generation of a Million Names. No one can seem to decide what to call us, which is probably indicative of something which I hope to explore in a later post. Some suggestions include Generation Y (as the logical successor of Gen. X), The Millennials (or the Millennial Generation) and the Echo Boomers. I like the last of these because it's a factual and generic starting point. Without getting too into it (just yet), we'll just say that the Echo Boomers are influenced by at least three major factors: (1) Our parents and their place in the world as Baby Boomers, (2) having grown up with considerable access to internet technology, and (3) having 9/11 mark the beginning of our awareness of the outside world (politics, foreign relations, etc.). As I said, I hope that I get to expand upon this framework, but for now we'll leave it at that.
In regards to the original post, I have trouble feeling anything about the end of the Baby Boomer Generation which, itself, may be an indication as to how my generation, as a whole, will feel about it. I find that my peers notice the existence of generations far less than those older than us seem to. This might be just my peer group, since we're all likely to have been raised by parents (like mine) who didn't particularly enjoy being categorized with the Baby Boomers. However, I think the feeling is probably more wide spread.
To me, and probably to many people of my approximate age, Generation X was a marketing term and our generation (whatever it's called) hasn't really been named. Not that I feel that we are overlooked or that we are "harder to categorize" than previous generations. Rather, I mean that that the confusion about how to define the generation has resulted in us (my cohort) not having it in our vocabulary. This, in turn, probably makes us less aware of the significance of generations because the concept of generations seems not to apply to us.
More cynically, I could say that it's just another thing that Baby Boomers have co-opted to be all about them. That's probably not true, but maybe it just means that until the Baby Boomers stop holding the majority of the airwaves, so to speak, in the discussion of generations as a whole, my peers are likely to overlook the whole concept. Who can say what the result of that might mean? Might we never consider ourselves to be a generation, or will we pick it up somewhere along the way?
First, a quick primer: My generation (the children of the Baby Boomers) may end up being called the Generation Without a Name or perhaps the Generation of a Million Names. No one can seem to decide what to call us, which is probably indicative of something which I hope to explore in a later post. Some suggestions include Generation Y (as the logical successor of Gen. X), The Millennials (or the Millennial Generation) and the Echo Boomers. I like the last of these because it's a factual and generic starting point. Without getting too into it (just yet), we'll just say that the Echo Boomers are influenced by at least three major factors: (1) Our parents and their place in the world as Baby Boomers, (2) having grown up with considerable access to internet technology, and (3) having 9/11 mark the beginning of our awareness of the outside world (politics, foreign relations, etc.). As I said, I hope that I get to expand upon this framework, but for now we'll leave it at that.
In regards to the original post, I have trouble feeling anything about the end of the Baby Boomer Generation which, itself, may be an indication as to how my generation, as a whole, will feel about it. I find that my peers notice the existence of generations far less than those older than us seem to. This might be just my peer group, since we're all likely to have been raised by parents (like mine) who didn't particularly enjoy being categorized with the Baby Boomers. However, I think the feeling is probably more wide spread.
To me, and probably to many people of my approximate age, Generation X was a marketing term and our generation (whatever it's called) hasn't really been named. Not that I feel that we are overlooked or that we are "harder to categorize" than previous generations. Rather, I mean that that the confusion about how to define the generation has resulted in us (my cohort) not having it in our vocabulary. This, in turn, probably makes us less aware of the significance of generations because the concept of generations seems not to apply to us.
More cynically, I could say that it's just another thing that Baby Boomers have co-opted to be all about them. That's probably not true, but maybe it just means that until the Baby Boomers stop holding the majority of the airwaves, so to speak, in the discussion of generations as a whole, my peers are likely to overlook the whole concept. Who can say what the result of that might mean? Might we never consider ourselves to be a generation, or will we pick it up somewhere along the way?
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Retirement
I would like to retire. Yes, I have some things I would like to accomplish in my work, but my most recent sabbatical, devoted to research and writing on a long-postponed project, left me unfit for my old routine. In the past, I came back to the classroom all fired up to try new things and engage with young minds, and this time my mojo is definitely missing. It didn't help matters that we managed to live on half my usual salary for that year, allowing me to resurrect my frugality skills.
The reality is that I can't retire for five or six years, thanks to a series of life choices and circumstances which I either couldn't or wouldn't change. This is a big issue in higher education these days; a session on "Supporting the Culminating Stages of Faculty Careers" at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education quickly generated two news articles, one in at chronicle.com and another at Inside Higher Ed. What bothers me most about this is knowing that there are so many bright, underemployed young people waiting for the Boomers to leave. I assume that younger workers in other fields are facing the same problem.
Looming over all of this is the increasingly popular myth that Baby Boomers have been "selfish" and created all of the current economic problems, including unemployment. Just what are we supposed to do?
The reality is that I can't retire for five or six years, thanks to a series of life choices and circumstances which I either couldn't or wouldn't change. This is a big issue in higher education these days; a session on "Supporting the Culminating Stages of Faculty Careers" at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education quickly generated two news articles, one in at chronicle.com and another at Inside Higher Ed. What bothers me most about this is knowing that there are so many bright, underemployed young people waiting for the Boomers to leave. I assume that younger workers in other fields are facing the same problem.
Looming over all of this is the increasingly popular myth that Baby Boomers have been "selfish" and created all of the current economic problems, including unemployment. Just what are we supposed to do?
Friday, March 4, 2011
Generations
Frank Buckles died this week. You may have heard about it; at 110, he was the last living U.S. World War I veteran. Just a few days earlier, I was browsing Life magazine's gallery of the last living Civil War veterans. Walter Williams, who claimed to be the last man standing, died in 1959, when I was ten. Even at that age, I was aware of my place in history: Baby Boomer. My older brother and I were the leading edge of that population bulge created by the Greatest Generation in their relief and joy at finally being able to get on with their lives after the Great Depression and a World War.
As a Boomer, I am used to being noticed, even when the attention is unwelcome. At some point in my twenties, I started fantasizing about the world I will probably never know: the sunset years of the Baby Boom. Will the media continue to analyze us as we retire, succumb to senility and overcrowd the nation's nursing homes? How could they resist? Will anyone notice when the last Boomer dies? Gawd, I hope not.The last lucky individuals of my generation might actually be able to enjoy a few years of obscurity.
I wonder how Danny feels about being a member of his generation, whatstheirnames.
As a Boomer, I am used to being noticed, even when the attention is unwelcome. At some point in my twenties, I started fantasizing about the world I will probably never know: the sunset years of the Baby Boom. Will the media continue to analyze us as we retire, succumb to senility and overcrowd the nation's nursing homes? How could they resist? Will anyone notice when the last Boomer dies? Gawd, I hope not.The last lucky individuals of my generation might actually be able to enjoy a few years of obscurity.
I wonder how Danny feels about being a member of his generation, whatstheirnames.
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