gerard,

My hope comes from the few young people I’ve met who have made the very
difficult decision to give the big middle finger to the illusion of success.  They
are not “anarchists” or punks squatting in abandoned warehouses.  Instead,
they are men and women who are satisfied with simplicity and trade careers for
free time, creativity, and personal interaction.  They question what they learn at
university and why they are learning it.

Unfortunately, I’ve come across many many more university students who have
simply intensified the desires of their parents.  They’ve come to expect certain
things from the world and they will do whatever it takes to collect.  They are
very scary and will serve obediently as the useful idiots of the next man or
women who comes along promising the world.  It is no coincidence that they
are the very demographic that pushed Barry into office.  In fact, that is a great
example.  They feel that they are enlightened and tolerant enough to make that
historic vote.  They even pat themselves on the back for their civic courage.  Yet
they do no real research, and even now fail to see how greatly they are being
shafted.  They will again cast that same vote.

I agree with you that there are a few out there we can look to for inspiration. 
But I am telling you that what you see on Facebook is indeed the reality of the
situation.

But what will they do with that power?

Isn’t it obvious at this point?

Eat high carb diets and become obese.

I believe we are here by chance and we have to make
our own goals in life.  Unfortunately, we are
dependent on technology like we are dependent on oil. 
We need to be a little free from dependence on both.
Maybe we could have some peace.  We are leaving the
world a mess for our grand children.  They will have
a lot to deal with in the same way we do.  Things
have to change politically and we are going to have
to start cleaning up what we have done.  Because of
what we are doing global warming is much worse.  We
are basically a corporate state which I do not think
is good.  A lot of talent people have is not being
used.  Because of technology there are less jobs.  We        
have to find some way to live better.

thethirdman: A few comments ago you said:  “In some ways I view my generation with hope.  Many of my fellow Millennials think about their limited time on this earth in exciting ways.  They are questioning why they are here and how they should live their lives.” Can you give us antiques a lift here with some specifics?  Or point to some possible remedies for the lacks you see?  I admit if I judge from most of the inconsequencialities that I see on Facebook, I despair. On the other hand, many .orgs seem full of young people working in all kinds of constructive ways.  Maybe this is just a small “saving minority”?
I feel a real gap in solid cross-generation information. Thanks.

Gerard,
“In the case of the “Arab Springs” however, it is necessary to give it the credit it is due.  It can bring large numbers of vaguely like-minded people together in a common cause—which is no small thing!”

With this I cannot disagree.  What we might disagree on is the implication of “people coming together in a common cause.”  I will leave facebook out of it, but take two examples.  Sites like Drudgereport and Truthdig often obfuscate the root causes of conflict in the Untied States.  By putting out such R v. D junk day in and day out, vaguely like-minded people come together in a common cause that benefits nobody except the disgustingly wealthy scumbags at the top of this excrement pile that is America.

The problem is, that many of us think that we are educating ourselves with this “last frontier of freedom” fallacy we call the internet. Sure those beautiful young people have skills, but those skills are co-opted faster than you can say IT career.
(I would actually make a bet that my generation is the least educated generation with the most overblown sense of self worth that the world has seen in ages, but that’s a different story)

I do love the fact that we are less religious and more tolerant than our parents, but gay marriage and sex education are nothing compared for the royal screw-job my generation has no idea it is in for.

Gerard,

Well!  LaFayette rarely hits a bummer, but this time he did it. He got tangled up in “virtuality” and “reality” and the ability of humans to “reach out to others.” “Language is the only real barrier to that need “(to reach out to others), he opines. Maybe he meant “culture” or “nationalism” or “ethnicity” “tribalism” or something underpinning languages.Any one of them overridea language in providing more than enough “real barriers etc.”
  To the extent that the English langulage has become a great enabler to international communication, I’m grateful for it, but I’m also aware of the “extra baggage” English (or any other language) carries with it in the way of unconscious indoctrination. Unfortunately English transmits more than just ideas; it transmits a “way of life” that it (also) makes less than possible for others to achieve.  Many people use it without realizing this, and they are trapped (by its limitations and overtones) without being aware of it.  (Not that any other language would be better.)
  Which takes us beyond language here, and into the realm of “virtuality”—or something. There is more out there than Facebook, and by its very superficiality Facebook has made its limitations obvious.
  In the case of the “Arab Springs” however, it is necessary to give it the credit it is due.  It can bring large numbers of vaguely like-minded people together in a common cause—which is no small thing!
  What it cannot do is now becoming obvious:  It cannot do more than point people in the direction of possibilities, and the need for cooperation.  It cannot provide them with knowledge and understanding.  It cannot teach them how people act and react, and the relationship between the two postures.  That, they have to learn both from learning of previous experiences and from engaging in serious long-term efforts to understand mutualities, to cooperate and to solve problems.
  Give them time.  Lots of the necessary knowledge gained from previous experiences is recorded in the vast files of the Internet, meaningful contacts are made every day via the Internet which develop into living relationships which might have been impossible without its help.  Don’t knock it. It’s a
formidable resource, and with luck it won’t cancel out anything of greater value—no more than the telephone or that great (and threatening) innovation, the printing press! (We still haven’t got entirely away from the idea that even that is a destructive innovation!)
  I could ramble on, but ... enough already!

In order for the Millenials to have any kind of life,
changes have to start now.  We have the republicans
and the democrats.  I cannot see any kind of future
with the republicans since they refuse to tax the
rich.  Also the religious right and the tea party now
control the republicans.  My hope lies with the
democrats for now.  Who we elect in 2012 will matter. 
With the republicans I see us headed in the direction
of Bush.  I think the internet makes a difference, in
the fact that people can communicate with one
another.  I do think technology has a lot to do with
why there are less jobs and our country is a
corporate state for the most part. Global warming is
also a problem and wanting to privatize everything is
also a problem.  There are a lot of things our
generation has to deal with in order to help future
generations. It is up to us to make a start if we
want our grandchildren to have a decent life.

The Millennials will have to find for themselves that the Internet is no substitution whatsoever for personal interaction amongst individuals on the physical (and not virtual) level.

How anyone could be hoodwinked into thinking that a “friend” was someone by which contact was obtained virtually is beyond comprehension to the sane adult mind. It takes an uninformed and naive mentality for an individual to believe that friendship can be virtual in nature.

Or that quantity is somehow more valuable than quality.

Such contacts are no more tangible or real than were “penpals” in the day before the Internet. Granted, both are part of the human experience and, as the social animals we are, a manifestation of our desire to reach-out to our fellow mankind. Language is the only real barrier to that need.

But intangibility by definition cannot be real. I blame Zuckerberg furthermore and his fellow quacks who’s sole intent is profit. Of course, they merely started the craze, which was adopted by our youth in a desire to “belong” to a context of social togetherness. Obviously, that context was missing in their lives.

Try as I may, I cannot see any redeeming quality to a virtual contact over the ether, compared to one that is physical, that is, palpable.

It is of course new and nice to be able, finally, to express one’s opinion in a forum - regardless of its subject. But that exchange of opinion is no substitute for the friendship that two humans may develop on a physical level - which takes years of mutual sharing to establish.

And like all generations who do not care to listen to their elders as they strike out to find their place in society, the Millennials will have to learn the long, hard way by means of personal experience. Trial and failure, then trial and failure again is a good teacher.

But not terribly efficient - too many failures and one wastes away easily their youth in such a manner.

I see the Millenials different in that they seem more
liberal and less religious.  I hope they do make a
change. I will not be here but I have two
granddaughters and the younger generations think quire
differently from the way I was brought up.

Got to get my two cents in here.  I’m part of the so-
called Depression Generation (born 1932.)

This has been said of Boomers, “Between snarls and
whimpers, the American Boomer is like a child playing
at adult life.” 

There are enough negative comments on this site about
Millenials and X’ers and added to the negative
comments above about Boomers, it might seem that no
generation looks with favor on another generation?

Interestingly, I can’t find any negatives about my
generation.  At the same time, whoever coined the
term “The Greatest Generation” (1905-1925) has really
got his head where it doesn’t belong.  I have no idea
the criteria he used to come up with that sobriquet,
but I grew up in their America and can’t think of a
justification for the compliment.

(By the way, the Millenials I know are far from
“lazy” or “selfish.”)

Questions for “yesterdayers” thinking about the
“tomorrowers”:
  Are you afraid of the Internet?
  Are you afraid of people who know more than you do about how it can be used and abused?
  Are you afraid of the way it is being used now?
  Are you afraid? ...
(IMO, so far it’s a draw:  Governments have the power of force; the “internet generation” has the power of smarts. I pray every day they use it wisely.)

Possibility:  The Internet (and the intercultural forces that drive it) have not only made “One World” possible; they have made it inevitable. Therefore, the crucial issue is whether self-interested national governments and commercial interests will be permitted to take control of it, or whether it will be staunchly defended and maintained as the guarantor of worldwide freedom of speech, of thought and of communication. There has never been a more important time for “the international public” (a living entity not yet clearly recognized) to find its way to the nonviolent power of truth.
  Suggestion: Wars retard the development of “the internatioinal public.”

thethirdman:  Two words in your comment to be worried about:  “I fear ......”

I agree with other posters that the millennials are lazy and self absorbed, hardly a generation to rebuild this country. Creativity alone won’t cut it. Nor will being addicted to technological gadgets that are always trying to pull you away from being in the moment, where you ARE. There is no critical thinking where new technology is concerned, not that there ever was, but we are, I feel, entering an age of nihilism brought on by technological trance.

mrf: This has happened because the very fabric of our economics and employment has changed colour….Alvin Toffler lives!!!!

The only constant in time is change. We’ve known that in the past. The 18th and 19th centuries was no heaven-on-earth in America.

I figure that, along with Reckless Ronny’s Trickle-down Reaganomics, we lost site of some core cultural values. Like decency in the work-place and a fair share of the riches that our labor contributes to produce.

Like the ends do not and never will justify the means when their purpose is to benefit only a select few. That we are an egalitarian society and, having been sidetracked for 30-years, it is time to get back to that core value.

We believe in capitalism, but not capitalism gone berserk. We or I (in any case) believe in a capitalism that generates durable jobs at decent salaries, thus affording the greater number of people an opportunity to lead meaningful lives.

We DO NOT believe in Income Unfairness by which 20% of American households obtain 93% of the wealth and the far greater majority scramble over the remaining 7%. And we must be prepared to address IU with drastic changes in taxation schedules - like putting them back to where they were before Reagan arrived in the Oval Office.

We do not believe in Darwinian Economics where the only fittest go the fastest and the resulting roadkill on the Highway of Life is an acceptable risk of our existence.

So, let’s get off our duffs and show it. Why not a Million Man March for the unemployed that struts up the steps of Capitol Hill seeking some Prime Time new coverage?

Progressive Values Must Prevail. Now.

Lafayette - Your comments are very well put on this thread. Right now I’m struggling with the very same “reinvention” issues as the Millineals (I’m an “old guy”). I think A LOT of Americans are going to be forced to re-engineer their work lives. This has happened because the very fabric of our economics and employment has changed colour….Alvin Toffler lives!!!!

REAFFIRMATION

ttm: Despite what many have written so far, my generation is super selfish and super lazy. 

Not to worry. The creatures you describe in the citation above are about to discover a “Darwinian Economy”, the notion of which was around long before Ayn Rand wrote “Atlas Shrugged”.

You (plural) will enjoy its refreshing cold-showers that reaffirm the spirit. (Note that it is best to leave hubris back in the locker.)

Their analysis is completely based on Strauss and Howe’s Fourth Turning, who did the original work in 1997. Strauss and Howe actually predicted everythign that has happened since then, in trend if not specific incident. Including the very crisis moment indicated here.

The difference is the recommendation. Strauss and Howe say the Boomers were not “ideological” but idealistic. That idealism is necessary again to inspire a reason to lead. Millennials are the great collaborators. But they have been raised in times of ideological wars, and also in great confort. They have no memory of the vast array of social systems and ideals that were emerging in the 60’s and 70’s. Boomers will have to mea culpa and lead the Millennials toward shared leadership. Otherwise, your future may be a lonely online experience run by Apple-approved apps.

ReGZ0089 - Born in ‘82, you’d be the tail end of
Generation X.  (Boomers, ‘45 to ‘65: X’ers, ‘65 to
‘85.)

Enough trivia. I’ve got 4 granddaughters, all
Millennials, whatever, used to be called Generation
Y? One university graduate, one in her fourth year,
one in her second, the youngest pursuing anything but
a college education (wants to be a chef, of all
things.)

The three oldest seem to embrace the once-upon-a-time
social, economic and political values of the
Democratic Party (emphasis on once-upon-a-time).  The
youngest is a-political and social and economic. All
four are more interested in ‘fulfilling’ employment
over economically lucrative employment. 

The one ‘different’ or (unique compared to other
generations) characteristic of the four is their
complete acceptance of ethnic, racial, sexual, and
religious diversity in a population. They don’t
welcome it.  They literally don’t understand it,
where other generations are coming from - same sex
marriage (who cares) gays in the military (why not)
black-brown-red-purple-white (what’s the difference)
your religion has nothing to do with mine, nor my
lack of one…If nothing else, we should be able to
look forward to politics minus all the crap - ethnic,
racial,sexual, religious - that we’re presently
subjected to.

In some ways I view my generation with hope.  Many of my fellow Millennials
think about their limited time on this earth in exciting ways.  They are
questioning why they are here and how they should live their lives.

But seriously, I take a look around the room and have very little hope.  Despite
what many have written so far, my generation is super selfish and super lazy. 
What’s worse is that so many of my peers have grown up with certain
expectations of how their lives should turn out.  They rarely question a loss of
liberty and have no idea what it is like to look out for one another. 

Gerard, you may use the internet for expanding your mind and connecting with
others.  My generation uses it to log 50 billion minutes posting asinine
comments on their friends’ facebook.

“Gym, shower, making mac and cheese, watching Jersey Shore, then going to
bed—cool night.”  That’s our future.  I fear this new generation will be nothing
more than lambs to the slaughter.

Is this an apple convention?

I found this reflection in the Economist, which I think demonstrates amply the challenge facing the Millenial Generation:

Who ate my job?

This is causing alarm among middle-grade white-collar workers in the rich world, who saw what happened to manufacturing jobs in their economies. But workers in emerging markets who have those sorts of skills and qualifications are delighted. “I’m making in a week on oDesk what I made in a month as a schoolteacher, and I get to spend far more time with my family,” says Ayesha Sadaf Kamal, a freelance copywriter in Islamabad. Conversely, Janet Vetter, who used to have a full-time job as a copywriter for a magazine in New York, lost her job and now moves between part-time and freelance work. “I feel isolated as a freelancer and have had no health insurance since the start of the year; it’s too expensive,” she says.

It is tempting to think of the globalisation of the labour market as a zero-sum game in which Mrs Kamal in Pakistan is benefiting at the direct expense of Ms Vetter in America. But economists point out that such calculations suffer from the “lump of labour fallacy”—the belief that there is only a fixed amount of work to go round. A better explanation, they say, is the theory of comparative advantage, one of the least controversial ideas in economics, which suggests that free markets make the world better off because everyone can concentrate on doing what they are best at.

At first glance, one might think, why can’t a Pakistani woman enjoy the rewards of her profession. Has she “stolen”, like a thief in the night, the American woman’s “right to work”. No, not really.

The International Job Market has become “fungible” - work can be displaced from one point of the globe to the other. Nations worked hard to bring down the barriers to trade, the benefits of which to a national Job Market are remarkably easy to prove. It forces a country and its people to specialize in doing what they do best. And, how does one know what one does best?

In some countries it is obvious. For instance, making and selling great wines in France - which is a tradition. In other countries it is a bit less obvious, like ... well, see below.

Which means what for the Millenial Generation? For one, they must get off their binging. Far too many go to postsecondary school to “have a good time”. Having a good-time is now a luxury that one pays for by time-off off work in a decent job for the rest of their lives.

Let’s consider the example given above. It means that an individual that has been trained in journalism must find other ways to employ their talents, other than copywriting. For instance, throwing oneself into the arena by taking the risk to create an on-line magazine in some area that is not presently covered.

In other words, one does what all entrepreneurs have done for centuries: One perceives a new and undiscovered need and tries to fulfill it. For far too long, this sort of “epiphany” happened to far too few people. Nowadays, however, with the rush into MBA programs, the notion is becoming more easily understood.

Look how it transformed Jeff Bezos of Amazon. Here’s an electrical engineer who “built a better mousetrap” selling books on-line and then branching out to general merchandise.

Yes, we cannot all become a Jeff Bezos. But we can try to understand what to do with our potential, other than simply counting on a résumé to find a job. We can think “outside the box”.

Moreover, there is no country on earth (and I have lived/worked in many of them) that offers one such grandiose amounts of liberty to do and try ... and perhaps succeed.

RR: But what will they do with that power? What do they want? I can tell you now, connecting the dots backward, they want what the Silent Generation? wanted 40 years ago: a challenging and humane job, their own home and family security.

Frankly, I don’t think these two guys have a right to discern what the Millennials want or do not want.

I am waiting for some sociology polsters to investigate the question professionally - rather two guys who’ve found a tag, wrote a book and now think they know all about the question.

It is wise to remain deeply suspicious of anybody with a background in television, one of the great wastelands of American culture and its mindless rush for constantly seeking the “newest buzz” in order to profit from it.

Sorry, guys, it’s more complex than you might think. Though the fact that this generation could change things is a good possibility, since all new generations have that opportunity. The Millenials is the first to have understood, however, that a postsecondary education is not necessarily a sure ticket to a Middle-class Lifestyle. They must think outside-the-box in order to define their future.

We have taken so much for granted - most of which must now be placed in question. For the first time in this nation’s history, the world has changed us rather than the reverse.

Let’s remember that. Let’s get used to it. America no longer defines global trend lines and misses out on many of them.

If similar polls could be taken, one would find amongst European youth far more suspicion of BigBusiness and its ability to provide well-being to them than most American youth - which is my guess. The mindless cupidity of the SubPrime Mess cannot be overestimated as having been deeply delusional by a generation that needs surer cultural landmarks to find their way into the future.

Our self-centered navel-gazing as a nation must stop. Wakey, wakey.

I think with it’s greater share of unabashed ‘liberals’ than any generation previous, we may actually see a least a re-balancing favoring more social democracy… I hope.

Signed,

A Millennial, born in 1982…

Fortunately, most of the next generation knows how to explore the democratizing possibilities of the Internet.  If we can keep the present reactionary (outdated) governments from trying to limit and control it, the next generation will learn to use it responsibly and wisely.  Assange and Manning have made a start, and certain sectors of the “hackers” groups seem to be aiming at self-discipline, wisdom and restraint in supporting the vital principles of free speech and free information. 

The rising generation is also far more sophisticated regarding world history, the inevitability and the
creative value of different cultures, and the universal need for minimum economic stability.
  Putting things in some kind of universally humane order will be a huge challenge, but I think there’s at last a 70-30 chance the next generation will learn how to prevent wars and replace violence with some framework of civilized social mores and the political machinery to make better systems accessible.
  I support them wholeheartedly and trust them to be open-minded and to learn quickly from their (inevitable) mistakes.

It’s amazing that at a time when the job market is so bad, a major party has made
it impossible to raise revenue by increasing taxes just a bit. The concentration of
wealth among the Top 1 - 10% is a trend that began in 1980, see this chart for
wealth concentration from 1917 - present

    http://www.verisi.com/resources/decision2012.htm#s7

Another chart uses data from the 2010 Census population survey, to show how
badly some groups are doing in this recession—particularly females of color

    http://www.verisi.com/resources/income-and-2010census.htm