Gen-Y Rant

A Gen-Xer at Radar has declared war on Millenials (that means you Gen-Y). At long last, it's time to stop hating on the Boomers and start hating on their second families (y'know, the kids your dad had after he divorced your mom). If you know someone who was born between, let's say, 1980 and 1995, they are, in all likelihood, a complete freaking idiot. And as they get older, they will destroy us all.

Like the Boomers before them, they are materialistic and self-absorbed. Their over-inflated sense of self leaves them delusionaly oblivious to their own lack of talent or aptitude, and renders them incapable of the sort of self-reflection or introspection required for personal growth. They destroy everything they touch turning MTV into "The Hills", transforming punk rock into a mall aesthetic, and transforming the internet into endless drunken facebook, drunken texting, and drunken Flicker.

Beyond that, their basic world view is the infantilization of all adult activities, creating nostalgia for nostalgia, and taking with them childish things wherever they go. Toy collecting, kickball playing, emo-listening know-nothings. Who needs to grow up when you've had parents as great as theirs? Who needs personal growth when you've been so well nurtured from the start? Not them, obviously.

And we, as Gen-Xers have been gently putting up them for far too long. If, like me, you've been worried about getting older, worried about getting squeezed out of the next high tech revolution, the next big cultural moment, worried that our entire generation has been cheated out of its due, its turn, every step of the way, then it's time to fight back. As Gen-Xers we're smarter, better, and tougher than either the Boomers or the Millenials, and we need to remind them of that every chance we get.

Don't sell out, don't buy in. Reject wealth. Reject materialism. Reject fads. Reject trends. Reject moving up the corporate ladder. Reject retirement. Reject the idea that your kid is a genius. Reject youth. Reject bobo-ism. Reject hipster consumerism. Reject the masses. Reject politicians. Reject the news. Reject commercial appeal. Reject nostalgia. Reject apocalyptic thinking. Reject careerism. Reject options. Reject collaboration. Reject fear.

So what if you're 30-something, or 40-something? You survived Ronald Reagan. You saw Raiders of the Lost Ark in the theater. You owned Prince on vinyl AND cassette. Heathers and The Breakfast Club are cultural milestones.

Everything they told you when you were 16 was a lie. What, exactly, do you think has changed?

Fox News Attacks Mr. Rogers

This is so low, I'm left speechless. The Ectoplasmosis blog has the story and the video:

It’s a disgusting, vile little piece and it’s very likely that you won’t be able to get through all of it. To summarize. Fox News’ argument for Mr. Rogers being “evil” goes like this: he told two entire generations of children that they were “special just the way they are.” Then, in what can only be described as a despicable lie, the Fox News anchors claim that that’s precisely where Mr. Rogers left off. He never taught children anything except to merely exist in a static state of selfish self-entitlement. And that’s why my entire generation is comprised entirely of rapists, murderers, welfare recipients and drug addicts.

According to the video, this whole attack Mr. Rogers stems from the notion that today's college students are somehow entitled and don't feel like they have to earn their grades. Not that there is any actual evidence for this beyond the anecdotal grumblings of college professors and the generational resentments of the boomers in twilight once again asserting that the kids aren't all right (in spite of evidence to the contrary).

The real problem here is that a) Conservatives continually attack and undermine the education system b) Conservatives will attack anyone with progressive views no matter how benign and c) Its Boomer parents who turned College education into a consumer item (to be bought, not earned) with their over-emphasis on careerism and return-on-investment thinking (my kid and my money to insert name of college here).

If someone's paying $20, $30, or $40, 000 dollars a year on college tuition (or whatever it is these days), they make it all about the money. And what are they paying for? Straight A's, a degree, and a top job. Anything less than that leads to quality control problems ("what am I paying for?") and customer service issues out the whazoo! ("what's that liberal nutjob teaching you, anyway?)" And how's anyone gonna pay for all those loans with a Philosophy degree? (so you might as well get rid of everything but engineering, law, and medicine.)

It's not the kids, it's the parents. And for pete's sake, leave Fred Rogers out of it.

Death to Boomers (a continuing series)

Boomers couldn't stand Gen X, and now they have no patience for Gen Y. From Reason Magazine:

It's a hoot to hear modern kids described as self-indulgent by the generation that created its own culture out of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Talk about a sense of entitlement: When the baby boomers came along, they (we) got the voting age lowered for their benefit. They also demanded that the drinking age be lowered, and it was -- only to be raised once they were safely into adulthood. Narcissism? Not for nothing were boomers dubbed the "Me Generation."

The kids of today are actually better off than they were when I was in high school during the second Reagan regime. Also, if you want to talk about workplace issues, boomers are terrible leaders and motivators, bad managers and planners, horrible mentors and teachers, and completely entitled when it comes to their own perks. I'm glad they all think they're going to retire early and buy wineries and build sail boats. The sooner they are out of the workplace the better.