“You guys have it so easy,” could never be more true, and at the same time very far from reality in regards to the current generation.
In “Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before,” San Diego State professor Dr. Jean M. Twenge addresses the perks of this generation, affectionately called “GenMe.” It also discusses the pitfalls and problems that come with becoming contributing members of society.
GenMe, according to Dr. Twenge, consists of people born in the 1970-90s (pretty much anyone born after the Baby Boomer generation). The generation spans so many decades, due to the differing ideals from each time frame are completely different than those from previous generations.
Although this generation has much more technologically advanced than previous years, we are beginning to lose the ideas and traits that make us human. Empathy is at an all-time low, mutual respect is waning and our undivided attention is limited to no more than five minutes. Let’s not forget about the housing and health care prices that are out of reach for many.
In addition to a less humane way of life, we are also one of the most narcissistic and self-entitled generations ever. Thanks to all the “self-esteem” that we’re taught to have from a young age, many of the individuals of this generation grow to feel a little more important and “special” than they actually are, evident in the amount of people on various social networking sites voicing their opinions as if the masses care. The idea that “you can be anything in the world if you try hard enough!” will leave a lot of young people miserable when they enter adulthood and realize even if you try hard enough, you just might not be that good, according to the author. This generation has grown into a group who put “me” before anything else, which is evident in the unhealthy amount of value we place on self-expression and individualism (just watch a commercial and see how many times they talk about being an “individual.” Even the Army talks of “An Army of One”).
Dr. Twenge does an excellent job of presenting these generational issues, many of which most wouldn’t have even known existed, in way that is easy to understand and fun to read. She also does a great job of addressing things that can be done to fix these issues, from cutting self-esteem programs to teaching adolescents smarter, and more plausible, career paths. This is a must-read for anybody that thinks they are “different” than everybody else.