Did you know there are 108 stitches in a baseball?
President Calvin Coolidge once said, “It takes a great man to be a good listener.”
In some ways, we need to own up to the fact that we really do come off as obnoxious punks from time to time. It’s just our lot in life as young people. It happened to the Gen-X’ers before us, and the Jonsers and Baby Boomers before them, and, while I hate to admit it – some Millennials are just lazy, stuck-up, spoiled brats. Some bad apples are spoiling the bunch.
Just because people say a thing doesn’t make it true – but hot damn, a lot of them are saying it.
We really are going to change the world. I think we all ought to stop for a few moments each day and think about that. What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of lives to we want to lead? There’s no doubt about it – our generation is the authority on all things Internet. We’ve got a collaborative spirit, the likes of which have never been seen before. If we want to effect change, we can certainly do it en masse.
So why are we coming up against this Gray Wall? The Gray Wall is the Baby Boomers, Jonsers, and Gen-Xers who fear us and try to block the change we bring to every job we’ve ever had by using their social and corporate influence. I thought we were the generation that knew how to connect to people? Or is it only people we like?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how our generation connects with the world. We’ve got Blogs, Twitter, Facebook updates, MySpace statuses and all mannor of things to talk at people. It’s so easy for us to climb on our meager soapbox websites and bang our shoes on the podium. We certainly do entertain comments on our blogs, read other people’s status updates, subscribe to people on Twitter. But do we take the time to listen to people who talk back to us in an analog way? Have we become so attached to our technology that we no longer pay attention to the people using outdated methods like face-to-face and phone and e-mail conversations to communicate with us?
I think we ought to. I get so frustrated by e-mail sometimes, because it’s so impersonal. It’s also very slow. But then, I can’t remember the last time I actually mailed a letter. Or neglected my cell phone for more than an hour at a time. As we all move into the working world, we have to remember to re-connect to our analog-leaning co-workers. We need to remember that we’re at bat – not just for ourselves, but for every one of us.
We can’t afford to allow each other to act like lazy, entitled, spoiled brats. If we see bad behavior, if we notice it in ourselves, we have to correct it. The only thing that stops “bad apples” at work is strong leadership from the same level as that bad apple. I’m typing away at my blog because I believe that to be true. I believe it actually makes a difference. If I can somehow manipulate my vocabulary and twist these mangled words in a way that I’m not being preachy and makes a reader think… I – I don’t know. Maybe that will make a difference.
Thanks for the comment! I'm glad to hear from another perspective.
I don't think we really need to justify our technology use to older generations but I think that it's more important to avoid the appearance of "being disconnected". There's a great song by John Fogerty called Nobody's Here Anymore - it's all about people who are so self-involved that they don't take the time to acknowledge the outside world.
I think by avoiding the appearance of being disconnected, we can go a long way toward paving a smooth road for that social change we all so desperately want!
Thanks,
-Nick
Keri Owen
I have to wonder, as this isn't the first time I've heard our generation labeled as spoiled, impatient, entitled, etc., if many of us aren't simply being taken the wrong way; perceived in the wrong light. Yes, some of us are impatient, lazy, arrogant, but you would find that in *any* generation, ours just seems to be in the spotlight these days. In any case, I have to wonder: Are the vast majority of us simply being taken the wrong way by generations before us?
Within our own generation we are fast talkers and even faster thinkers, going through many actions and thoughts in a way that puts the previous connotation of multitasking to shame. We also have at our disposal a plethora of gadgets and media to connect to many people and to do so quickly. There is a space for us in our co-culture of Millentials to expect prompt replies from people within minutes through texts, chat, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and all the mobile apps to go with such media. If you're chatting with someone online and don't get a prompt reply it's considered rude: bad chat etiquette. If you are texting with someone and don't get a reasonably quick reply, again, it's considered unusual, rude, and can be quite irritating. There is a social norm to be prompt in such areas of communication. And remember, that IS our form of communication. That form of connection and communication with people is THE form of communication for the Millenials. So, when people from generations before Millenials argue that we're impatient, is it possible that we're simply being taken the wrong way? In our reality, waiting days for a response to a Facebook message or a Myspace comment is considered lazy and rude. When viewed through that lens, I wouldn't say we're impatient, but rather holding to our co-cultural norms. Couldn't it be that, in a world of multi-mediated gadgets and gizmos that we've simply learned to be fast thinkers, fast movers, and quick to action? We expect promptness from our peers because that's the norm for our generation, not necessarily impatience; we have at our disposal the ability to be prompt with Blackberries, texting, chatting, social networks, and the apps that allow for mobile connection to those same sites. If you, from any generation previous to the Millenials, were in a face-to-face conversation with a friend or peer, colleague or stranger even, you would be put off if they took hours to respond to anything you've said. it would be out of place for them to take more than a few seconds, no more than a few minutes, to respond to anything you say. It wouldn't necessarily be impatience that permeated your thoughts, it would be a desire to rebuke the person into cultural norms; edge them into responding in turn at a more normal pace than the hours they are taking. In some cases, it may even be frustrating for the wait, so far out of the culture norm you're used to. We're never far from our mediated connections with people so it's natural to assume reasonably quick responses from our peers. If this is seen as impatience, I would say the generations before aren't taking into account what's at the fingertips - literally - of the generation in question. I wouldn't say it's impatience that's saturated the youth, but rather a new way of going through the process of a communication as a direct result from a multi-mediated world.
I think this misperception of labels can be argued for many of the terms/traits/characteristics pegged to the Millenial generation and they should be reconsidered through the lens of the Millenial generation with the possibilities as to *why* they are the way they are. You may just find the negative aspects you're so quick to pin on this generation not only have a logical reason for their existence, but the misconceptions may actually be wrong; false in a dim light you've been casting. So, shine the light, look a little closer through your calibrated lens, and see what you find. I think it might surprise you; you might actually like the generation you find.
Psychotic Resumes is a Gen-Y (Millennial) job survival guide created by Nick Armstrong to help new professionals build stronger resumes and cover letters so they can find a better job. It's our goal to help Gen-Y do better at interviews and on the job, promoting strong leadership, entrepreneurship, and common sense.
Going to Bat for Millennials
In some ways, we need to own up to the fact that we really do come off as obnoxious punks from time to time. It’s just our lot in life as young people. It happened to the Gen-X’ers before us, and the Jonsers and Baby Boomers before them, and, while I hate to admit it – some Millennials are just lazy, stuck-up, spoiled brats. Some bad apples are spoiling the bunch.
Just because people say a thing doesn’t make it true – but hot damn, a lot of them are saying it.
We really are going to change the world. I think we all ought to stop for a few moments each day and think about that. What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of lives to we want to lead? There’s no doubt about it – our generation is the authority on all things Internet. We’ve got a collaborative spirit, the likes of which have never been seen before. If we want to effect change, we can certainly do it en masse.
So why are we coming up against this Gray Wall? The Gray Wall is the Baby Boomers, Jonsers, and Gen-Xers who fear us and try to block the change we bring to every job we’ve ever had by using their social and corporate influence. I thought we were the generation that knew how to connect to people? Or is it only people we like?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how our generation connects with the world. We’ve got Blogs, Twitter, Facebook updates, MySpace statuses and all mannor of things to talk at people. It’s so easy for us to climb on our meager soapbox websites and bang our shoes on the podium. We certainly do entertain comments on our blogs, read other people’s status updates, subscribe to people on Twitter. But do we take the time to listen to people who talk back to us in an analog way? Have we become so attached to our technology that we no longer pay attention to the people using outdated methods like face-to-face and phone and e-mail conversations to communicate with us?
We can’t afford to allow each other to act like lazy, entitled, spoiled brats. If we see bad behavior, if we notice it in ourselves, we have to correct it. The only thing that stops “bad apples” at work is strong leadership from the same level as that bad apple. I’m typing away at my blog because I believe that to be true. I believe it actually makes a difference. If I can somehow manipulate my vocabulary and twist these mangled words in a way that I’m not being preachy and makes a reader think… I – I don’t know. Maybe that will make a difference.
Help me save the bunch. Be a leader, too.