A really interesting piece in today's New York Times about what might be ailing Generation Y. Read it and think about it. Do you agree?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/op...me&ref=general

 

Hard to say if its the new rule or an exception, but given the factors I could see this being a 'trend' of sorts. I do get the impression younger gen is withdrawing more from real life from the advent of modern tech, social networking etc. Its sad really, its a piece of Humanity that is being ignored, separated from real life. It amounts to narrow, limited experiences. Which ignores some pretty important aspects of being human. I cant blame them to some degree however, as I see the social conditioning of our society continue to harbor ignorant and hateful or superficial people, it makes me want to withdrawal from society as well and I'm 36 years old. The economic standpoint/implications I could really give two shits about.

 

That is an interesting article Rob. How ironic, I just watched "The Grapes of Wrath"; a great movie but any teen watching that would certainly want to stay home! I don't know that I agree with his point. Certainly the stats on cars and driver licenses sound right. We all know that Facebook, cell phones and the like are the 'new freedom roads' for today's youth. But he seems to ignore all the young people who join the service - you can't get any further away from home than that! I did get a kick out the line "But Generation Y has become Generation Why Bother."

 

Ever hopeful I believe that children of the 80s (Gen Y) are less inclined to conform to the culture of overwork that we adopted. They seem to value home and be closer to their parents than we were. We had the idea (probably given to us by our parents) that we had to do better, get more, have bigger houses, more cars, etc. than our parents had. Generation Y'ers are not as driven to do those things. They certainly like being connected to their cellphones and other media devices, but they are not as inclined to want more than what their parents' home has to offer. They are educated, more politically and socially liberal for the most part, in touch with the world (probably more so than we are) and less inclined to marry early. I think knowing the failure rates of marriage, they probably are wise not to rush. Imho, they want jobs or careers that are not as dull and mundane as what we may have chosen and would prefer less pay for more job/career fulfillment. I'm not sure whether I consider the latter a shortcoming. These kids certainly heard us gripe enough about our workplaces. Perhaps they are what we taught them to be.

 

Here's a perfect example of what you're saying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUGmcb3mhLM

 

Haven't had a chance to read this, but we are concerned about the +1's son growing up and getting out into the working world. He seems very reluctant to do so, and his college future is touch and go at this point. To be cont'd...

 

I think the economy plays a huge role in the lack of motivation of many. Why get your driver's license if you don't have a job and Mom and Dad can't afford to add you to their car insurance? OK, so you find a part time job and save for that car, but now you can't afford the insurance and Mom and Dad can't afford it either.

Get your college degree, but after graduation, the employment picture is lousy. For many, even with that degree there is a good possibility they will end up with a lousy job and still unable to move out of their parent's home, student loans eat up 1/2 their pay check.

If economic issues aren't holding the young folks back, perhaps they just don't have the sense of adventure some folks did back in the 60's 70's and 80's. Why don't they search out for opportunities? Kids aren't given much freedom growing up these days. It's a nasty world out there with bad people, so parents shuffle kids from activity to activity, essentially keeping them in a protective bubble. Some of these kids just don't know how to fend for themselves. Heck, they have so many organized activities, they don't even know how to entertain themselves, unless it's with an electronic gadget. BTW I'm not criticizing anyone, or putting all the blame for the underachievers on parents. We parents already have a heavy load, we did the best we could, but did we make their lives too easy?

Hopefully, the young folks get their act together before they are 30. Parents deserve a rest before the rest home.

 

I grew up in a lovely little town in the Finger Lakes. I moved south at 19, at the behest of the U.S. Air Force, and I've lived down here ever since. My brother moved to CT to work in the Submarine industry. My mom and dad moved to DE for its milder climate, low cost of living, and many benefits for seniors. My sisters both followed. I wouldn't change my life. I love the area where I live now. But I hate that my family is so scattered. My boys have grown up spending only a little time with their grandparents. I envy families that live near each other who get to visit each other as often as they care to, who are nearby to support each other.

The Op-Ed piece is thought-provoking and I suspect most of its facts are reasonably accurate. But some of the conclusions are hard to swallow. Maybe the Greatest Generation did spend time in Europe and Asia during the war. But many of our sons and daughters have traveled to the Middle-East and other places around the world. And the fact that a few people followed Hemmingway and Stein to Paris does not reflect the mobility of the general populace at the time. I just ran into an old friend and learned his son is in Paris for a semester of foreign studies. And the conclusion, "We need to reward and encourage forward movement, not slouching...Maybe it’s time to yank out the power cords, pump up the flat bicycle tires or even reopen Route 66 — whatever it takes to get our kids back on the road.", well, that's just not supported by the facts noted within the piece.

 

Of course they are sedentary, I mean how could they live home with daddy and mommy if they moved away?

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2...ove-back-home/

 

Name of this said lovely little town?

The finger lakes region is my home, and I just love it!