[MonteQuest]

[jato]

[savethehumans]

Maybe not, but these twenty-somethings don't have a CLUE. Everything's instant, high-tech, fast-forward. We, the original Baby Boomers, at least got a glance at how our parents and grandparents before us coped with life pre-Information Age. Our problem? We SAW how they managed, but never learned how to do it that way! So you've got a generation that SAW how it was before, but never did it, as the only teachers this new generation has.

Can YOU say "disaster in the making"? Cuz I sure can!

[Ayoob_Reloaded]

[TrueKaiser]

[Itch]

[Schneider]

[Kingcoal]

[frankthetank]

[frankthetank]

[johnmarkos]

If you're interested in the topic of generations, I definitely recommend Strauss and Howe's books, The Fourth Turning, and their earlier Generations. They do a great job of describing the characterstics of the different generations now taking part in civic life.

Brief synopsis of the current living generations according to Strauss and Howe, along with their role in the next crisis (which I'm convinced is PO):

G.I. - hero - born 1901-1924 - no role in next crisis
Silent - artist - born 1925 - 1942 - possible moderating role in next crisis
Boomer - prophet - born 1943 - 1960 - spiritual moral leaders in next crisis
13er/Gen X - nomad - born 1961 - 1980 - operational leaders in next crisis
Millenials - hero - born 1981 - 2000 - workers/soliders in next crisis

Also, just little children - next artist generation - born 2000 - ~2020 - children in next crisis.

My big question about T4T -- do the Millenials have what it takes to be a hero generation?

John
13er - born 1970

[Xelat]

Until further notice this article - for me - falls under the "Expression in Print of Old Man's Disease". Yes - I'm between 20 and 28 (meanvalue?) - so thats my bias. But it seems to me this is just the age old expression on the part of the gray hairs of "These youngsters these days . . . [rant about irresponsibility follows]". They forget that they too were young, impatient and reckless at some stage too. They were also more creative, open to new ideas, and energetic than they are now. The Older cohorts pose as much threat to change as any cohort - witness the strength of the AARP lobby. Why have social security benefits for retirees increased dramatically against CPI while we cut every social program aimed at younger cohorts?

I think there are generational differences. But I don't think the younger genration is "lost" or "the problem". There are a great number of us who have managed to stay thin in a culture of fat, who have ditched the mobility of a car for a cell phone, and are begining to figure out things aren't as they seem. There is a powerful push for young Americans to integrate into the culture of consumption . . . but a surprising number have resisted and that sort of discipline will be very valuable in the coming years.

[johnmarkos]

Here's my perspective on the millenial generation as an outside observer. In pop culture, they seem to be following the expectations of Strauss and Howe built up in Generations and The Fourth Turning.

People under the age of 24 seem to have a more unified popular culture than gen X or boomers did. There appear to be fewer subgroups and counter cultures these days. This was expected by S + H. Another trend they anticipated was the redefining of pop culture to appeal to a wider generational audience. Back in the 80s, when I was a teenager, it wasn't "normal" for 70 year olds to like pop music. Nowadays, it's much more common for old people to like young people's music. S + H also anticipated the backlash against vulgarity in pop culture that began in full force this year with a wardrobe malfunction.

Millenial pop culture is not reactive against the previous generation, nor is it generally about creating new forms (e.g. rap or punk rock). Instead, they're recycling and refining existing forms of pop culture. This phenomenon was also anticipated by S + H -- the boomers created the main pop culture trends of this era. The trends were then made "extreme" by gen X and are now being refined and made more accessible by millenials.

What I do not see in millenials is the increase in civic mindedness and academic acheivement that S + H expected would occur. Someone who is more familiar with this generation could give a better picture of the generation than I. I would expect to see

1. higher standardized test scores than 13ers/gen X at the same age
2. better high school graduation rates
3. more participation in civic organizations and many new civic organizations created for the millenial generation's benefit
4. more volunteerism

Maybe a teacher or a member of this generation can tell me -- are these things happening? If so, can you provide evidence of these changes?

Perhaps the millenials are civic in a new way that older generations don't understand yet.

[The_Virginian]

[johnmarkos]

One more thought on the boomers/echo boomers question brought up by Monte.

My opinion (and that of Strauss and Howe) is that it's not the millenials ("echo boomers") who need to think long range -- it's the boomers.

In the vision of The Fourth Turning, the millenials will carry out the civic agenda created and articulated by the boomers (and transformed into simple "action items" by the 13ers). It seems to me that in the context of this vision, Monte is doing an excellent job of fulfilling the boomer generational role.

[pilferage]

I was born in 81, so I guess I'm on the fringe.
I've been in college for about 5 years (courtesy of grants and scholarships, no loans). My short term plans involve improving my academic background, stocking up on canned goods, buying two more bikes, researching building methods, materials, and codes (concentrating on cheap, durable, building techniques, and renewable resources, like those seen in earthship construction), researching mercedes and ford diesels (namely the 6.9l and mb I5 engines), researching svo systems, and saving up money so that I can put together a svo/diesel powered f-series van/truck, or MB sedan.

In the long term I'd like to build my own home on a nice chunk of 'out of the way' land, the aims will be self-sufficiency and cost. I might even use it as a vacation home if I am employed elsewhere.
If I can have something akin to a self-sufficient earthship built in an area with fertile land and a couple svo equiped vehicles set up in the next 5-10 years I'll be satisfied...
I'm also hoping I can figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life!

[johnmarkos]

[CarlinsDarlin]

johnmarkos,
It was my reading of the book The Fourth Turning that eventually led me to studying about Peak Oil. I'm a 13r myself, and I can see that Strauss and Howe are right on the mark with their analyses - and that is really scary. Preparing for the fourth turning led me to study many things including energy independence - which led me to Matt's site and these forums. Anyone who has not read the book should pick it up - it offers a great deal of insight into where we may be headed - and PO fits right into the scenario.
Kathy

[AdamB]