Both sides seem to have some pretty valid points. However, the corporate advocates have a pretty questionable premise.
I don't think the 'self esteem movement' is the primary factor in all of this as the managers and executives in the interviews are implying. Our generation grew-up in a time when information about corporate negligence and governmental corruption was widely available. Many of us find it hard to blindly follow orders when we know that the corporation we're working for doesn't align with our own personal values. Whether because they produce a product from which we are alienated, or because of a general helpless sense that the only reason we work for them is we would be out on the street if we didn't. We simply don't buy the whole 'greater good' propaganda that our parent's generation did.
I have been called lazy many, many times in my life and to a great extent I often wish my parents had been tougher on me. And yes maybe Mr. Rogers wasn't the best message to send. I still think that soccer trophies for simply stepping onto the field are a dumb idea. But one thing I know about myself is that when I am truly captivated by something, when I feel a strong connection, I have the ability to work long and hard often forgetting to eat or sleep until it's finished.
The American solution is to let laissez faire economics sort it all out. But how is this going to handle the issues that don't quite fit into our economic policies? The free-market system again and again favors short-term gains and quick-fixes. Who is forcing people to look at the long-term economic benefits of a sustainable enviromental-political policy? The money we would save by investing now in health care for everyone, instead of the money we will lose when the majority of the work force is sick and tired. The money we would lose if major cities are flooded and our crop lands are deserts.
What angers me about the 60 minutes programme is that we are exactly what they say we are. They've created in our generation (and this goes back to the 'Century of the Self') the perfect consumers.
There's this cruise ship of an economy that we're all on. At one time, there was a pretty decent balance of first class passengers, coach (a happy enough middle class that got enjoy some of the finer things in life, but didn't get to use the on-board helicopter), a top-notch crew, and some hangers-on (immigrants maybe, hoping to get a job on the crew and one day move up the cabins).
Our parents generation has convinced us that we are all first class passengers. And for a while that has worked, because we've continuously bought the goods and the ship kept sailing. Now, they are panicking because they can't find anyone to sail the ship, and the crew is getting old. They want to say that it's because we've become fat and lazy -- we won't get out of the pool. Or the Game Room.
But I think the truth is that many of us realize this cruise ship has always been a mirage, that there is a darkness to the whole affair somewhere beneath the decks, and that above all it's not taking us where we want to go.
We're all desperately trying to find off before the ship gets so far out to sea and we reach a point from which we can no longer paddle back to land.
i think you are right greg. i thought it was strange how that piece was about our generation, but we dint really have a voice in it. i mean...they have a point, but i dont think they really looked to hard for an explaination....i mean....mr. rogers? participant trophies? i agree those are lame, but i think passing them off as a reason for us being "lazy" is kind of stupid....like participant trophies caused a whole generation to be "lazy workers?" come on. it would have been a lot more interesting if they actually did their homework, because if this is actually an issue worth investigating on 60 minutes then why didn't they look a little further into it?
Working in an office is the natural & necessary state of humans. If people continue having fun and enjoying life, we will not be able to buy things anymore. In fact we will all starve like they did in the old days.
The segment focuses a lot on "millennial training" as well as the millennial conference. I guess the segment probably suggested & funded by corporations in that $50B industry. There's no journalistic reason for Morley Safer's tone of voice or language. He was likely under pressure to make viewers fear that millennials are absurd and cannot be understood without the aid of a Millennial coach.
It's absurd to say that "Millennials" can't handle criticism because they were given meaningless soccer trophies (which I never got) and were told they could be president (which I was never told). I think it's the opposite - we were treated so awfully (epidurals, cribs, grades) that we just don't respect the world created by our victimizers. Despite our apprehension, we feel that we need to be a part of this world to survive, as the culture has eliminated all alternatives.
i think you have a good point. i mean...we were constantly being tested and criticized....i guess we should feel even worse for kids who are in the "no child left behind" generation....i wonder what kind of explaination they are going to give for that generation...i guess i never believed what my grades told me what i was...but it seems that for scholkids these days grades determine a lot more than they used to...wtf?
I feel lucky to have been born in '79 and therefore have no claim to be a part of the lazy motherfucker generation or whatever. I've always thought that there was something dreadfully wrong with Henry and Chester. Thank goodness I've got a steady job and don't know how to use a cell phone.
I like what Keith said about the strange attitude the video has towards Millenials. Supposedly there are 80 million of us "Millenials", which is 37.5 percent of America's population, yet the entire video talks about "Millenials" (not to "Millenials") like Millenials are alien babies who just landed here. Aren't they a legitimate part of the culture?
It also assumes that all Millenials are wealthy enough to afford high tech gadgets.
I exhibit a lot of these trends they speak of, I think authority is bullshit, I hate working blah blah blah.
But I never got a trophy, I remember my basketball coach calling me a girl and making fun of me in front of everyone.
Though I tend to believe my hatred for authority comes from my father being abusive. That could do it.
Nope, Millenials are lazy because their parents babied them and told them that they were special, they SHOULD have beat them. We need to be harder on kids so they will take over this sinking ship!
When you create a new post the "link" blank makes the TITLE a link.
It's a little confusing. Here's how to
create an HTML link like a pro. Copy and paste this crap into your
post/comments:
<a href="http://www.address.com">TEXT </a>
Replace the complete URL (web address) between the quotes and TEXT with what you want to appear as text in the blue link.
Congratulations...you're a nerd.
8 comments:
Both sides seem to have some pretty valid points. However, the corporate advocates have a pretty questionable premise.
I don't think the 'self esteem movement' is the primary factor in all of this as the managers and executives in the interviews are implying. Our generation grew-up in a time when information about corporate negligence and governmental corruption was widely available. Many of us find it hard to blindly follow orders when we know that the corporation we're working for doesn't align with our own personal values. Whether because they produce a product from which we are alienated, or because of a general helpless sense that the only reason we work for them is we would be out on the street if we didn't. We simply don't buy the whole 'greater good' propaganda that our parent's generation did.
I have been called lazy many, many times in my life and to a great extent I often wish my parents had been tougher on me. And yes maybe Mr. Rogers wasn't the best message to send. I still think that soccer trophies for simply stepping onto the field are a dumb idea. But one thing I know about myself is that when I am truly captivated by something, when I feel a strong connection, I have the ability to work long and hard often forgetting to eat or sleep until it's finished.
The American solution is to let laissez faire economics sort it all out. But how is this going to handle the issues that don't quite fit into our economic policies? The free-market system again and again favors short-term gains and quick-fixes. Who is forcing people to look at the long-term economic benefits of a sustainable enviromental-political policy? The money we would save by investing now in health care for everyone, instead of the money we will lose when the majority of the work force is sick and tired. The money we would lose if major cities are flooded and our crop lands are deserts.
What angers me about the 60 minutes programme is that we are exactly what they say we are. They've created in our generation (and this goes back to the 'Century of the Self') the perfect consumers.
There's this cruise ship of an economy that we're all on. At one time, there was a pretty decent balance of first class passengers, coach (a happy enough middle class that got enjoy some of the finer things in life, but didn't get to use the on-board helicopter), a top-notch crew, and some hangers-on (immigrants maybe, hoping to get a job on the crew and one day move up the cabins).
Our parents generation has convinced us that we are all first class passengers. And for a while that has worked, because we've continuously bought the goods and the ship kept sailing. Now, they are panicking because they can't find anyone to sail the ship, and the crew is getting old. They want to say that it's because we've become fat and lazy -- we won't get out of the pool. Or the Game Room.
But I think the truth is that many of us realize this cruise ship has always been a mirage, that there is a darkness to the whole affair somewhere beneath the decks, and that above all it's not taking us where we want to go.
We're all desperately trying to find off before the ship gets so far out to sea and we reach a point from which we can no longer paddle back to land.
i think you are right greg. i thought it was strange how that piece was about our generation, but we dint really have a voice in it. i mean...they have a point, but i dont think they really looked to hard for an explaination....i mean....mr. rogers? participant trophies? i agree those are lame, but i think passing them off as a reason for us being "lazy" is kind of stupid....like participant trophies caused a whole generation to be "lazy workers?" come on. it would have been a lot more interesting if they actually did their homework, because if this is actually an issue worth investigating on 60 minutes then why didn't they look a little further into it?
Working in an office is the natural & necessary state of humans. If people continue having fun and enjoying life, we will not be able to buy things anymore. In fact we will all starve like they did in the old days.
The segment focuses a lot on "millennial training" as well as the millennial conference. I guess the segment probably suggested & funded by corporations in that $50B industry. There's no journalistic reason for Morley Safer's tone of voice or language. He was likely under pressure to make viewers fear that millennials are absurd and cannot be understood without the aid of a Millennial coach.
It's absurd to say that "Millennials" can't handle criticism because they were given meaningless soccer trophies (which I never got) and were told they could be president (which I was never told). I think it's the opposite - we were treated so awfully (epidurals, cribs, grades) that we just don't respect the world created by our victimizers. Despite our apprehension, we feel that we need to be a part of this world to survive, as the culture has eliminated all alternatives.
i think you have a good point. i mean...we were constantly being tested and criticized....i guess we should feel even worse for kids who are in the "no child left behind" generation....i wonder what kind of explaination they are going to give for that generation...i guess i never believed what my grades told me what i was...but it seems that for scholkids these days grades determine a lot more than they used to...wtf?
I feel lucky to have been born in '79 and therefore have no claim to be a part of the lazy motherfucker generation or whatever. I've always thought that there was something dreadfully wrong with Henry and Chester. Thank goodness I've got a steady job and don't know how to use a cell phone.
I like what Keith said about the strange attitude the video has towards Millenials. Supposedly there are 80 million of us "Millenials", which is 37.5 percent of America's population, yet the entire video talks about "Millenials" (not to "Millenials") like Millenials are alien babies who just landed here. Aren't they a legitimate part of the culture?
It also assumes that all Millenials are wealthy enough to afford high tech gadgets.
I exhibit a lot of these trends they speak of, I think authority is bullshit, I hate working blah blah blah.
But I never got a trophy, I remember my basketball coach calling me a girl and making fun of me in front of everyone.
Though I tend to believe my hatred for authority comes from my father being abusive. That could do it.
Nope, Millenials are lazy because their parents babied them and told them that they were special, they SHOULD have beat them. We need to be harder on kids so they will take over this sinking ship!
Post a Comment