Flip-flops and iPods and Trophies, Oh My!
Much is being made of the values of "Millenials" relative to other worker age groups, in this 60 Minutes report. Part of the fun of watching it is Morley's face when talking about the Millenials. He looks like he just smelled something bad. OK, so as not to regurgitate the same fluff that was put out when Fortune wrote about this last year, I have a few comments on this report:
-60 Minutes needs to get some new blood. Morley's cuddly and all but if your opinion is written all over you face (and your word choice, tone of voice, etc), maybe a moderate perspective is required. I don't know how he could have not acted all shocked by this but it was distracting, if not thoroughly entertaining.
-speaking of which, the reports acts as if nobody sits between the Boomers and the Millenials. Next up on 60 minutes: a report of how news shows cater to the boomer audience in their reporting. Come on producers, get it together.
-Blaming Mr. Rogers is a low blow. First, Mr. Rogers was MY generation, not the Millenials generation. Second, we got our fair share of losing and recessions and "business attire" to not exhibit the same behaviors as the Millenials. It's a matter of degrees and there's nothing wrong with a little liberally applied affirmation from a man is a cardigan sweater and keds.
I think it's all an over-reaction to what came before; which is natural. That's not to say that the "me first" attitude isn't a little annoying. But surprising? Not really.
(Edit: added link to Fortune article. Also, thanks to Darryl for the post idea and link)
Comments
Anonymous
January 21, 2008
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January 21, 2008
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January 21, 2008
let's not forget http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/2188360118_cdc8e50cea.jpgAnonymous
January 21, 2008
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January 21, 2008
It's interesting to me the different views of the Millennial generation - I read both positive and negative things about this generation. The 60 minute report was one of the more negative - it was a bit condescending, don't you think?Anonymous
January 21, 2008
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January 21, 2008
I think this illustration best explains my point of view on these generational dynamics http://indexed.blogspot.com/2008/01/even-grandpa-was-punk-kid-once.htmlAnonymous
January 22, 2008
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January 22, 2008
Matt - seems we just keep getting spoilder and lazier and arroganter. :) Rick Pennington - guess that makes me Gen X. OK, so I am not going to ever have kids, so I won't have the opportunity to mess up anyone's life but my own. And granted, my parents really emulated the greatest generation more than their own (they did the whole scary 70s fashion thing but not so much the free love thing...I don't even want to think about that, actually). So I think that there's hope for the free thinkers. I do feel like a bit of a tweener in some ways. I don't believe in company loyalty (kind of millenial in that regard) but have worked hard to pay my dues and get where I am (boomer?). What do you call people that kind of step outside of the sterotupe and select elements from different generations that work for them? Needless to say, I am the "different thinker" in my family when it comes to politics, religion, social norms (and if you are thinking that I don't seem so "out there", then just consider that my family is totally "in there"), but I'm realy having a hard time putting myself into one of these generational buckets. What is Gen X again?Anonymous
January 22, 2008
There are arguments about the traditional age ranges of the generations, but I have seen Gen X stated as being born in the late 60's to 82 or 84, with the last 5 years or so belonging to the "cuspers", those that are tweeners. I am in the same boat as you, Heather, in that I tend to pick and choose what I believe... you're probably a cusper too. I tend to be more politically/socially aligned with Gen X, but I have been influenced by technology my entire life by the Milennials. The biggest thing to remember in this is that these are noticable trends in generations, not absolutes. We're all influenced by culture and events in different ways. I believe the most significant event in my lifetime was the fall of the berlin wall and communism, for example, while many people born after me will probably say 9-11.Anonymous
January 22, 2008
OK, well late 60s here...so technically, I'm on the cusp of what came before...boomers is it? Same as my parents? That's what they get for reproducing so young! So interesting about the Berlin wall. I guess I wasn't very geographically /politically astute. For me, 9-11 was a BIG deal but I was 33 when it happened. Also, Reagan being shot was big. And people realizing what AIDS was (a little slowly) in the eighties.Anonymous
January 22, 2008
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January 22, 2008
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January 23, 2008
To get an idea of the differences between recent generations, check out the annual college mindset survey Beloit College has done for several years... www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset/
