Generation why.

Generalisations ahead. Please watch your step.

Nothing like being part of GenY (or, the Millenials). The postmodern generation. Everything had been done before, the only difference we can make is to make things go faster. Terribly ambitious, yeah?

I was reading on wikipedia about how members of GenY are perceived as being rude or rebellious. What the hell are they talking about?? We have nothing to rebel against!! As said on wiki, this may be a generation-unique trait. We simply do not recognize authority (or at least not the way the Boomers or GenXers do), and so when faced with an authority figure, we tend to react based on the way we feel, rather than in the typical buttoned down "respect for authority figures" type of way that is expected. 

We are also known as the cynical generation. Which, to an extent I believe is true. I think the disheartening thing is that not only are most of us too young to be cynical, but we don't care. This is life for us and it doesn't look like it's getting any better. I mean, when a distinct chronological milestone for GenYers - in fact, one of the things that classifies us as belonging to this generation - is the attack on the World Trade Centre, what the fuck are you expecting? Of course we're jaded; of course we're cynical.

Other generation specific things? Painfully short attention spans resulting in a practice my mother hates - Channel surfing. Or as I call it, flipping around. A million and one channels and although there may be something to watch on one of them, we can't sit there and do that because concentrating on one thing for five seconds plus is not an option. What if we miss something?

Intense dislike of delayed gratification (no laughing!). We don't want to work and save for something. No lay-buy (or lay-away). No saving painfully for days/weeks/months....Whatever we want, we want it now. We want it yesterday! Get it here quickly and bring me two of them...Really not a good thing for us, but it really doesn't matter. Why? Because nothing really does.

We've been through the Baby Boomers and their "hippy" ways (although they are the most homophobic, racist generation yet) and the activists and so forth. We've been through GenX and their millions of dollars to charities. Welcome to GenY - apathetic nonactivists. We don't really even care enough to care about ourselves. I mean, this world has so much wrong with it, what the hell can any of us actually do? What difference can we make? Perhaps the only difference we can make, if any of us can be bothered, is to walk behind our parents' generation (typically GenX) and pick up their mess.

So what? We don't like you, we don't like ourselves, we will not be pushed around (perhaps a redeeming feature), we aren't fans of authority and "cunt" is the new "fuck". I mean, who can control us better than ourselves? So bow down and kiss the feet of the iGod. Move over, GenY has entered the building.