We Made Them that Way
That’s right. We did this. Who is “we”? Well, both Boomers and Gen Xers have Gen Y children, so both are responsible. We have raised them primarily during times of easy access to finances, so they are not used to either holding back or cutting back. Whether it was out of guilt from the Boomers’ workaholic lifestyle or overcompensating for our own independent lives, the Boomers and the Gen Xers have doted on Gen Y since the moment they were born. We’ve given them just about everything they could ask for and many things they would never have thought of if we hadn’t presented it to them. We mean, how many Boomers and Gen Xers had hundreds of dollars spent on one of their birthday parties? Anyone? Oh, yes two of you, there in the back. Okay, now how many of us have spent hundreds of dollars on a birthday party for Gen Y?
Our point exactly.
Of course, that’s all changing now. With the economic downturn, Gen Y has for the first time heard phrases like “We can’t afford that right now” or “We don’t have any more room on the credit card” or, big gasp, “We no longer use credit cards.” Yes, it is a harsh reality for Gen Y and not so easy on the Boomers and Gen Xers either, but it’s one of those sort of necessary corrections—like the stock market perhaps.
We’ve heard about China’s “Little Emperors,” referring to the only children in the People’s Republic of China who are the product of the one-child policy that was implemented in that country, and it seems we may have made some little emperors of our own. We raised Gen Y to feel that they were special. And they are!
We have not withheld any form of media and struggled with figuring out what the appropriate limitations should be. We have enrolled them in so many things that we had to post spreadsheets on our refrigerators just to keep up with the family schedules.
In fact, according to many psychologists and parenting experts, we have treated Gen Y “more like partners than children as they were growing up.” They cite families who allow a 6-yearold to choose the family car and pre-teens to decide where to go—or even whether to go—on vacation. They claim that “…the downside comes when kids grow up and realize they are not the center of the universe.”3
While they may not be the true center of the universe, it does look like all eyes are turning to Gen Yers. Everyone wants to know how they learn, how they socialize, what they play, how they work, and especially how they buy. Gen Yers did not learn most of these patterns from their parents or older siblings; they are learning it together, making up their own rules. Both Boomers and Gen Xers are trying to figure out how to deal with and, more importantly, how to market to our little emperors.
It was so intriguing to the Boomer and Gen X parents to watch their Gen Y children begin to text incessantly while watching TV and playing on the computer that they didn’t stop it. We weren’t and still aren’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. We just continue to look with curiosity and think, “They certainly are ‘good’ multitaskers.” At least they do a lot of multitasking. However, the research says multitasking makes us stupid. Okay, that’s not exactly what it says, but research does prove that people lose IQ points when they multitask, and Gen Y is not excluded from this little phenomenon.
As an example, numerous studies have shown the sometimes-fatal danger of using cell phones and other electronic devices while driving, for example, and several states have now made that particular form of multitasking illegal. In the business world, where concerns about time management are perennial, warnings about workplace distractions spawned by a multitasking culture are on the rise. In 2005, the BBC reported on a research study, funded by Hewlett-Packard and conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London, that found, “Workers distracted by e-mail and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers.”4 So, if we would all just focus on one thing at a time and smoke marijuana, we would still be smarter than the multitaskers. (It’s just a joke Boomers. Don’t get excited.)
So the Boomers and Gen Xers got together and created pampered, nurtured, questioning, fun-loving, feedback-giving, multitaskers who don’t know the meaning of struggle and hardship. We’ve provided them enough technology to transform an undeveloped nation and have neglected to either practice or teach fiscal responsibility. Still, they are a tolerant group who care about community, the environment, animal rights, each other, and their parents. Could be worse….
Notes
1. Cash, Johnny. Folsom Prison Blues. Palobal, 1974. Vinyl recording.
2. Mitton, Kelly. “Generational Jousting.” Web log post. The Red Recruiter. 23 Dec. 2009. Web. 24 July 2010. www.theredrecruiter.com/job-search/ generational-jousting.
3. “Psychology Across the Generations.” INSIGHT Magazine. Dec. 2009. Web. 24 July 2010. http://insight-magazine.org/2009/headline/psychology-across-the-generations/.
4. Rosen, Christine. “The Myth of Multitasking.” The New Atlantis—A Journal of Technology & Society. Spring 2008. Web. 24 July 2010. http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/ the-myth-of-multitasking.