Generation Y, we have been called many things and blamed for many more which we have had absolutely no control over. We are frankly sick of it and it is starting to show and in a big way. A way that in a politically arena has yet been fully grasped. It is also coming full steam ahead toward the economic sector as well. If you do a search of Generation Y you will get topics on how to “deal”, “market”, and “implement” us into the work place. These articles mostly written by marketing firms strictly about business, economics of the our Generation in the best way to assimilate us into a dying culture called Generation X which most of the CEO’s, business leaders, and political leaders are from.
We, the Y Generation have been waiting for a long time to show the rest what we have but with the increasing working age, retiring age, and lowering of benefits for the aging X Generation we sit stagnate, stifled, and suffocated. It is beginning to show that we are a becoming restless watching as a generation grasping to hold on to their memories of the 80’s has begun to drag all of us down. We are more diverse, less fearful, dream bigger, and think outside of the box when thinking of solving domestic and global problems. We have been mislabeled as the self-entitled and selfish. As most politician, CEO’s have started to learn we aren’t easily fooled and more sure of ourselves not full of ourselves.
You can debate global warming with my Y Generation for instance and we will humor the debate because we have learned that there is value in opinions even when wrong. The only true debate to have is how soon and impactful will global warming be if we do not change. Why is this not a winning argument amongst us Y Generational folk? We are old enough to remember the hole in the ozone and we remember the debates on how stifling it would be to business to ban CFC’s. We also remember it happening and we have been alive long enough to see the effects of that legislation. The ozone started to heal and close.
We are less cut off from our world in America and realize that there is more to problems then what media wants to show. We realize that geographic, economy, and demographics play a bigger role in what goes on with crime. We also happen to be the prisoned generation literally. We have more people in our demographic in prison than others and not only that but most are in prison for things that our former generation did without the fear of being locked up. It was then considered a misguided mistake or a bad choice to now it is reprehensible, a detriment to society.
Worst thing is we are a result of the X Generation and all their mistakes. It has made us this sleepy beast and the former generations have finally caused enough chaos that it has started to stir the beast. The world got to see this, this last election when Obama was re-elected. We are tired of the backwards trend and being held back as well. I saw a reporter the other day comment on how our generation thought we were too good to do jobs like dishwasher at a restaurant. I beg to differ, if we thought it would lead to something like a manager position, if we did well, then it wouldn’t be a problem but we have watched some of our parents work their asses off for companies, doing the dirty none respectable jobs, and have been passed up time and time again for raises, promotions, awards, anything that just says good job.
Not to mention some of these people don’t want to work for $7 an hour while they hold a BA. Who can blame them? We were also the first generation to be lied to about education. We sat through high school hearing about college and how great having that degree we would do. They never claimed we would be millionaires or exuberantly wealthy but they sold the living comfortably with a house, car, and 2.5 kids constantly.
We are also the first to see the demographics work in “the real working world.” For example in my class very few broke out of the classification they were put into in high school. Popular kids got great jobs regardless if they deserved them or not. Kids that were in the “smart” group got jobs in sciences, law, medical, Etc… that mostly paid less than the popular kid’s jobs but were more important. Kids that were considered a lost cause from grade school because of their family not because of them weren’t ever given a chance and therefor ended up exactly where they were pictured to end up.
As most of our Y Generation can tell others we want advances in medical technology, humanities, NASA. We believe in solving a problem and saving lives and our planet, not how much it can bring in for a company. Now don’t get that confused with we don’t understand the reality of needing profit, income to fund and produce results. We believe that there is a balance and not only a balance but a successful way to take those advances in the fields and produce huge profits.
Generation Y we are ready and tired of waiting entering our thirties and still not given a chance. We are realistic with big views and don’t believe the old solution are the answers to new problems. You want this country to grow? Become successful again? You better start listening. You can’t rig elections against us, you can no longer push us around, and you can’t keep holding a generation that is about to burst at the seams back any longer. Occupy, anonymous are just a beginning of what will come from this generation if suppressed and ignored any longer.
This is why old politics has to go, the retirement age needs not be raised, cuts to science programs doesn’t work, why we don’t freak the fuck out when speaking of tax increases. We realize that we have to pay for people not to be hungry, sick or no place to live. We also understand this attitude of not providing for Americans comes from the true entitled and fooled Generation X. We know that abortion isn’t being used as drive thru birth control and we understand that even though teens shouldn’t have sex, they are and have been for generations. So why make it harder for birth control to begin with? We have a realistic view that if you are going to make birth control hard, then abortion hard, and then tell the person they are a whore, someone has to provide a form of finances for the child.
We know that places like Israel is important to diplomacy in the Middle East but don’t think it should be the driving dictator of our foreign policy. We know what real threats are and not ones marketed to us. We know that a person can’t find a job as long as America goes to other countries to buy the latest greatest in new technology because we refuse to lead, finance, and dream for the future. We understand that we are falling behind in the world and it is because people of the 80’s refuse to let go and let the rest of us take over. Dreams have stopped and put on hold because of this type of leadership. It is time to make a new path and that is what is coming politics are changing and are going to be hard to predict as long as the Y generation keeps being the ignored and blamed generations, instead of being the embraced one.
