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(10/02/18 1:19am)
By Katherine Holt
“Narcissistic,” “entitled” and “lazy” are all common terms that older people typically use to describe millennials and younger generations (including generations Y and Z).
Maybe they’re right. Maybe we take too many selfies and take too many of our opportunities for granted. Has the digital age truly created a monster of a generation — one that produces individuals solely focused on their own personal motives?
After spending so much of my life hearing adults speak negatively about my generation, I began to wonder if there truly was a remarkable amount of people my age giving us a bad reputation.
After traveling around the world (including Europe, Australia and North and South America) and attending college, I have had the pleasure of meeting a lot of different people. I have always noticed that age really never has anything to do with any of our commonalities or differences.
I began to wonder whether generational labels are even real, or if are they just a social construct used to create division. This idea is supported by an article written on Leaderonomics, which states that “We have divided this large group of people who are alive at the same time into sections that degrade and condescend each other with statements like ‘they are narcissistic and lazy.’”
The fact is that just because our generation grew up in a time when constant change and innovation was taking place doesn’t mean that we have become as entitled or lazy, as older generations may like to believe.
In fact, according to a 2016 report by BNP Paribas in 5.6 billion American millennials under the age of 35 were surveyed, millennials were found to be “creating more companies, with higher headcount and greater profit ambitions. They show strong interest in the economy, but not exclusively!”
Millennials also had a higher average of businesses started than baby boomers who are over the age of 50, as well as a higher expected gross profit margin in 2015. So, who are they calling lazy?
Instead of looking at the differences between these socially constructed generations, I’d like to address how similar we all are. Regardless of our incessant use of social media, we are not the most “narcissistic generation.”
As a psychology major here at the College, I know firsthand that there are a plethora of studies that show that every generation has been the “me, me, me” generation. For example, Roberts, Brent W., et al. conducted a meta-analysis (a form of research that combines data from multiple studies) in 2010 that showed developmental changes are much more important than generational changes when it comes to narcissism.
For example, it was actually the baby boomers who coined the phrase, “but enough about me, what do you think about me?” in the 1970s.
I believe that it is not our generation that is narcissistic, it is simply just the fact that our generation consists mostly of individuals in their teens and 20s right now, which is a stage of life in which almost every human being needs to focus on themselves in order to build a brighter future. I bet that if just about anyone were to ask their parents what they were doing at age 23, they would have been involved in a lot of things that were solely benefiting themselves, too.
How did our generation get the bad reputation? Maybe it’s because so many parts of our lives, more than any other generation ever, are exposed online. Our inner thoughts, mistakes and lessons learned are shown to the world via social media. It only makes sense for us to receive the criticism and judgement from older generations who have already grown and matured.
Our generation has made remarkable strides toward positive change. We have been able to create our own success in many different fields and inspire others to follow in our footsteps through sharing our journeys. We have told so many incredible stories, picked ourselves back up from failures and helped so many people suffering in silence — whether it be by attending a march for LGBTQ+ rights or encouraging conversations about sexual assault and suicide.
We listen with open-minds and take a stand to protect and support each other, as seen by the National School Walkout protesting against gun violence in March 2018.
We have done all of this in the spotlight, and we’re only just getting started. I think the answer is simple — we are not the worst generation, we are just the most exposed.
Students share opinions around campus
"Is our generation inferior to others'?"
"No. Every generation gets a bad rep. Change happens and people hate change."
"Yes. I think that we take the value out of important things."
(09/21/18 9:36pm)
By Katherine Holt
Having fun means something different for everybody; some people enjoy playing sports while others enjoy spending their day cuddled up with a good book.
At the College, there are hundreds of different clubs and activities for students to get involved in, but for many young adults, the main source of “having a good time” is typically associated with going out to parties.
Most of us have been exposed to the sticky cement floors and strange odors of fraternity house basements, even though almost anywhere else in the world is a better alternative for spending leisure time.
Every weekend, hundreds of students put on their most flattering outfits and head to the same stinky basements to go and have a good time, regardless of the location.
As someone who always loved having a good time in high school, I could never understand why I seemed to be one of the only people that could never see the appeal in spending Saturday nights this way.
After being exposed to what a typical “college party” was like, I found myself being more drawn to spending my weekends doing other things. However, it wasn’t that I just did not like the smell of the house or the lack of toilet paper in the bathroom — it was just that I never had a good time.
I asked myself what was different about it compared to other social gatherings I had attended before, and realized that “hooking up” seemed to be the main priority for most people in attendance, and that was something I was not looking to do considering I am in a long-term relationship.
In high school, my friends and I looked forward to taking control of the aux cord and blasting our favorite song of the summer on repeat all night at parties. We went out with friends to dance and laugh, and those of us who were single would flirt appropriately.
In college, despite how often they seem to go out, most of my friends tell me that there are many nights they either leave early or are tempted to because they are simply not having fun.
It seems that what are often now considered the wildest nights are not the ones that everyone stays up all night dancing, but rather the ones with the most amount of hookups. The morning-after-stories you hear from your friends consist of little talk about what they were doing the night before, but rather about who they were doing.
More and more of my friends who loved going out when they were single feel less inclined to go out now that they are in relationships, but shouldn’t a party just be about having fun regardless of your relationship status?
I hope that the glorious age of 21 will bring some bigger and better opportunities for having a good time. Hopefully, all of my friends, both single and taken, and I can go out and focus on just being together and enjoying the night.
Students share opinions around campus
"Does hookup culture dominate the College's party scene?"
"It really depends on what you want to get out of it. I don't know if it dominates."
"When you're a freshman it does, but as you get older it loses its luster."
(09/11/18 7:54pm)
By Katherine Holt
Growing up, my parents always made a consistent effort to instill the “golden rule” in me, ensuring that I was always kind to everybody who I crossed paths with no matter their race, ethnicity, occupation or economic status.
Saying things like “please” and “thank you” were the most basic things I learned when I first entered social situations, and so I have always expected others to abide by common courtesy too. But as I become more independent and experience more exposure to daily human interaction, I’ve slowly begun to realize that these “common” courtesies really aren’t so common anymore.
Last semester, I went to the Ewing Diner for a late-night meal. When our waitress came to take our order, she introduced herself and asked how we were doing. I responded that I was doing fine, and asked her how she was doing as well, as I always have in the past when anyone greets me.
I was caught off guard when the waitress gave me a funny look and told me that I had made her night simply by completing the exchange and asking her how she was doing. The waitress told me that almost nobody says “good, how are you” anymore, and that a typical response would be for people to just reply “good” or just ignore her entirely and begin reciting their order.
I almost couldn’t believe her when she told me this — it just seemed to me that asking somebody how they were doing was an extremely common greeting.
Just recently while sitting in class, I found an opportunity to see if the waitress was right. Perhaps certain things I found to be common courtesies were not even used by most people.
I have a professor who asks everybody how they are doing while calling attendance, asking, for example, “Jenny, how are you today?” As soon as I heard the first three people respond solely with “good,” I decided to stay alert and see whether or not a single person in the class would respond with “good, how are you?”
Not a single student, excluding myself, did this. My name was called around the middle of attendance, and I thought for sure that after I set this example that perhaps others would follow. However, nobody else decided to ask the professor how he was doing in return.
I have also noticed few people hold the door for the person behind them.
During my first semester at the College, I would always stand utterly stunned when a student who clearly saw me walking right behind them would slam the door in my face after entering a building. Although most people typically hold the door, it was extremely surprising to see how many did not.
If you want to observe how often people generally practice common courtesy in public, try listening to those around you in the dining hall or your local Starbucks to see how many people say “please” and “thank you” when ordering their food. Many people will, but I have observed many others, especially those who are college-aged, say nothing.
Try to remember that while technology gives people so many opportunities to communicate quickly without thinking, common courtesy should never be something that becomes obsolete. Kindness will never go out of style, and nobody is ever “too cool” to show compassion or appreciation.
Students share opinions around campus
"Do you hold the door for the person behind you?"
"I was taught to do that growing up. It's common courtesy."
"Yes, I always hold the door!"