Yesterday Jezebel posted an article from one of their writers, who did a piece on Generation Me - aka the students in college or who have just graduated. The article was in reference to many questions that have been studied by the news lately - the majority of which tend toward the idea that this latest generation is inherently selfish, narcissistic and devoid of empathy. The idea (in a general sense) is that their parent's generation had been taught to tell their kids that they are the best and can do no wrong, and therefore this latest generation is now living those words. Generation Me kids are coming out of college at the worst economic time, yet many are loath to take jobs that are seemingly beneath them. When they do receive a job offer, they expect a higher salary because of their education and belief in their self-worth, making seasoned employees wary of incoming workers.
But is this all true?
Anna from Jezebel decided to interview her brother, a Generation Me grad, to find out really what his generation thinks. You can read the interview here, but what I found the most fascinating was his comment on Narcissism:
Q:Â do you think people your age are more or less self-centered than older people, or the same?
A: hmmm, my gut reaction was to say that people my age are more self centered
but i think thats natural because were at that point where we have to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives
so we spend a lot of time thinking about our own lives and maybe less about other important issues in the world
not to say that there arent a lot of people my age who aren't self centered because i know there are
but i think it is natural for people my age to be that way, sort of absorbed in their own life trying to figure everything out
What I love about this comment is that people complain that Generation Me is self-absorbed and narcissistic, when in fact they are...kids. They are 21-year old's trying to figure their way into the world. Trying to proclaim a general rule of thumb about how the entire generation is self-absorbed, and to psychoanalyze them as being difficult and devoid of empathy is sort of like saying teenagers are rebellious and annoying...a completely correct statement that is reflective not on the generation themselves, but on their age. Period. Because when you're 21 and have just graduated college, you are completely selfish...you are totally absorbed in your own world. That's your right as an emerging adult. You're trying to make the transition from kid to adult and it's a big mental change; all the while the outside world sees you as having already taken the leap into adulthood. It takes a while to realize that there's a big world of emotions outside of yours that need to be coddled too...but that comes with time and maturity.
So what say you on Generation Me?
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