What happens when the most entitled generation ever hits a recession
Great article in Macleans magazine from a few months ago. Really nails it right on the head with people my age.
Parts I found interesting:
Quote:
They’re not genetically lazy or spoiled, any more than children of the Depression are inherently thrifty. Whatever overblown expectations this generation has are the product of decades of conditioning, and not only by overzealous boomer parents. Well-intentioned attempts to make this generation feel good about itself have, in fact, left them poorly prepared to weather a tough economic storm.
Quote:
From the age of eight, Millennials saw themselves reflected everywhere: in ads for tween shampoos, designer fashions, and fragrances. By the time they got to university, credit card companies were handing out application forms along with student orientation packages. The message, as always: if you want it, you should have it.
Quote:
It only makes sense that the environment in which they were raised would inform what they expected from a job—namely, flexibility, authority, instant respect and continuous affirmation. (This is a generation, after all, in which seven out of 10 rank themselves “above average” in academic ability.) “They’re not going to put up with the ‘paying your dues’ and being in the mailroom for the first three years,” says Rothberg. “In their mind it’s, ‘I graduated. I’ve always succeeded. I’ve always got a trophy for everything I’ve done. All of my friends and everyone I know is above average, so when I go into a place of work, I’m either going to set that place on fire or they’re not good enough for me and I’m out of there.’ ”
Quote:
“What is interesting about this generation,” says Max Valiquette, president of Toronto-based youth marketing firm Youthography, “is that a lot of the carrots and perks they’re asking for have nothing to do with money, and almost everything to do with how they work.” Very few of them have had hard experience scrimping to make rent. (In fact, in 2006, 44 per cent of Canadian adults ages 20 to 29 were living with mom and dad).
Anyone not agree with this? I thought it was bang on.
Oh I completely agree, a lot of people firmly believed that the good times would never end and the down sloping of the economy even if it did happen wouldn't effect them as long as they put 8 hours a day at work.
We haven't had a recession like this in a long time and people foolishly blew their money and other peoples money without a thought to the cyclical variations of the economy. The most prevelent danger sign is the speed that people are declaring bankruptsy within days of losing their jobs because they can't afford or are unable to cut expenses due to credit obligations.
At the end of the day recessions are a big cleaning cycle. They get rid of companies that are run poorly, they get rid of people who can't justify what they do, and they destroy people who spend without thinking.
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It only makes sense that the environment in which they were raised would inform what they expected from a job—namely, flexibility, authority, instant respect and continuous affirmation. (This is a generation, after all, in which seven out of 10 rank themselves “above average” in academic ability.) “They’re not going to put up with the ‘paying your dues’ and being in the mailroom for the first three years,” says Rothberg. “In their mind it’s, ‘I graduated. I’ve always succeeded. I’ve always got a trophy for everything I’ve done. All of my friends and everyone I know is above average, so when I go into a place of work, I’m either going to set that place on fire or they’re not good enough for me and I’m out of there.’
I now for a fact that my line of work is dominated by those personalities. I can't tell you the number of people I've encountered who feel entitled to their high salaries and infinite perks despite doing half-assed work.
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I'm of the 20-29 age bracket, but I don't consider myself a part of the entitled generation... infact, I'd even branch out and consider myself more part of the apathetic one.
Instead of this: The message, as always: if you want it, you should have it.
It's more like: The message, as always: I don't want it, and I don't care.
I'm of the 20-29 age bracket, but I don't consider myself a part of the entitled generation... infact, I'd even branch out and consider myself more part of the apathetic one.
Instead of this: The message, as always: if you want it, you should have it.
It's more like: The message, as always: I don't want it, and I don't care.
(Wow, that kind of sounded emo..)
Aren't 20-29 years olds way to old for emo??
So is that the definition of "Millenial" generation? 20-29? I'm in there too, I guess. Except I think I'm more a hybrid of entitled and apathetic. Probably not the best combo for my career longevity.
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevman
Self entitlement for the win! If I want it I should have it!
-One of those proud people
To expand on that topic. Parents giving thier kids everything they wanted and not having to work for it. They enter the workplace and fall flat on thier face because they don't know how to work for something. They are so used to having everything handed to them on a silver platter.
I'm not suggesting the above is true for everyone in that age group. When i worked for Safeway i encountered too much of that attitude.
So is that the definition of "Millenial" generation? 20-29? I'm in there too, I guess. Except I think I'm more a hybrid of entitled and apathetic. Probably not the best combo for my career longevity.
Meh, you're preggers, as long as Mr. SeeGeeWhy isn't entitles and apathetic you are good
Edit: I should also add that I fit in this grp and i was out of the house by age 18.
I was fortunate enough to learn about how not to manage money during university, and then lived as that entitled generation for awhile.
Ultimately, the lesson has to be learned. I feel fortunate that at this point in my life I am not beholden to anyone financially, fortunate that I had parents to lean on to learn from those mistakes, and who had such an admirable work ethic that I could learn from.
But not everyone has that.
I think work ethic is lost on a lot of people. Took me awhile to aquire it.
I always find this topic funny... the old vs young.
Don't the older generations buy "The Secret" the most?
I've got quite a bit to add to this seeing as how I just went through a "constructive dismissal" and currently polishing up the resume. I'll do this later today.
It's an interesting debate. I work at a university and the people that have been dealing with the students for 20-30 years are claiming that the students are changing for the worse. Sometimes however it's hard to tell if the changes are legit or the people dealing with the kids are just getting older and crankier.
There seems to be a really prevalent idea that the kids of today will just wither away society and we'll all just fall into madness. I've never really bought into this though, as with most things I have a "cream will rise to the top" theory.
It's very easy to be a spoiled self-righteous teenager or twenty-something. The world is your oyster and you're free to jump from job to job because you don't have real world responsibilities yet. As you cross the bridge into reality, I would imagine most people would find that attitude just doesn't work anymore. They are free to fail or adapt. They can make ridiculous demands all they'd like, but inevitably they're going to have to pay for rent, a mortgage or a family.
I completely agree with the "you are not a unique snowflake" argument. I suppose where I disagree with most is that I think people can change and adapt at a rapid rate. You may not be told you're a loser until you're 23, but once you are it should snap you back down to earth pretty damn quick.
Let's not forget that the inflated sense of self entitlement is prevalent across all generations. I run into a shocking number of senior citizens that look for freebies, and in my job the hardest people to deal with are baby boomers that feel they are more important than they are. I think enough variation exists that those who work hard will be rewarded, and those that are overly selfish will inevitably fail.
Whatever happens, it's going to be a hell of a ride.
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See, I just don't understand this. Beginning of Highschool were the first of the deep Klein cuts, when I got out of post-secondary there was the dot-com bubble burst, and now you have the mortgage crisis.
I think the fact that schools were busy raising our self-esteem and not crushing our spirits is the major factor in why you have freelance mercenaries. The author also has to contend with the fact that tenured positions are now non-existent, and the mentality of grab everything while you can has set in.
When you break your back for someone else to take the glory and you get denied EI due to scheduling irregularities, it makes it a game and not work. Your star workers aren't going to want to gut through 3 or 4 years of mailroom living on the edge of being part of the next wave of cuts, when the guy that was at the bottom of the passing grade drives a Bimmer and pops his collar into work. Both maybe laid off, but the dude with the bimmer should probably have a larger investment pool.
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I moved out to Uni when I was 18. I did live at home for the summers for the first 3 years to work and save money. Even in my family, I think my younger sister will face a hard reality when she goes to Universtiy. My parents have babied her for a long time. The one good thing is she has to move to go, which might get her accustomed to life pretty quick.
While those in small towns get screwed over on the options to take in a high school, i think being forced to move out to go to Uni makes up for it some what.
Also, this notion has completely ruined sports. Hello, not everyone is a winner you vegetarian hotdog eating nazzis.
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Last edited by mykalberta; 05-01-2009 at 01:50 PM.
haha, that's funny cause a lot of my friends who have been laid off DO find jobs, it's just that the jobs are paying them the same, or less than what they were making. It's funny how some of them would complain, as though they are entitled to a raise or a bigger wage. They are having a hard time understanding why they should accept less.
The funnier ones are the ones that complain about the wage cuts. The way I see it, either have your wages cut, or lose your job. Your choice.
There may be some truth to the article, but I think the same thing has been said about the younger generation for time immemorial.
Boomers said it about gen x, gen x about gen y, and so on.
Same thing with stuff like:
music - the decade you are in all ways sucks compared to the music of 10 or 15 years ago
Saturday Night Live - the current cast isn't funny, especially compared to the heyday of 5-8 years ago
As time passes people tend to try and forget the crap and only remember the good; and as a result the past always seems so much better than today.
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I honestly thought you were talking about the Baby boomers. They are the most entitled generation by far. They've lived through the best economic times any society has ever seen and yet as a rule have demanded governments continue to borrow from the future to make their way comfortable. Today the United States is shoreing up banks and other businesses with massive loans to protect them from failure. What it is protecting is primarily Baby Boomers investments and retirement plans. What the States are protecting it with is again borrowed money the next generation will have to pay.
Soon in both America and Canada the workers and business enterprises will have to carry massive government pension debt because the money the Baby Boomers paid into the Pensions was actually spent by our governments on them in other areas. The Baby Boomers exploited the environment to create their massive wealth and now require stewardship and sacrifice from the next generation to protect what hasn't been touched. Health care is the number one expense in Canada's budget and if Obama has his way the States will soon be in the same vote. At the same time we see the quality of care go down hill and will continue to see this as our Baby Boomers age. This is because of the rise in the seniors needing care and a declining work force supporting them through their taxes.
The taxes hidden and above board that the Baby Boomers paid while acquiring their wealth was a pitance compared to the burden we now have. Soon that burden will have to get much higher to pay for the rising debt and pension/medical obligations.
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What happens when the most entitled generation ever hits a recession
