Generation Me - Chapter 5

Jean Twenge has written a very interesting book studying today's youngest generation to have come of age. In these postings, I will begin to provide key quotes and references that have stood out to me. From that, I have posted a few questions for reflection. For more information on this book, I encourage you to explore her website: generationme.org

Also see my article: Me, MySpace and iPod: Tales of a Culture Stuck in the Mirror Phase of Development and Its Moral Implications

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1:
YOU DON'T NEED THEIR APPROVAL: The Decline of Social Rules
CHAPTER 2:
AN ARMY OF ONE: Me
CHAPTER 3:
You Can Be Anything You Want to Be
CHAPTER 4:
The Age of Anxiety (and Depression, and Loneliness): Generation Stressed

CHAPTER 5:
Yeah, Right: The Belief That There's No Point in Trying

NOTABLE QUOTES

"Most of Generation Me's days are like this: filled with events and circumstances that we can't control. So why should we try? Perhaps as a result, older people complain that the idea of personal responsibility has faded, that young people blame others for their problems, and that apathy is rampant. We're not just Generation Me; we're Generation Whatever. The young are the new cynics" (p.137).

"There are two parts to the trend in control: first, there's the declining belief in personal responsibility and the efficacy of hard work and sacrifice... Then there's the fading idea that collective action will have an effect on politics, society, and the world" (p.140f.).

"Part of the reason young people are disengaged is that they don't pay much attention to the news. Less than 20% of young people read newspapers, and the average age of people watching CNN or the network evening news is around 60... Young people may be getting some news from the Internet, but most use the Web for specific interests instead (what media expert Nicholas Negroponte calls 'The Daily Me')" (p.141f.).

Neil Postman in The Death of Childhood: "From a child's point of view, what is mostly shown on television is the plain fact that the adult world is filled with ineptitude, strife, and worry" "It's just one part in the larger trend of 'kids growing up too fast.' Along with adult information and adult themes, they've also managed to absorb the cynicism that once came only with age. Some of this is simple self-protection brought on by information overload - much of it false and not to be believed" (p.146).

"Generation Me has also lost hope in our ability to make choices in our own lives. In some ways, these changed attitudes seem at odds with the focus on the self. If we see ourselves as independent individuals, why are we increasingly blaming others when things go wrong?" (p.147).

"Generation Me's external beliefs are somewhat ironic considering the better health and safety we enjoy. Our generation has never been drafted to fight in a war. Life expectancy is at an all-time high, and advances in medical technology and pharmaceuticals make our lives better" (p.149).

Charles Sykes in A Nation of Victims: "'...the impulse to flee personal responsibility and blame others [is] deeply embedded within the American culture... the plaintive cry is always the same: I am not at fault. [Fill in the Blank] made me do it.' Since the early 1990s, that blank has often been filled with 'my parents'" (p.151).

In many ways, thee extrenalizing and cynical beliefs are adaptive; they help protect the self-esteem of GenMe in an increasingly difficult world. But too much cynicism and alienation can be self-defeating... The startling growth of these attitudes goes a long way toward explaining the apathy and inaction so common today... Teens who have been told their whole lives that they are special will desperatly try to protect their self-esteem, and many will choose cynicism as their armor of choice" (p.156).

"On externality, the research is definitive. People who believe that outside forces determine their fate are more likely to be depressed and anxious and cope poorly with stress... Believing that you don't have control might be part of the reason. If nothing you do matters, it's easy to give in to lethargy and despair. Psychologists call it learned helplessness" (p.157).

"Externality also doesn't bode well for keeping it together and staying out of trouble. Perhaps because they don't think their actions will have consequences, externals have weakened self-control and an inability to delay gratification. They are less likely to work hard today to get a reward tomorrow - an especially important skill these days, when many good jobs require graduate degrees. Externality and low self-control are also correlated with the impulsive actions that tend to get young people into trouble, like shoplifting, fighting, or having unprotected sex" (p.157).

"The consequences for society as a whole are alarming. If everyone believes that nothing can be changed, that prophecy is likely to be self-fulfilling. And if we blame others for our problems, we might never make the changes we need to improve as people... As Robert Putnam argues in Bowling Alone, we are rapidly heading for a society low in the critical social capital it needs to grow. GenMe's concerns will be ignored if we do not get involved in politics and social change" (p.157).

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. Some would suggest that a sense of personal responsibility is a necessary life skill required to effectively navigate through the various spheres of life. In a culture that "blames others for their problems" (p.137), how does one cultivate this skill? How does a demotivated generation develop the self-efficacy required to master these skills?

2. Twenge suggests that there is a rapid growth in civic disengagement (p.141f.). She later suggests that this is a coping skill that is part of living in an information age where we are continuously bombarded with junk information (p.141-146). Is it possible that living with so much information has dulled discernment between good and bad information and fueled a culture of apathy?

3. Charles Sykes suggests that "the impulse to flee personal responsibility and blame others is deeply embedded within the American culture... the plaintive cry is always the same: I am not at fault. [Fill in the Blank] made me do it" (p.151). Twenge illustrates that parents, teachers and other authority figures are often the scapegoat upon which this blame is directed. How do authority figures learn how to cope with this finger-pointing without reacting in inappropriate ways? In what way can they serve as mentors that will cultivate greater responsibility?

4. What are the implications in regards to moral development when externality, low self-control, and impulsivity (p.157) tend to dominate the attitudes and actions of today's youth?

5. How can we help today's youth learn about the importance of social capital (p.157)?