Generation Y Has No Culture
One subject that I have always been interested in is the cultural impact of generations. Each generation brings different changes to the cultural landscape and leaves a lasting impact. Well… except for generation Y or “generation whine” as some cynical experts call it.
First let me define what generation Y is. Gen Y is basically includes anyone that was born after 1981. The previous generation, Gen X, is anyone that graduated high school in the 1980s. (Which puts me in this odd category because I don’t fall into either group. This allows me to criticize both without having to take sides, which is a nice bonus.)
Most of the criticisms of Gen Y are that they are distracted (always multitasking but never doing a good job), feel a sense of entitlement, they are the most marketed to generation ever (not only do they accept it, they relish in it), have chosen to date or have sex with me (which says something about their taste), and there is a gaping void when it comes to cultural contributions. I feel the first couple of points can be debated because they always seem like a typical swipe at younger generation that happens every few years. The one I want to look at is the cultural contributions because you can see some real issues there.
Music
Generation X: Grunge, Hip-hop, and Indie Rock
There really is no debate about the lasting contributions of the music of this era. Although everyone want to distance themselves from Vanilla Ice, which everyone in generation x agrees about.
Generation Y: Pop punk?
(Fall Out Boy doesn’t make me want to beat it… )
Gen Y’s music can be defined as wholly unoriginal and the band Fall Out Boy personifies it. They aren’t original enough to come up with their own video concepts; they have to adapt stuff that was created by the generation before them. Their pop music is prepackaged Disney stars that are created by a massive marketing machine. There is no real movement here, mostly co-opting the culture of the previous two generations.
Movies
Generation X: Kevin Smith, Reality Bites, Singles
Gen X had movies and filmmakers that helped define a generation. We are all lazy, mistrusting, weed smoking, coffee swilling, cynical smart asses… I have come to accept that personification. Oh and we all want to bang a young Wynonna Rider.
Generation Y: All those crappy comedy parody films
The comedies that are created for teens aren’t even original to come up with their own ideas. It is all prepackaged pop culture references jammed into 90 minutes. I’ll even give you Juno and you still just have a shit load of pop culture references and nothing that defines that generation.
Reality Television
Generation X: The Original Real World
We gave you a show that talked about race. That had Kevin Powell who is going on and running for Congress. Musicians who actually put out music and got signed by labels like Becky, Heather B, and Andre. Plus a founder of Gay Entertainment television. And who can forget Eric Neiss who brought us… um… uh… excellent aerobics shows?
Generation Y: The Hills and the Real World Hollywood
It isn’t a good sign that even Gen Y’s reality television turned out to be scripted and fake. Plus when you look at the shift generationally from the first few Real World seasons to the last few where the shows just include attention whores and people that want to be famous for being famous… Well it isn’t a good sign.
Although it did bring us the greatest episode of the Real World ever that included court, strip clubs, a guy going to rehab, threats to roommates, some of the most pointless conversation ever, and possibly cemented this cast as the one I have the most disdain for ever. So I guess I need to give them points for that.
Where does this place Gen Y? Are they just going to be known for the mash-up? Combining the cultural production of others into their own products?
Has Gen Y produced anything of value?
This is going up at humor-blogs.com
Well, I agree that my generation (Y, for clarification) does tend to spew a lot of mainstream crap, I think you’re being a bit too kind to the previous generation. Since you define generation X as anyone who graduated high school in the 80s…all I have to say is: hair metal, acid washed jeans, spandex and Corey Feldman. The use of hairspray in the 80s alone probably contributed to the massive hole in our ozone layer.
It’s not our fault that we were born into a society that was already brand conscious, consumer saturated and just plain shitty. Generation Yers are more likely to have divorced parents, with 2 family homes full of working parents.
However, you’re also quick to point out all the bad without mentioning any of the good. All the things you mentioned as characterizations of Generation Yers, I completely disagree with. As a 22 year old, I don’t think I’ve ever in my life consciously listened to a song by Fall Out Boy, and I can honestly say I’ve never seen a parody movie comedy. I think the generation you’re ascribing these characterizations to is better referred to en masse as “the tweens”. (11-14 year old, middle schoolers). I know when I was a “tween” I certainly had some issues (Nsync. Nuff said) But give us a little credit. By the time we finish high school we’re just as misanthropic and disillusioned as the generations before us (only a bit more technologically savvy and higher educated)
Generation Y’er here.
The only good things that have come from my generation is…
uh…
Yeah I think you’re right guys, this generation DOES blow.
I agree with this article. Generation ‘Whine’ has no culture and it pisses me off because being 16 and part of this dicusting generation, i feel like there is nothing real left in ‘reality’. Our personal lives seem to be yet another product of mass production in a sence that cultures that use to mean someting, such as punk, are now just a product and a ‘trend’ that you can buy into. I like to think of myself as an execption to this generation, but . . .
The fallacy of this blog is to blame Gen Y for crappy media aimed at it. It didn’t CREATE those TV shows or music.
Gen Y will go down as one of the greatest generation in U.S. history, if you subscribe to the thesis of authors Howe & Strauss in the groundbreaking book “Generations”. This is because the constellation of generations will soon be ripe for a major crisis (major war usually), instigated by the moralistic Boomers, but fought by Gen Y. Afterwards, they’ll have the same mystique as the WWII generation.
Unfortunately, it’ll be the unsung, unrecognized Gen Xers (then in their late 40’s to mid 50’s) who will take leadership roles to mitigate the apocalyptic confrontation tendencies of the self-righteous boomers and protect the Gen Y frontliners as much as possible.
I would say the movie kids is THE defining movie of that Gen Y.
[...] Y, or “Millenials” and what, if anything, we have to offer. I found a link back to this blog post comparing Generation X and Y and supposedly rationalizing how Generation X is better. I [...]
It cracks me up when Gen Y’ers claim that they created You Tube, Myspace, Google, etc. and say they watch Family Guy and South Park. Guess what? Those were all created by Gen X’ers. We were running circles around our Baby Boomer co-workers in the 90’s when MS Office first came into play. So, yeah, we are also very tech savvy. God, some of you Gen Y’ers act as if Generation X’ers are dinosaurs.
Youtube, myspace, South Park, and Family Guy are popular with members of gen y and so are associated with them. Kinda like how boomers actually came up with punk rock, hip hop, invented CDs, wrote/directed movies like The Breakfast club - yet these things are credited toward gen x. Big deal. Get over it.
Hip hop and indie rock was invented by late boomers, and listing the best of your generation next to the worst of today’s generation doesn’t prove anything.
Could you be anymore childish? Much of generation y hasn’t even come of age yet. I know you guys are still bitter about being labeled as drug-addled, apathetic slackers, but do you really need to comparing yourself to a bunch of kids in an attempt to boost your own ego? Kinda pathetic really…
I think that you are generalizing Gen Y too much, being 19 years old and a member I can tell you that i personally do not like Fall Out Boy or the rest of that genre. Also, many bands do tributes to their favorite composers, do not automatically sterotype our music as Pop Punk and unoriginal. Avenged Sevenfold is one that has covered many genres and made some lyrically good music.
May I also add that not all of us Y’ers enjoy watching the mind numbing crap that airs on MTV, VH1 etc etc.
You are also judging us very early, we are all still fairly young and are really just starting our adult lives, when the Gens really start flourishing and making their name (why do you think that we don’t really have a name for ourselves yet besides Y?)
You say we don’t have a culture and so on but then you say that you weren’t really born in a generation… whats that say about you?
I don’t know what all of you are talking about my generation picked up all of generation x off the battle field in Iraq so far you guys haven’t provided much of leadership in anyway. I think generation y brings a do the damn thing attitude to the table meanwhile generation x is to worried to make any decisions. Just the fact that you guys are worried about what movies are being made and what music is popular is the problem. When shit needs to be done Generation x is way out in left field. That is your culture all summed up!
Okay, whatever you say.
Regards,
Rock of Love
great post
why thank you