A. Describe Generation X. What social, economic, and political issues affected this generation?
To quote myself in an earlier class, Generation X was socially retarded at first. Nearly half of all marriages ended in divorce, resulting in a life of “joint custody, visitation rights, and weekend fathers” (Zemke, et al, pg. 94). Add to this the need for their parents to have dual incomes (whether together or separate), and you’re left with kids that ultimately had to become self-reliant above all else. These children were given their own key to the empty house to come home to after school, and were later given the name “latchkey kids”. This ultimately served them well, however, as Generation X learned how to fend for themselves and not rely too heavily on security, whether it was relationship-wise or job related.
In the beginning, everything was going well for Generation X economically. They arrived just in time for a labor shortage in the early 90’s, where employers were in desperate need for people in Information Technology (IT) (Zemke, et al). In fact, this is where this cohort earned their reputation for being slackers. Before them, everyone worked for survival. Now this new generation was working for status, and the income they earned to fit the companies’ needs was enormous. Then, about as quickly as it began, it ended. The dot.com bubble burst and massive layoffs came into play. Hundred thousand dollar educations went out the window as overly qualified IT technicians were out of work.
Not a whole lot (in respect to other generations), happened politically for Generation X. They grew up post-Vietnam, and in the early 70’s women’s liberation movements were in progress. The Watergate scandal involving President Nixon resulte...
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...oject through the use of screensharing in real time as well as instant messeging. This allows them to get real time critisism or reinforcement on a project and can create an environment where more than one project can be worked on at a time. Through a lifetime of caring and scheduling parents and teachers, their confidence in the job they do is very high.
References
Gravett, L. (2007). Bridging the Generation Gap. Pompton Plains: Career Press.
Kahn, M. E. (2007). Environmental disasters as risk regulation catalysts? Journal of Risk & Uncertainty, 29.
Martin, C. A. (2006). Managing the Generation Mix. Amherst: HRD Press.
Scheid, J. (2010, July 4). Types of Communication Styles: Bridging the Generation Gap. Retrieved from Bright Hub: http://www.brighthub.com/office/home/articles/76498.aspx
Zemke, R. (2013). Generations at Work. New York: AMACOM.
By 2025, about 75% of the American workforce will be made up of Generation Y workers, said Emily Matchar, author of “Why Your Office Needs More Bratty Millennials.” Generation Y, also known as millennials, are those who were born within the years 1982 and 1999. Time management has become a persistent issue for people in the United States because of the lack of flexibility in the workforce. Work is taking over people’s lives. The current generation of workers tend not to demand because of the fear of unemployment; jobs are scarce these days. Generation Y workers have shown that they will not accept today’s hierarchical workplace, on the contrary, they will begin to change the workplace to their likings.
Not So Much”, explains how Generation Y is not necessarily lazy, but rather conforming to fit changing times and a changing system. Her degree in journalism from Princeton, and experience in writing about economics, politics and data-driven journalism, more than qualifies her for writing about such a topic. I was one of those people who believed that today’s generation is too dependent on their parents, always looking for a hand-out and have a sense of entitlement. After reading this, I now have a slightly different opinion about Millennials. Of course, there will always be slackers in every generation whether past, present or future, but there is always more than what meets the eye. Just because someone may not spend their forty-hour work week all in the office, does not mean that they are working any less, but that because of today’s technology they can work from almost anywhere. As for the amount of graduated college students that return to live at home with their parents, it is not necessarily because they are too apathetic to go out and support themselves, but rather the reason being the high unemployment rate among sixteen to twenty-four year olds. After the Great Recession in 2009, many Millennials either lost their jobs, or were simply unable to find one after graduation. While I was raised to believe that if you wanted something, you worked for it, I truly hope that today’s generation is still
On production of his first novel, Coupland was labelled by critics spokesman for a new lost generation - “Generation X” - those individuals aged between mid-twenties and mid-thirties who have come of age in an increasingly technological and materialistic bureaucratic society. As a consequence, they are emotionally scarred and alienated, reject conformity and search for some kind of meaning to life. When asked about this label, Coupland stated that he spoke “...for myself, not for a generation. I never have”, arguing that he addresses issues relevant to himself and his peer group who grew up in Vancouver (Hall, Sharon K. “Douglas Coupland” Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 39, 29). The subsequent success of Generation X both in America and Europe, indicate that the experiences Coupland records are global, appealing to a wide audience who share his fears and expectations.
During Generation Xers formative years, “investigations called into question many major organizations including the U.S. presidency, military, organized religion, and corporations” (Fore, 2013). As a result, this generation generally had little confidence in institutions and instead placed more faith in themselves. At home, Generation Xers became “‘latchkey children’”, who came home from school without a parent or adult supervision, and their mothers now worked outside the home. They were responsible for themselves, and often became dependent on video games and television sets, which resulted in them being characterized as “independent and resourceful” (Fore, 2013). At work, Generation Xers relied on themselves and their peers to accomplish goals, and did not put much hope in companies or organizations. Unlike Veterans, Generation Xers disliked traditional hierarchy, challenged authority, and expected their leaders to demonstrate competence and fairness, as well as embrace a participative and diverse workplace (Fore, 2013). Similar to the Millennial generation, Generation Xers placed a stronger focus on their personal lives much more than the generations before them. “They were likely to stay with one company throughout their career as long as it did not interfere with their private lives” (Gilley & Waddell, 2015). This lack of organizational loyalty is often attributed to
Millennials were born in 1980 to 2000 and the Gen X was born in 1960 to 1980. These two are very different to each, some would even say that the gen x are jealous of the millennials. According to Hess, millennials are more engaged unlike the gen x they’re defined as “slackers”. He also said that gen x are more likely to be cliquish and exclusive, they like to hang out in their own group and exclude others. On the other hand millennials are more diverse and inclusive, they include others and Hess also stated that “Millennials are actually giving wings to the American eagle, for everyone to hang out together”. The gen x are known for their motto as “Work hard, play hard”, as in order to have time to relax and have fun, they have to work hard before. But, the millennials are known for playing while working. Millennials found a way to play while working; like while typing an essay for school, we have another window open to watch Netflix with. I, as a millennial, grew up with technology. iPod, laptops, kindles, and etc. were already here to be use. If I need to write a research paper, I don’t need to go to the library and check out books on the topic like the gen x. I can just easily go online on my laptop or even my phone to get all the information I need. According to Hess, the gen x couldn’t connect with each other; if they wanted to hang out they wouldn’t be able to contact each other. But nowadays we have phones and iPod that allow us to go on social Medias, literally everybody know what everybody is doing. Even though that is a great thing for everybody to be able to connect with one another, we millennials tend to let social media 's take over their life. The millennials don’t live in the moment, they just go on their phone and worry about stuff that isn 't even their business, so the gen x have the upper hand on this
Edmondson, J. (2009). Let's be clear: How to manage communication styles. American Society for Training & Development, Inc., 63(9), 30-31. Retrieved from http"//go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A212767598&v=2.1&=novaseu_main&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=0abb8dfff77dba5f747cb1b4c13a9d9f
Nearly 3.7 million American babies born in 1982 were the first members of the new Generation Y, or more affectionately known as millenials (Thompson, par. 1). Many things play into whether a generation is considered to be faring ‘better’ than another one; job opportunities, the state of the environment, whether the U.S. is at peace or at war, income vs. living expenses, the general happiness of the people, and the list goes on. Millenials are part of a special generation because for decades, “The American Dream” has included the belief that the future generation will fare better than the present one; however, millenials are not projected to fare better than the present generation X for many reasons.
Millennials are aware that the lower paying jobs, like working at McDonalds, will not turn into a career because they will not make enough to support a family in the future or to pay back student loans. In the article “The Best Job Market in History,” Cyndee Miller explains, “Three industries reported expected hiring levels that fell below the national average: machinery (55.9%), food industry (47.3%), and health care (34.5%)” (13). The drop-in hiring levels creates an oversaturation in the job market because of the over qualification of many individuals and the lack of practical job experience. The available jobs go to the more experienced candidates because most individuals have a college degree but not job experience that would set them apart from other applicants. Millennials are faced with greater financial challenges because of the job market and the debt they acquire to achieve a college education. The financial challenges force Millennials to not be independent and create the negative perception that they are lazy
In Simon Sinek’s speech, Millennials In the Workplace (2017), he goes into great detail about the main consequences that Millennials face in the working world and why those consequences exist in the first place. He begins by talking about his first point, “Failed parenting strategies, where they were told that they were special - all the time, they were told they can have anything they want in life, just because they want it.” (2017, 1:55) This point I believe is one of the most important because
Douglas Coupland’s Generation X is a novel in which young adults essentially tell each other stories of their life, and these stories tell the views of the generation as a whole. As one can imagine, because of all the storytelling, the use of literary devices is littered throughout the course of the novel. In the first half of the novel, we are given a good sense of who the main characters are through detailed character development of their past and their views. There have been three static characters established; Andy, Dag, and Claire. The novel is told from the first person point of view of Andy Palmer, the main protagonist.
Imagine taking a step back a few decades to the 1960’s, where the newest generation of that time was just being born. Generation X is the generation born after the Baby-Boomers, meaning this generation had been born anywhere from 1960-1980. During this time there was no such thing as Facebook or Twitter, technology wasn’t as advanced as now, the Second World War had ended and many political events such as the Vietnam War, The Women’s Movement, and the Jonestown Mass Suicide helped influence this generation. It is clear there was a lot of war and bad things that shaped Generation X, all making it so the people growing up during this time had to do it a lot faster than they should have. Therefore when Generation Y came along of course there would
Generation Y’s entire foundation seems to be made up of issues and challenges. Each issue is unique and poses a different threat for the generation, some are physical, some are financial and others are environmental threats. Our reliance on mood altering substances and the media are two of the biggest challenges facing Generation Y. However, upon closer examination each individual issue can be linked back to a singular root, low self-esteem.
My generation is one who emerged from a society of the eighties and through the nineties that has experienced amazing discoveries of countless measures. Over the last twenty years, we have watched our world evolve into a place decorated for its strengths economically. Many of us in the later years of our childhood became members of a group given the name the latchkey kids. Due to the needs of our economy as well as our home lives, both parents found it important to become members of the working class.
Coupland, Douglas. (1991). Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. Published by St. Martin’s Press. Edition #1.
Being part of the Generation X (1960-1980) some characteristic that show up are, being a “latch key kid”, skeptical, desiring directness, and independent (Kersten para 17-19). Divorce among the parents of this generation is also common and it fits like a shoe for this one. Some personal characteristics that may not apply to everyone in this generation are the want to know everything and will ask questions until satisfied with the answer. Technology can be good but i...