Thank goodness. I have such a problem with generational stereotyping.

Besides, this is the first I've seen where my generation (here called Millennial) had one consistent name; I've heard Gen-Y, Gen-Next, 9-11 generation, the Internet generation...

You should be called the "Try to pick up the pieces and move forward" generation.(good luck with that)

get off my lawn

At least your generation wasn't named after a terrible band from the '70s.


Yes, I know about the book....

Though it's been said for thousands of years, there's some ample evidence for it today, and the blame lies with the parents.

Comparing todays kids not with my generation at that age, but our parents' generation, I see far less work ethic, less respect for authority, less education, and a more short-sighted view of the world. It's not all their fault however.

Today's kids are spoiled by their parents, who want them to enjoy the same perks as their friends. American society has evolved a consumer-oriented, immediate-gratification attitude that rates people based on appearance and possessions. Add the destruction of the environment and economy, and kids have little reason to look beyond their next i-Pod.

That's the exact sort of age-prejudiced attitude that the article was trying to discourage. If you actually look at statistics, you'll find that today's youth read and write more than any generation since the invention of television, and college application rates are at an all-time high.

As someone who has studied this topic for a bit, I think it's appropriate that my first comment be about this subject .

Culturally or socially a generation is a vague reference to a group of people who have experienced a particular event. However it wasn't until around the 1990's when some people realized that one could make money assigning entire groups people to generations according to their birth year. This produced a whole new category of "experts", some offering a fee to help your organization understand "them".

The only one's I've come across that have some merit are in fact the works of Strauss and Howe. That's mainly because their theories are based on observed trends throughout a large part of history. Most others are simply fancy, exotic ways of saying age based marketing.

Welcome to plime, glad to see you've stepped out of the shadows.

I don't think you have to accept any expert's generational "definition" but you do have to admit that there are differences between successive generations.

I made no comment about the volume of their reading and writing, and the college app rates are due to the poor economy.

Perhaps you meant to reply to someone else?

Thanks, glad to be aboard!