Generation Y

[Sarabande]

I would put you in Gen X because of your experience of this both with and without computers.

That probably would fit better for me in some ways, because of my experience. My husband also feels more Gen X because he was influenced a lot by his two older sisters who are in the latter end of Gen X. I actually thought I was of Gen X until I read this, thinking that Gen X went through 1985. Although, all my friends in high school used to say I was “born a century too late”, and the older people always said that I had an “old soul”. So, in some ways, I also felt like I was of a generation that is no longer around. BUT, all wistful dreaming of a “better”, “simpler” time aside, give me modern medicine and modern dentistry over living in any previous century any day!!!

 

[survive]

Actually, the precise definition of years for Generation Y is by no means certain or set in stone. Some estimates place them as late as 2001. The range I normally see when reading about this generation is 1976-2001.

Today, the way kids grow up is way too changeable for 25 years to constitute just one generation. Since Douglas Coupland identified the ignored children of the downswing of the Baby Bust as X (the unknown), it makes sense that the very differently reared upswing of the Bust be Y, and that fits neatly into a modern generation’s span. Some commentators and educators invent other categories, but I figure between demographics, childrearing trends and current events at key points growing up, the generations rollover pretty fast now. I’m sticking to my definitions.

 

[LeonBloy]

Bloy, of course I have watched Slacker, Linklater’s very first movie (he’s the kid off the bus at the beginning), right when it was first limitedly released (one of the plusses about living in Berkeley/Oakland was the incredible indie and artfilm scene!
)

We just moved from Oakland… I miss the bay… now we are in Portland, OR.

 

[LeonBloy]

That probably would fit better for me in some ways, because of my experience. My husband also feels more Gen X because he was influenced a lot by his two older sisters who are in the latter end of Gen X. I actually thought I was of Gen X until I read this, thinking that Gen X went through 1985. Although, all my friends in high school used to say I was “born a century too late”, and the older people always said that I had an “old soul”. So, in some ways, I also felt like I was of a generation that is no longer around. BUT, all wistful dreaming of a “better”, “simpler” time aside, give me modern medicine and modern dentistry over living in any previous century any day!!!

I agree with you about medicine and dentistry! I bake my own bread, garden, don’t watchTV (well, except for Lost via the internet) but love wireless thingies and the internet… It is a weird place to be

 

[LeonBloy]

If Generation Y goes all the way to 2001 then my oldest son is a Gen Y-er… weird.

I have a feeling he will be a different “animal” then the older gen Y ers… It will be interesting to see what happens…

 

[nmoerbeek]

I am a Priest trying to understand how to communicate things of faith and morals to a generation Y that is so living in a world foreign to me.
Any books on the matter that might be helpful ?

Father,

I don’t have any books that might help you communicate. However, as a member of generation Y I can tell you their is a book called Guyland click here which I believe is a good summary of how a lot of young men are.

 

[Matrix_Refugee]

Wow! That was certainly an interesting lesson!!! I always thought my husband and I were Gen X-ers. Well, we’re most definitely Gen. Y. We’re not old enough to be Gen X. Thanks for the lesson!

I always thought I was on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y, but I’m glad to know I’m a Gen Y, though I have to admit, I think I relate more to the Gen X’ers, not sure why, but I’ve been told I was born old in spirit.

 

[Sarabande]

I always thought I was on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y, but I’m glad to know I’m a Gen Y, though I have to admit, I think I relate more to the Gen X’ers, not sure why, but I’ve been told I was born old in spirit.

Yay! Another old soul!

 

[Sarabande]

I agree with you about medicine and dentistry! I bake my own bread, garden, don’t watchTV (well, except for Lost via the internet) but love wireless thingies and the internet… It is a weird place to be

Yes! Totally is!!! Glad to see my husband and I are not the only ones who don’t really watch TV. People look at us like we have four heads when they find out we don’t have Cable in our home and literally have 5 channels. My father-in-law has offered more than once to buy us cable because he likes to watch his stations when he and my MIL come to visit us. We haven’t even bought the box yet and don’t plan to. But my sister will be renting from us soon to save money and she “needs” cable, so she will be buying it for herself. I do like the History channel and Discovery, things of that sort, when I’ve gone over my parents’ and in-laws’ homes so maybe once in a while I’ll watch some programs like that.

 

[Eucharisted]

I am a Priest trying to understand how to communicate things of faith and morals to a generation Y that is so living in a world foreign to me.
Any books on the matter that might be helpful ?

Speak the truth plainly, and instruct as if to children. And be charitable in truth.

 

[LeonBloy]

Speak the truth plainly, and instruct as if to children. And be charitable in truth.

I wouldn’t speak to these kids as children. These are intelligent, sophisticated kids. If you talk down to them it will just turn them off. But being charitable in truth is always good.

 

[Nepenthe]

Wooyeah, wassup fellow Oakland-buddy?! Hella good to know there’s another on the forums!

Yeah I have lived all over the US, but my longest place of residence was Berkeley and Oakland, and liked it so much as a kid that as an adult I went back for about another 10 ten years. Totally underrated town, and when my rust-belt city friends ask me if I was all scared because of the slums, I can tell them for a fact that while it’s poor and hardly a haven of creature comforts, the Midwest urban slums are much scarier. Guess I’m just a brave (read: obliviously foolhardy and generally friendly to all) individual Also, Oaklanders generally know very well that it’s classism, not racism causing the problems there. Once I was sitting at a bus stop in a rough part of town (there ARE no nice parts, except maybe at the Berkeley border…maybe) and some guy came up and tried to hassle me for change.
I told him the truth - I was half-starved and a nickel short and was hoping the driver would let me slide so I could get to my job, and the hassler’s friend immediately came up and tore him a new one, saying, " You just acting like this because she’s white -you KNOW there aren’t any people in Oakland richer than any of the three of us!" His buddy immediately apologized, and even offered me a cigarette. You wouldn’t be likely to hear such essentially well-educatedness, politeness and wisdom from strangers in, say, Gary or Cleveland, etc, that’s for sure.Somehow we all made it onto the bus, and sat together shooting the breeze all the way to our stops. Yeah, I miss it too.

Being in GenX Bay Area was very hard times, but really good times.

But yeah, talk to kids as early as possible as if they were grown-ups (skipping the naughty words when they’re really young, or at least make it clear that they are for adults-only! They’ll be far faster to converse, become literate, and actual friends with you, instead of burdens or mere objects without you perceiving their own personalities! And make your library or the best public one you can find available to them as soon as their eyes can focus!

 

[Rawb]

As a Generation Y’er

DO NOT do “Lifeteen” or “Guitar Masses” or anything like that. Those are old fashioned to us, but not in a way that shows the Church is timeless. Every Catholic my age, who actually cares about being Catholic, says that these things remind them of hippies and protestantism, neither of which we are. The ones who don’t care about being Catholic don’t attend Mass anyway. We want to be part of the Church. We want reverence and sanctity; not “Gather us in”.

Good Catholic groups. The Newman Center at my last college was AWESOME. We got together for dinner, everyone was friendly, the priests came in now and then to talk one on one with us, all good stuff. Here there was a young adults group that fizzled out, but while the Bible study was going on it was good too.

We get information really fast, so we’re used to knowing a lot about a lot of subjects. What I’m getting at is, like others said, don’t hold back tough teachings, and don’t be afraid to really get into the why’s of things. If something makes sense, we’re more likely to give it the time of day (which is not just our Generation I think).

 

[Sarabande]

We get information really fast, so we’re used to knowing a lot about a lot of subjects. What I’m getting at is, like others said, don’t hold back tough teachings, and don’t be afraid to really get into the why’s of things. If something makes sense, we’re more likely to give it the time of day (which is not just our Generation I think).

So true! That’s one thing my husband I couldn’t stand - a watering down of everything for us, making it all saccharine and sweet. No substance. Gen Y (and X) wants substance, but it isn’t given to us because older generations think they know better of what we want.

We understand that in some ways, it was far too opposite like for some people in my Dad’s generation. But that didn’t mean to make everything sound like and look like a cute dog and pony show. We want discipline and the hard truth… and substance from the beauty of the liturgy and religious arts to the levels of depth in Catholic teaching in our schools and CCD classes. We want it.

 

[Appleby]

The Older Boom was conceived between D-Day and 1954. They had the last of the spartan childrearing of the midcentury but the first of the “childhood as highly marketable protected separate world” treatment and were considered unusually innocent and well-cared-for, though they lived in a crowded world and some had to stand up in class for lack of seats. These are the ones who went to Woodstock and Haight Street.

As one of these (1948) I would like to say that I never “went to Woodstock and Haight Street” – my parents would not allow it, for one thing … but I was the first member of my family to graduate from high school and the second on either side to graduate from university and that’s male OR female. A large percentage of us fall into that group of hard-working, hard-driving people with heavy expectations on our shoulders as we carried the eyes of our large extended families on us to see what we would make of the enormous sacrifices made to give us a leg up on the American Dream. We were also expected to reach back and help the next sibling up the ladder as soon as we could too.

We were probably the last generation to share a bedroom with one or more siblings, not to mention sharing a wardrobe, toys and possibly hand-me-down sports equipment, and not to have electronics of any kind save our personal radio and possibly a shared stereo therein…nor to be allowed to do anything in our university dorm rooms save study and sleep. (Nor at my campus were we allowed to have cars.) I know I was one of the last to have my school trunks shipped by Railway Express!

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As for “Generation Whine”, I believe that those who believe it is “cute” that an entire generation refuses to follow instructions, won’t show up on time, doesn’t feel obligated to complete assignments and believes it should get an “A” for effort even if producing “C” grade work – and has its Helicopter Mommy at its beck and call to impose this demand (Generation Y is big on “Demands”) on teacher, priest or boss, willy-nilly, and wil bring a lawyer if she deems it necessary, are going to live to regret it.

 

[Liberanosamalo]

We were probably the last generation to share a bedroom with one or more siblings, not to mention sharing a wardrobe, toys and possibly hand-me-down sports equipment…

Naah. I lived like that. So did lots of my friends. And I made sure my kids did too. I might have afforded new clothes, but I made sure they knew what it was like to wear hand me downs. And they shared bedrooms and toys.

 

[LeonBloy]

We were probably the last generation to share a bedroom with one or more siblings, not to mention sharing a wardrobe, toys and possibly hand-me-down sports equipment, and not to have electronics of any kind save our personal radio and possibly a shared stereo therein…nor to be allowed to do anything in our university dorm rooms save study and sleep. (Nor at my campus were we allowed to have cars.) I know I was one of the last to have my school trunks shipped by Railway Express!
it.

Nope, I shared a room and my kids share bedroom, toys and clothing. We have one stereo for the whole house and no TV.

Also, it would have been crazy for me to have a car at university, there was no parking (plus, I didn’t own a car until I was 24).

 

[Liberanosamalo]

Anyone here ever gotten a phone call and found it was from your Generation Y kid downstairs on the cell phone who wanted something and they were too lazy to get it, or even yell for it?

That one always cracks me up.

 

[Rawb]

Anyone here ever gotten a phone call and found it was from your Generation Y kid downstairs on the cell phone who wanted something and they were too lazy to get it, or even yell for it?

My younger sister used to do that all the time, and then my mom picked up the habit. I’ve only done it when I’m sick, and my mom expects it then. It’s the new version of the ‘bell’.

 

[Dtmccameron]

EWTN had a show on last night with Mother Angelica, and a fellow was speaking about how Mormonism is on the rise amongst the youth. Why? Because it tells them what to do, and sends them out into the world to do it.

And this also lines up with my idea. The teenagers (who are from the Millenial generation) want purpose, they want to be active. They ought to be “out out to pasture” for a while, going about God’s work, of course.

Yes! It is as they say! The children are our future! But what sort of future are we letting them have if we rob them of their present?

whacky: I’m not even sure what I meant by that!)

But locking hundreds of them in buildings is a bad idea. :twocents:

Look at their rebellion? Look at their questions! “Why? How is it important? How does it apply?”

They’re looking for purpose!
Give it to them!

Look at the drug use! The rampant sex!

They’re looking for something more!
Give it to them!

Look at the broken homes! Look at the cliques and the gangs!

They’re looking for belonging! They’re looking for something bigger than themselves!
Give it to them!

Look at all they’re stupid five minute long relationships! They’re looking for love! They’re looking for perfection!

Give it to them!

They want Theology, they want Philisophy, they want Religion!
I tell you truly, if you give this to them, they will die for you! These could be such Saints, if only they were shown how!