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David Hall
Instructor Deiter
MWF 12:00
6 November 2013
Solving the Equation: Finding Generation Y
Many baby boomers and adults from Generation X criticize and ridicule Generation Y for
their attitudes and their “necessities”. Generation Y or Millennials have more privileges than
other generations. This generation is selfish, stuck in the past, and feels a sense of entitlement to
everything. Generation Y is like a giant equation that’s missing the answers, thus there are many
ways to solve this equation and save this generation from more ridicule and disappointment.
Generation Y is widely known to be very selfish.
“This generation is defined by the Internet and an increasingly globally connected
world. As, children, Gen Yers were protected by their parents and are
characterized as having grown up with inflated self-esteems, a sense of
entitlement and the belief that anything is possible. They are optimistic, social and
have high expectations for themselves and others. As a whole, this generation is
the most educated and tech savvy of all generation groups.” (Hobart)
Generation Y’s selfishness is off the charts. This may be because of many reasons. One
of which would be how they were raised. Parents themselves may have been busy at
work or other important things to help the family. Therefore the child may not have
gotten much attention and developed a low self-esteem, making them alone and keeping
everything to them. The second reason would again be caused by poor parenting.
However on this approach the parents spoiled the child with gifts and money to do things
other children couldn’t. At this point, the child may act like this for the rest of their life.
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The third way to look at this would be abusive parents. They may have verbally or
physically abused the child to once again be alone in a corner without friends, wanting to
keep anything and everything they keep to themselves, and requiring help or counseling.
When these children reach college age, they are free to become whoever they want and
do whatever they want. That’s the point when they decide to be the best and beat
everyone else. Some of these kids switch personalities. The shy become loud and the
popular people go dark. There are many solutions for these problems such as: set a
weekly income (whether or not it’s based on work ethic), give realistic penalties to
mistakes or misbehavior, teach the children to be nice and/ or compassionate and able to
respond to hurting another individual at a young age, and help them build their own self
esteem off of what they do to overcome obstacles in their day. (Aspen Education Group).
Lastly, make sure to correct ones self when they congratulate them. Be honest but not
rude. Tell them they did well instead of saying they were born to do this or that it’s their
“God given talent”. (Aspen Education Group). This is the first way to solve the equation
of Generation Y.
Not only is this generation selfish, they are also retro-frozen. Many people in our
generation haven’t or didn’t move out right away because of the comfort they had such as: their
parents paying for rent/bills, free food, and free other necessities. Millennials are not moving out
of their parents homes partly because they feel hopeless, as if their parents never helped them at
all. The other reason would be that they actually are lazy. A way to see these two points at once
would be that many Gen Yers are too lazy to pack up every little possession they’ve had since
childhood and move out. Another example of laziness is that they are too lazy to get a job, not
just any job but one that would support them and pay rent.
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“According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 36% of young adults ages 18-
31 are now living with their parents. That's the highest share in at least four
decades. Yes, the economy, student loan debt and higher college enrollment are
contributing factors. But the real news here is: The majority of these interloping
young adults don't seem to mind living at home. It's not embarrassing for them at
all. In fact, for many, it's expected.” (Berke)
The second solution to the equation of Generation Y would be for the parents of these hopeless
children would be to simply kick them out of the house when they reach adulthood. But since
this generation has many student loans and other financial problems, parents should help get
their kids of their feet by paying some of the students rent, or even buying them a small house as
a present.
Aside from being retro frozen, Generation Y also looks to future, mainly because they
want the best technology and the best jobs before they have the prerequisites. When it comes to
technology, Generation Y can answer almost any question about any technological services.
Some may say we are physically attached to our phones or computers. On the other hand, it can
be helpful. Many students have been seen bringing technology to class and typing notes and/ or
recording the lectures. Technology not only helps in the classroom but also with hand-eye
coordination and motor skills. Thanks to videogames Millennials have learned how to press
buttons while looking straight at a television screen or while participation in any other activity.
This gives them amazing multi-tasking skills. The only bad part about having access to anything
and them being knowledgeable is that it brings a mindset of being entitled to the latest and
greatest.
“Generation-Y is at the core of the target market for the latest and greatest
advancements in technology. We are a generation thirsty for cool new sh*t. We
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strive to be a part of the in-crowd and that means keeping up with the most recent
trends. Shifting trends and a constantly evolving culture are shaping our society,
but is it for the better, or worse?” (Wood)
Most of Gen Yers have abused technology and changed the complete reason that it was created.
“The problem is, though, that our generation abuses the privileges handed to us. Instead of using
resources like texting for its main benefits, Gen-Yers have become experts at taking sh*t to the
next level.” (Wood) Being entitled to everything doesn’t just apply to technology. Generation Y
believes that they should get the best high end jobs and benefits before they even have
experience in that field of work. However that is not necessarily our fault, a lot of jobs before
college had prerequisites of having experience in any job. This means that Gen Yers would need
a job to get a job. This sounds like a ground breaking idea for more money to pack onto that
student loan. Of course this leads me back to a previous point of moving back home with mom
and pop. The third and last solution to the equation of Generation Y is for parents not to
encourage the kid that they can be whoever they want, but to be realistic and tell them how hard
it is to get a job coming out of college in the middle of a recession. “Success is never easy but
life fulfillment is what you make it.” (Ellis)
In conclusion, life is a bowl of lemons; you need to squeeze as much juice out of them as
you can. This is much better than trying to make lemonade and not having the ingredients and
having to run to Wal-Mart. The overall solution to the equation of Generation Y is to be honest
with them and explain what really will happen, help them move forward, and that they should be
ready for anything to happen.
