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I recently read an article in Time magazine in which I had the opportunity to read about what is being coined the “Me, Me, Me, Generation”. The article was The New Greatest Generation– Why the Millennials will save us all (by Joel Stein) From the very beginning I found myself already stereotyping what I thought this generation was all about, just by reading a few of the first sentences! I continued to read on and by the end of the article, I found myself actually rethinking my first thoughts! Apparently all generations have a “label” of some sort. The three main ones that come to mind are The Baby Boomers,(1940’s through 1960)– Generation X (GenXers),(1960’s through the 70’s) and (the generation Y-ers) more recently called the Millennials (1980-2000). I found it interesting to discover that they had called the Baby Boomer Generation the “Me” generation, and now they are calling Baby Boomer’s children the ME ME ME generation! Just a bit humorous, if ironic. In a way, Millennials are being labeled pretty harshly though… narcissistic, lazy, over-confident, entitled…. even coddled, or delusional. Narcissistic, which means: full of excessive love or admiration of one’s self…lack of empathy and deficits in self esteem. Initially I thought that these labels were pretty accurate, but as I got to reading, I realized that other very valid points were brought up… such as even though these Millennials may very well encompass all of those traits a bit more than past generations, in all fairness, they were born into an advanced sociological and technological age that made it easy for them to become that way. It isn’t their entire “fault”, if you will. It was even stated that they might also just be a bit nicer than people from other generations. Perhaps a little more considerate, or accepting of others, even if perhaps they might come across as a bit more “entitled”! Is it possibly a result of having been “coddled”?! While the Millenials may be labeled, among other things, narcissistic, I read another article in my many meanderings across the web, touching on the Time article subject, and in it they had mentioned that the Baby Boomers had been labeled as “Ennui” (pronounced En Wee) which means: (a feeling of weariness or discontent) lack of interest, boredom. I don’t think that sweeping generalization is exactly fair to all Baby Boomers, either…. An interesting parallel in the two generations…don’t you think? It gave me pause to think.
The Time Magazine article really gets you to thinking, if you read it in its entirety. He starts the article with the requisite stats and expounds from there. I already had it in my mind when I read the words Narcissistic and entitled that the Millennials had some serious issues! It wasn’t until I had read through it, and then read some additional opinions on the internet that my own horizons on the topic were broadened. I guess perhaps I come from the “closed-minded” generation…. (NOT!)….because as I discovered, even that generalization cannot begin to describe any group of people in any given generation. Each generation “grows”, if you will, its own set of astounding and unique individuals. Everyone has their own set of new challenges, and different ways for people to “come into their own”. I realized that there will continue to be newer generations all of the time… each with a special label, each with their own positives and negatives. Personally, the positives of each generation far outweigh the negatives. Look at the example of how much more open our society today is toward social issues, than it was just 30 years ago! I’m starting to believe that the teens and 20 somethings that make up this “Me, Me, ME”, Millennials Generation aren’t so bad after all! I think I can hang sharing the world with the up and coming generations…how about you!? Just a whole new set of challenges to look forward to!
To read the TIME Magazine article in it’s entirety click this link:
Looking at things labeled or considered “EMO”, you might at first only see curious images of dark colors interspersed with splashes of reds –sometimes a few brighter colors thrown into the mix…Sometimes a plaid, or a bow, heavy looking dark boots and some metal. You may somewhat confuse “emo” at first with “Goth”, however there actually is a difference. Goth is a bit more on the darker end of the spectrum, with perhaps a little more outward defiance sometimes, whereas Emo tends to evoke more emotion, and more understated thoughts. Curiously enough, that is what “Emo” is short for—emotional. The images, music, art, even the clothes that emo’s wear, often evoke various emotions from people. It is amazing the amount of thought that can go in to just a song, the power of the emotion behind it. Emo actually appears to be ageless to a degree…in a report by Socialite life, Kris Jenner (Kim and Kloe Kardashian’s mother) was even seen out sporting what is called an “emo hipster teen” look and seemed to pull it off pretty well. “Emo” dress is comfortable, yet perhaps making the statement that an “emo” person isn’t all about trying to fit in with the fashions of the day—instead simply wearing what they like, what allows them to best express themselves. The emo fashion is a somewhat eclectic selection of clothing, that all seems to mesh together in a look that actually comes together and can at times be quite striking. If you look at .tumblr.com/tagged/emo fashion you will see a lot of great emo looks. The look incorporates skulls, piercings, definitive hair styles, etc. and while doesn’t make one think of “wholesome”, it isn’t a truly distracting look, as perhaps Goth can sometimes be. Listening to “Emo” music turns out to be more commonplace than one would actually realize. It is more widespread than perhaps would at first have been thought. You hear a lot of emo music in movies, and even on television..songs by groups called “Jimmy Eat World” or “Dashboard Confessional” or even “The Get Up Kids”. The songs seem to elicit a lot of thought, and feeling and factual living experiences. The art that is labeled “emo” may at times come across as a bit diverse, angry, or even sad, however if you really look, you can often times see a story behind it. Emo is truly a state of mind….not just emotional, but intelligent, as well. Reading up on so many things “Emo”, you actually even come across familiar mainstream music artists who got some of their own background experiences from emo…Lady Gaga, for instance, according to Mtv Style. Lady Gaga definitely has a flare for the dramatic, which is often derived from emotions which of course, is what emo is all about! Emo people tend to be somewhat introverted, deep thinking and quietly intelligent in a very understated way. Their emotions run quite deep. Emo folk tend to be quite loyal and thoughtful…more so than perhaps one would realize. Actually, being “Emo” isn’t just a state of mind…it’s a way of life, that shapes who a person is. Much the way religion might for some. Where at first glance, some things “emo” might be a bit offsetting, once you delve into it, you find so many layers and it is truly fascinating. “Emo” can be considered thought, or emotion provoking, if you will!
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