So I was recently watching a Miley Cyrus interview with Vevo and as she was explaining her profound concept behind the "We Can't Stop" video, I got really frustrated. She was talking about how the video was something that only "her generation" could understand and she wanted to display the "glam and gritty" side of living in LA, where they party all the time and do whatever they want. After watching that and thinking of my fellow Gen Y's, I can't help but wonder how I missed the election to vote these total boobs as representatives for our generation. I began to wonder when it became the norm to do drugs and party all day, every day. And why people aspire to do that? And why are we so lazy? As I wrote in one of my previous posts, I used to party a lot. I spent a year of my life under the influence of whatever, but I always knew that it wasn't what I was supposed to be doing. I knew that eventually I would have to get it together and be an adult.
I guess my problem with our generation is our sense of self-entitlement. Why does everyone think they are owed something? When I was younger, my parents taught me that in order to have nice things, you have to work for them. You have to earn things, not just money, but trust, respect, credit. Today, it seems like Gen Y feels like they should already have these things.
I recently saw a news clip that spoke about Gen Y's self-worth. A study that began in 1965 showed that each year, college students' sense of self-worth rose. That's good right? Confidence, self-respect and all that? Well, it is if the student's self-worth reflects his work ethic and ability. What the study showed was that while today's generation has the highest sense of self-worth than ever, their work ethic and ability to do work related things are much less than. So basically, we think we're smarter and better than any other generation before us, but we don't wanna get our hands dirty. I find this completely accurate.
I partially blame the parents. Sorry, but everyone shouldn't get a trophy. Second place isn't as good as first. Competition is healthy. It provides a goal, whatever the prize may be. Competition teaches kids that life isn't fair, but if you work hard and dedicate yourself, you can do anything you want. Somewhere along the way, parents began to tell their kids that we could do anything we wanted, leaving out the working hard, life isn't fair part.
I also blame technology. Today, everything is instant. Send a text, it's delivered. Order a pizza online, track it's progress and in 30 minutes or less a 16 year old, acne-prone kid is knocking at your door. We've been spoiled. In our world, everything is instant. You just have to ask for it, or steal.
Obviously, not all parents ruined us. There are a few good apples in the bunch. And not all technology is bad, we've just learned to use it in bad ways. Call me anti-feminist, call me a conservative Republican, call me an ignorant wannabe southern belle, all those are fine. I won't be afraid to admit that I still believe in the American Dream. I just want to know why family values, morals and good work ethic is so hard to find in a generation that was supposed to be the one to change the world. Maybe the advanced kids aren't so advanced after all. What if we were, and dare I say it, average??
