Millennials: Downtrodden or Just Dumb?

Bob Herbert in the NYT today:

"The landscape is changing before our eyes. Younger voters struggling with the enormous costs of a college education, or trying to raise families in a bleak employment environment, or using their credit cards to cover everyday expenses like food or energy costs are not much interested in hearing that the government to which they pay taxes can do little or nothing to help them."

Research shows that this is the most progressive generation in decades. We want nothing less than a new New Deal--and along with rebuilding the middle class, we're going to need a new WPA to rebuild our transportation and energy infrastructure in a post-fossil fuel world.

On the other hand, maybe a wholesale transformation of government and American seems too difficult or out of reach. Instead, you can indulge in a nice round of Blame the Victim.

Some scoldy English prof in the Boston Globe:

"The ignorance is hard to believe ... It isn't enough to say that these young people are uninterested in world realities. They are actively cut off from them."

Would that it were true! Many of the young people I talk to would love to be cut off from realities like the war in Iraq (who do you think is fighting over there, John McCain?), student loan and credit card debt, low-wage jobs, lack of access to health care, & high housing costs.

Unfortunately, it's a pretty common pattern to label an economically disadvantaged, politically disenfranchised group as dumb. You can see it in racism, sexism, and this time, ageism.

Comments

[Josiwe]

This essay gets rewritten once a generation. The truth is that once the Millenials have finished consolidating power and placating or displacing the aging Boomers, they will have little to no interest in encouraging the next generation to vote, because by that time we'll all be in our thirties and assume those kids are too dumb to vote. And a decade or so after that, the Democrats (who will have then been in power for ~30 years and sunken into corruption and defense of privilege) will be ousted in a tidal wave of "ASTONISHING TURNOUT AMONGST YOUNG VOTERS". It will be morning in america again. And its a good thing. These little revolutions ensure we never turn into Burma.

[SLal]

This is a fascinating topic. I am in a very young industry, and manage a lot of 20-30 year olds and fascinate over them. They are VERY intelligent - more so, if you ask me, than when my graduating class entered the job market. We are trained to manage them differently, though, becuase their sense of entitlement and expectations of the world and of their jobs is very different than others. I have every hope that life will adjust their perspectives to such a degree that they don't always feel disappointed. I do worry, though, that this is the group, still 16 degrees off of due north w/r/t judgment, are chosing our next president. I am thinking that we may want to move the voting age to 30 until the realities of life have sunk in, and the misconceptions about what the world provides versus what one must provide for oneself, are adjusted through life's teachings.

[em0199]

Sounds good lets move the age you can go fight a war to thirty then too.

[knighthowl]

Oh? And I'm 59, so I think maybe we should move the voting age to 45. What do you think of that? I trust you were joking as I was.

[gigiz]

This generation is going to have a much more difficult time of it. The are coming of age in a period in which America is a declining power. It is good to see that a swing toward a more progressive political stance is the outcome. It is a good thing that they want a new deal. The problem is in the 1980's the shift toward free market economic models meant that few colleges taught anything other than the free market model. There is a whole generation of economists who nothing nothing of Keynsianism. Fashioning a new deal will require some knowledge of economic models that recognize a legitimate role for government to play in the economy. Where are the architects for this new deal going to come from?

[waggles]

I'm also a Millenial, born in 1984. I find the irony here is that these people talking about how "ignorant" the Millenial generation is are actually the ignorant ones. Pointing the finger back at them, trying to assign blame, is stooping to their level. Really, it comes down to name-calling, and it is like the pundits saying "young people don't turn out to vote" - if they say it enough, they expect we'll believe it. If we do believe it - then I'd say we are ignorant, however, the evidence I see from my fellow millenials seems to indicate that the opposite is happening. I've heard the "baby boomers" described as "non-conformist" in their upbringing in the 1960s and 1970s, and here their children decide not to conform with the system their parents abuse, and suddenly those very same children are "ignorant." Telling, indeed.

As far as Millenials participating in politics and wanting to change the way of things, its not that complicated - we are tired of being trampled by the generation in power. The system is stacked in their favor, and they are willing to sacrifice our livelihoods to make themselves wealthy. Mortgaging our futures for no good reason, crippling us under personal debt, making the cost of living too expensive to afford - is it any surprise that the Millenials generation is angry and trying to do something about the difficulties they face? To expect us to sit here and just "take it" - that would be

[RoloTomassi]

I guess technically I'm a boomer [born in 1960], but have felt no affinity with any generational group.

While all blanket statements are stereotypes that don't apply to everyone, there are some "basic" truths that apply statistically to your age group:

1) Entitlement: the application of "positive reinforcement" to children in what seems like every imaginable situation has left the majority of US citizens in this age group feeling as if the basic trials of everyday life are a societial vendetta against them.

2) Perhaps because of #1, many more of you are living at home far beyond what was previously typical, which makes this economic mess even harder for those who are "trampling" on you.

3) While your reaction to the previous generation is typical and to be expected, your self-centered base allows you to see the forest and rarely the trees; those of my age and who are not rightwingers are in much the same socio-economic boat as you, even though we are classified by you as the "trampling" class.

The bottom line: NO ONE understands the lessons of time until they have passed through it, believe it or not; TIME has no awareness of your delicate sensibilities.

Those of you who are of a more intellectual mindset should do your best to write and be published; if you do so, I can guarantee you an introduction to a mental exercise in rejection that actually builds character and causes the skin to grow thicker.

[Cathexis]

Conversely, how much of this "common knowledge" is perception filtered through our own biases (I was born in '57). True, they don't have our "experience" yet. Then again, "experience" doesn't always translate to judgment. Some people just get older, without getting wiser.

The so-called Millenials are members of our Society *now*. There is no means-test of Wisdom applied to us Boomers (would that there *had* been!) so it seems hypocritical to tell young people "wait until you are wiser."

They are part of the Society; they should be part of the Process. Just as our Viewpoints have the benefit (?) of Experience, theirs has the benefit of Idealism and Possibility. The flip side of "They haven't been tempered by Real Life" is that they haven't become jaded, disillusioned, cynical, or limited by Real Life.

[RoloTomassi]

Oh, I don't issue with any point you made, but I do see quite a bit of "boomer bashing" going on here, so I thought I'd throw out a little "reality" that doesn't get touch on much in these comments.

And true, many aren't yet jaded, and for that reason I offer a bit of a well-jaded POV, just as a counter-balance, as many will certainly have a few "jading" moments due to their support of Senator Obama; even if he is very successful in his reform efforts, for many his efforts will ring false, or not go far enough, or simply be seen as more of the same under a different name [not that I assume such will be the outcome, but personal POVs and expectations vary wildly sometimes].

As for our terrrible crimes as a generation [one that I've never felt that I fit into], many of us decried and voted against all of the same problems and stupid actions that plague us now; hopefully TIME will teach them that this phenomenon isn't generational, but philosophical in nature, and that the same sort of rightwinger Luddites in our generation who "stole the handle" of government can and likely will rise up to try it again. It's the sort of thing that can happen in a democratic republic.

But even that notion is premature, as we haven't dealt with the current crop just yet.

[Persson4]

I am sorry ML's. How truly repugnant to have a generational divide creep in. Aren't the boomers the ones who waved the freak flag that said "Trust no one over thirty" Aren't they the ones who traded in there progressive values for Reagonomics and the ability to purchase a lot of crap real cheap. Are they not the generation who undercut our public education system to pursue their own private school world. Narcissicism is a truly insidious -ism. I have been waiting for this day to come. My gen x friends and I would call them yuppies back in the day. They in turn called us slackers. We in turn disappeared into this virtual world of computer engineering. Your generation aren't just millennial children but the net generation. The world will be your oyster. Thankfully this election will be the last of its kind.

[RoloTomassi]

"Thankfully this election will be the last of its kind."

Oh, how naive you are. These things go in cycles; once a generational "set" in power has become comfortable, the creep sets in, and then before you know it you begin to slide towards easy things, giving up principle for the comfort you've worked so hard to attain. Those who are successful will decide that they have the smarts and the experience to be Leviathans for the common masses--and why shouldn't they have the cream of the crop...they've worked hard for it!

I can't say that for myself, and maybe you won't be able to either, as I'm still a wanna-be artist/writer who is really just another working stiff; but you'll certainly see it in those around you, particularly in those who were the most adamant that such travesties would NEVER happen on their watch....

The grossest form of naivety is achieved by dismissing the facts of human nature.

If Obama does make it to the White House, let's just get through the first four years without a major disaster...and do remember that no good deed goes unpunished.

[Michmod]

Ignorance is a major problem in this country, but it's certainly not limited to Barack supporters. Fully a third of us still think Saddam was directly involved in 9/11 (on a positive note, that's down from 70%+). This country reelected George W. Bush. That says ignorance has no party.

Yes, we have failed educating our young people on democratic principles and foreign policy. But I see their support of Barack Obama as a sign they have the intelligence to stop repeating the same mistakes over and over. Once we have a new administration, we can get back to educating our kids on something beyond standardized test taking.

[PioneerKing]

Anya:

You young folks are simply scaring those old bigots and racists by your support of Obama and Clinton.
These are people who have trillions vested in the status quo and for you young folks to finally realize the lies of your elders scares these bigots.
You young folks out number the bigots and this year they are seeing you all actually show up at the polls and they are afraid. 2008 may actually be the year that Americans rise up and not only demand change but pull the lever in November for change.
Anya, the demographics are to the youth - organize, mobilize and cast your votes this year like you all never have in the past. Prove the bigots and racists wrong.
Rock the Vote 2008!!

[LeonBNJ]

There have always been young adults interested in politics and a majority who don't. Many 'millennials' are more intested in 'American Idol' than politics, they see politics controled by the corporations and the rich, many don't have the time or energy from working and/or going to school to watch or surf for the news and even then, too much of the MSM news ignores them and their needs. They see fewer good paying opportunites when they graduate from school, they have come of age when health care is unaffordable or not part of their employment compensation. They also lived with 9/11 and the war in Iraq, which too many have been killed in. For many, they just don't feel they can make a difference.
Fortuntally a significant number have an interest in politics, the need for change for them and all generations and see hope in Sen. Obama. Most 'millenials' are far less prejudice toward to non-whites, and maybe some are less materialistic in their world view.

[trubski]

Wow. Incredible.

I am 50, teach in a small liberal arts college and supervise a student managed media production unit. I work with 18-22 year olds about 40 hours per week - and I think I have the best job in the world. The kids I teach, the kids who work with me, the others I am always getting to know - these kids are smart, engaged, committed, curious and they work their asses off if you expect the best from them and challenge them to produce it.
If you insult their intelligence, as most bad teachers seem to do, they are quite capable of completely blanking you out. In other words, if they look dumb it's not them, it's you.
One of the students we just graduated left here Magna Cum Laude, a funny, whip smart, talented, handsome young man who has already accepted a job with Americorps working with migrant families in California. He could have gone anywhere but that's what he chose to do, and he's only one - I could tell you dozens of stories like that.
What more can you ask for?

[rosal]

This new generation deserve our praise and admiration. Not only they are heavily involved in politics, but they are the ones that doesn't see color, or gender. They are the ones that do not talk about Obama's race, or Clinton's gender. They focus on issues important to them, and that's how they vote. I only wish I could say the same thing about older people.
I am just glad we are on the way out, and that the new generations are coming. There is hope for our country after all.

[paradisefound]

I emailed said scoldy English prof - which is precisely what he is, and he told me that his thesis is backed up by much data and hard research (ie. testing, teacher and employer surveys, etc). He has yet to respond to my objections to those data sets as biased and unscientific.

What I want to know is: Who are these people to accuse me of a lack of intellectual curiosity? I was reading Shakespeare at seven and Freud at ten. I was taking college courses at sixteen, in fact, many of my generation were. I'm getting a master's degree in English right now, not because I think it'll be of any practical use, but simply because I love learning and prioritize it (as I work full-time).

Fuddy-duddys who want to call my generation names are quick to dismiss my experience as out of the ordinary. It isn't. About 25% of the kids I went to elementary school with are going after advanced degrees... and I went to public school.

I've been in a number of classes where enough moaning about homework would get it taken away. This prof is a wuss, essentially. If you challenge us, we rise to the challenge, if you let us roll over you, we will - not because we hate learning, but because we can spend that time learning something else. Respect is not a given, and there's no need to whine about it, because none of the Boomers or Xers automatically respected anyone.

[dwt]

As a boomer parent of 2 millennials, I can say that they are neither dumb (ok, so I'm biased) nor disengaged.

Our family fits none of the demographic stereoptypes. We live in the country, but I guess we like our lattes. The mother is 61, has always kept her "maiden" last name, yet hates HRC as a pandering phony. The father and the mother have been pro-Obama since "the speech" (2004) - before our 28 and 24 year olds were into politics. Now they are, passionately; one for Obama, the other a Paultard (you want to see passion, watch out for the Ron Paul crowd. You think Obamaites are a cult? You ain't seen nothin').

We parents are ready for Obama, and the millennials who support him in droves, to take tthe wheel of the country - and the world - ASAP, and throw the boomers in the back seat. The boomers had their chance - 4 Presidential terms - and they screwed up. First the Lefty "If It Feels Good Do It" brainy, too cute by half Clinton; then the Righty neocon "I used to be f***ed up on drugs; now I'm f***ed up on Jesus" numbskull embarrassment Bush.

Time to move on and let the next generation take over, not only so they can make their own contribution to history, but also so they make their own mistakes that their kids will resent them for in 20 years.

The circle game.

[beastmode]

Aren't the millenials the ones out working for Obama by the tens of thousands? People that think that this generation is dumber than previous ones must not know history too well. Pre-GI Bill America this country was virtually un-educated. The Baby Boomers are responsible for the current state of Politics and News Media and Gen-X, thus far, has done nothing to stop them. It isn't Millenials in the board rooms making the decisions to dumb down debate for the sake of better ratings and more bucks. The Millenials have been given this country that now 82% of all Americans think is way off course, but somehow we're the dumb ones.

[egal]

The younger gens are more involved, more responsible, more volunteering, more generous, more peaceful, more law-abiding, more sober...the list goes on, but too many of the older generations just believe whatever they see on the biased news. Hence, as violent youth crimes plummet, they believe it to be skyrocketing, and as political activism explodes, they believe us to be uninformed and too stupid to see through the same lies they fall for.

[smartcookienyc]

What, are you talking to me?

I've got my headphones and cellphone going, and I'm not paying any attention.

[faust2001]

"Youth! There is nothing like it. It's absurd to talk of the ignorance of youth. The only people to whose opinions I listen now with any respect are people much younger than myself. As for the aged,
I always contradict the aged. I do it on principle."
--Oscar Wilde
"You may have mistaken intelligence for the greed/corruption/fiscal and social irresponsibility that the Boomers were too selfish and blind to avoid amplifying to an all-time high and the Gen Xers were too ineffectual to counteract." Bullseye, luke15.
If today's youth can somehow repair the atrocities done to this country by their degenerate elders, they will truly be the greatest generation of Americans, and quite possibly the first. If they behave the way their degenerate elders want them to behave, they will self-destruct. It's that simple. Revolution now!
(and resist the media's sad attempts to define you--millenials)

[midwestdoc]

Grown-ups have felt that the educational system and the younger generation are degenerating for some time. The first extant example of that lament is from a Sumerian tablet from about 4400 years ago.

[SolarPowerGuy]

Dear Ms. Kamenetz:

I was born in 1968. I came of age with the Reagan Youth. I attended a fairly well-regarded university and, to my great surprise, found myself surrounded by people whose political opinions were pure jingoism. "My" people have been voting for longer than yours, and have played a significant role in building the Republican Party.

In short, most of my generation is pretty dumb too. Try not to take it personally.

[holyhandgrenaid]

HuffPost's Pick

As a Millennial (born 1984), I ask; whose fault is it that there is a certain degree of ignorance in my generation? Were we the ones who gave us a third rate education? Are we the ones who have grown up in a nation who (for example) airs ABC World News Tonight with only 90 seconds of actual world news (this has bugged me since the age of 12). Are we the ones who have systematically ensured that teachers are the third most educated workforce, yet are paid worse than most non-college graduates? Are we the ones who voted for the politicians that pass No Child Left Behind (more appropriately called 'Lets bring them all down to the lowest common denominator'

I ask you all; why is it that my generation is considered ignorant and apathetic? Could it be the result of the systematic decimation of our capacity to learn and care?

Now that you've thought about that; ask yourselves, why is this generation so much more politically motivated that the last several generations? Could it be because we have been systematically trampled underfoot by the establishment, and now, that same establishment has the gall to accuse us of being ignorant, at a time when finally, we see a politician who can restore light to our future, and are being told by some that we don't matter.

[LeeAlex]

Dear Holyhandgrenaid (that right there makes me grin):

This tail-end baby boomer respectfully asks that you consider running for president in, oh, about twenty years. You understand balance, actions and consequences, my friend, and I find that incredibly appealing and refreshing.

I felt the same way in 1984, in my mid-twenties. All anybody cared about was being a yuppie and having money and it didn't matter who they stepped on as long as they got the prize. I read, I questioned, and was also told that I just didn't care about the right things and would never be a success.

Now I read, I write, I still question and I also preach, literally, on what we need to do to find balance again. Have I been a success? I suppose so, despite predictions to the contrary. But if someone asked me what I'd value more, a $100 bill or seeing your post -- seeing your post, hands down! You do matter, way more than you'd think!

[holyhandgrenaid]

Thank you, the encouragement means a lot coming from someone my parent's age. I look forward to your vote in 2028 or 2032... haha

[em0199]

Thank you. I was born in 1980 and feel the same way. I can tell you that the majority of people my age I know are very interested in this election and really do want to see some change brought to this country. They are also very informed. Now I know this may have more to do with the fact that many times you surround yourself with people who are like-minded, but I am telling you I have seen it first hand people who I never dreamed would start caring about politics and what is happening in the world are now. We understand that it is up to us to try and fix what has happened to this country in the last 25 years. No one is going to do it for us. So we are done listening to those who got us where we are and we are ready to listen to new ideas. We will be the generation that has less than our parents and we will be the generation that doesn't have Social Security if things keep going the way they are. We see this and we know that something has got to give and if the people of parents generation aren't going to help us then we will do it ourselves. They certainly have not done a whole lot to help us in the last 25 years.

[SaltySaltillo]

My greatest pet peeve - generational politics.
If (and this is an "if") Millennials are "dumb" we can point the finger right back at the baby boomers and their fascination with the intoxicating politics of Kemp-Laffer-Reaganomics. The American government investment in education has been taking a hit for as long as baby boomers have been old enough to vote. Second, we cannot blame any single president but the slow institutional pressure on the middle class to transform itself from a class of one-income households to two-income households is to blame: all studies indicate that having a parent at home with the kids makes a fundamental difference in the intellectual development of the kinds; Third, blame the parents (yes you baby boomers) - children inevitably learn their values and behaviors from their parents... even something as simple as reading ... Is reading a family value in these homes? there are upper middle class suburbs across the country where baby boomer parents are disconnected from their millenial children all day every day.

But, personally, I think the youth are much more alive and energized and in tune than the older folks realize.

[LizzyTish]

Am I a "Millenial"? I have no clue.

What I do know is that I came of age at precisely the wrong time. I went to a "prestigious", overpriced school where I was bombarded by predatory lenders in their heydey.

As a young mother, I feel fortunate to have a flexible work environment, however as a nonprofit manager my salary is low. I struggle with costs of energy and food and my loan/credit deb. A salary raise priced me out of state healthcare (I paid a premium), so my child is without insurance. I would be thrilled about the plummeting costs of housing, as we look to buy the house we rent...but my budget and credit score are probably too shaky to finance our tiny $150,000-ish townhome.

We get by because we live in a walkable city (where no one else walks) and own no vehicles (how else would we afford childcare?). I bike my daughter to soccer games. To keep the lights on, we'll be canceling digital cable this week.

So I suppose I am "downtrodden". But the less I can stretch my dollar, the more I consider our lifestyle, and in some ways my quality of life has vastly improved...but I do want to see a new New Deal and an Obama-led Americorps "army" of service.

I hope my fellow Gen Xer/Yer/Millenials will learn to make the most of the Boomerized wasteland we've been living in.

[flacon]

So you went to a school you couldn't afford, had a child before your finances allowed and currently live above your means. And somehow this is my fault?

I did exactly the same. Married as a college junior. Three sons before I figured out what was causing them. A hefty student loan. Oh my!

What I did was easy. I worked. Started a career in an industry that would pay me what I needed-eventually. I wanted to smell the roses but I couldn't. I had a wife and children and responsibilities.

Don't blame others for your decisions. Get off your ass and get to work. When you succeed it will be that much sweeter.

[SaltySaltillo]

From one GenXer to LizzyTish my younger brothers and sisters - I am ready ... let's do this.

[InDaZone]

If the Millennials are dumb or uncaring... who's fault is that?

[Desiderata]

"The young have exalted notions, because they have not been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things"and that means having exalted notions. They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones: Their lives are regulated more by moral feeling than by reasoning.... All their mistakes are in the direction of doing things excessively and vehemently. They overdo everything; they love too much, hate too much, and the same with everything else."__Aristotle

Even back then the elders fretted about the young.

[mbjesq]

Just Dumb

The college classes to which I've lectured are striking both for their stunning ignorance of the world and their seeming disinterest. These are people whose chief mission at this time of their lives is to indulge their curiosity and learn. By any measure, these kids are failures.

But to the extent that the Millennial generation is being singled-out to wear the dunce cap, I'd agree that there is a degree of unfairness. I challenge anyone to demonstrate that the Millennials are any dumber than any other post-television American generation.

MBJ
www.memestream.org