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I was watching a movie the other night where Edgar Allan Poe & Mark Twain were quoted and I began asking myself who the great writers of today are and if their work will stand the test of time. That thought then manifested itself into the topic of today's blog, What will be the Gen Y legacy?
Are there Gen Yers out there creating masterpieces that will undoubtedly shape the minds of future generations? I don't know. Or will Gen Y be remembered more for not speaking in complete sentences, texting acronyms instead of writing love letters and founding the social networking scene that leaves its dedicated followers actually more anti-social and socially awkward than before? Perhaps.
Following the 40 year anniversary of the Woodstock ('69) festival, the question again surfaces the forefront of my thoughts, what will my generation leave behind, what will my kids think? Will our legacy, whatever it will be, be the source of documentaries and define what Gen Y is/was?
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Comments
08.28.09
Great thoughts Dianna. So far, it seems like we're a lot more conservative than the youth of generation's past. Would you agree?
However, I think that could end up being a good thing. We're probably less likely to host an event like Woodstock that will be turned into a documentary twenty years from now, but we might be more likely to be the generation that skips all of that and goes straight to a more productive means of bringing about change.
What does everyone else think?
08.28.09
I do agree that our generation is more conservative. I also wonder what type change our generation will be responsible for. It’s starting to get a lot more interesting now that most of us are in the midst of our careers, now what we want to do and how we want to do it. I also think we’ve learned a lot from our parent’s generation. It is neat seeing all come together. However, I do wish our generation was a little more on the romantic, idealist side.
08.28.09
I agree and disagree with you, Ryan. I think our generation appears more conservative because society is more liberal than it has ever been before, and our lives are easier than the lives of any generation before us.
Our parents did not (and potentially could not, thanks to TVs and computers in our bedrooms) "oppress" us in a way that made us want to rebel as an entire generation.
In fact, I've found that a lot of my friends "rebelled" against their parents by doing well in school, going to college/university and starting a meaningful career at a young age instead of a family. I know I did! My parents were hippies.
It's hard to say what our generation's legacy will be because we're not at that point in history yet. Our generation is still present, not past. However, I wouldn't be surprised if our legacy is related to how we communicate and use technology.
08.28.09
Your generation will definitely have a more significant legacy than dropping acid and rolling around in the dirt at Woodstock. But the oldest of you are, what, 30 years old? Right now you are building the foundation on which the legacy will happen. Your 20s are all about that foundation.
08.28.09
Are you kidding? Our generation has been through so much and yet with so much going on that there would be volumes written about us. (haha, I'm so humble.)
Remember the term "midlife crisis"? Before our generation, they had to wait till midlife to have an identity crisis. Our generation started "quarterlife crisis". Our ambitions to make something of ourselves would undoubtedly leave a legacy down the road.
Social media, with its pros and cons, undoubtedly had brought ideas together. Just look at this site. With all the bright minds being able to truly connect for the first time, once again, something amazing is happening!
We are financially responsible. We have to! We enter the world in the worst of times. We can't get a job. We have tons of student loans. Our parents cannot afford to spoil us...
We are politically active. Even the most passive of us has to pay attention to politics. We have the war. We have our first black president. We almost had a woman in the executive branch.
We are environmentally conscious.
We are health conscious.
Perhaps your question remains "What will our legacy be?" I don't know... but I have no doubt that it would be something really cool!
08.28.09
@GenerationXpert Suzanne Kart: That legacy will be improving and enhancing Societal infrastructure. Grand projects like flying to Mars, Solar Panels to save energy alternatives. Robotics to reshape society. That's GenY and we'll leave it to the generations born after Y to judge that legacy.
08.28.09
Remember GenY / Millennials are considered a civic generation.
08.28.09
It would be a pity if Gen Y were remembered for founding social networking. Not because there is anything wrong with social networking but because it was actually Gen X that founded it.
@Jeannie I think Gen X were in there first with the so-called quarterlife crisis too. Not that it's a good thing.
I'm on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y so I don't mind either way - I'm just saying!
08.28.09
@Caitlin: yeah, not that quarterlife crisis is a good thing... I think you're right that the term did officially came out before the official Gen Y years... In fact, it's during the gap between Gen X & Y... so it applies to you and me :)
I am going to stick with Gen Y, because it doesn't apply to the whole generation of Gen X (At this point, I'm just being difficult :p)
08.29.09
@Angelo - wouldn't it be sad if your generation's legacy was something that happens right now, rather than something that develops as you progress? 2009, Gen Y, done. Don't get me wrong, as a Gen Xer, you guys drive me a little nuts at times. However, now that I'm reaching my late 30s, I am really surprised how much more I've grown in my 30s than in my 20s. I think the same will happen for Gen Y and you'll look back on what you accomplished in your 20s and realize that your legacy is developing into something you never imagined 10 years before.
08.31.09
Wow! I love all the comments. The post really was to question what you think our legacy will be, years from now. I'm excited to see what the future holds!
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