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Each generation defines itself not only by its politics, pop culture, fashions, slang and innovation. From the white picket fences of the mid-50s to the McMansions of the early 2000s, the striving and successful created the ideal aspirations that served as the benchmarks of achievement for their eras. So what is the American Dream for the Gen-Y/Millennial crowd?
The recession seems to have shifted the focus away from material possessions to personal fulfillment. Where once a loft decked out in the latest desirables from the IKEA catalog (circa the beginning of Fight Club at the turn of the century) would have been a noble goal, Millennials have warmed to the idea of boomeranging back to Mom and Dad. A new car may have been the symbol that one had arrived during the Dot Com Boom, but now it’s based around Facebook and Twitter friends.
The collapse of the housing market has made many wary of obtaining their own homes. Soaring unemployment rates have made job whoring to pay the bills socially acceptable. Digital communication has forever changed the way that people interact. And the American Dream, once a tangible obsession with material things, has undergone a metamorphosis.
Millennials aren’t looking for solace in the same things that their parents, grandparents, and even older siblings had. Instead of focusing on the external, the dream for Generation Y is internal. Though it’s still developing, their American Dream, their hopes and aspirations, are more personal. Concerns about keeping up with the Joneses are mitigated – it’s all about personal definitions.
And those definitions might lead this generation into a dream that no one has ever had before.
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Comments
12.31.69
03.10.10
You put forward a vision with some beautiful potentials Andrew. You assert that, "Instead of focusing on the external, the dream for Generation Y is internal...their hopes and aspirations, are more personal." I'm struggling to understand exactly what you meant by that, could you elaborate?
03.10.10
Tariq - What I meant by that line is that instead of Millennials having one catch-all definition for success like former generations (ie: a two-story house with a white picket fence and a Cadillac in the garage) or clear markers of achievement (becoming a millionaire, owning a home, etc.), each individual member of this generation has their own interpretation of success.
For some, it's being flexible enough with their career to be able to do it from anywhere in the world, while for others, it could be developing a more Green and energy-efficient lifestyle. It's about being personally fulfilled; almost the antithesis of the "greed is good" motto of the 1980s.
Thanks for commenting!
03.10.10
I've been thinking about the 'American dream' a lot lately. I'm an immigrant to the US from India and before I moved here, I always had this stereotypical view of what USA will be like. One stereotype being about the American dream - a big house, 2 cars, big family, a golden retriever. After moving here, obviously the stereotype was more than shattered. The economy truly is changing the way relationships are unraveling, and the way everyone's definition of success and happiness is being defined.
In a way, I really feel this is for the better. USA has long been perceived as a highly materialistic and individualistic society and what you say is happening, is actually going to lead people to re-prioritize what's truly important in their lives - family, a sense of fulfillment in what you do, and real happiness.
03.11.10
Thanks for elaborating! I certainly hope that Gen-y can achieve more plurality and independence in its measures of success. I worry that my generation will also be the most inwardly focused in the narcissistic sense though.
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