Are millenials getting it right?

[Bini]

I'm wondering if sometimes we overlook some of the positives that the younger generation are doing? I watched a programme on "millenials" and found it very interesting. Millenials are the late teens through twenties crowd. The programme explained how, overall, millenials are more politically and environmentally aware than previous generations. It also mentioned how millenials are living healthier in comparison to previous generations. Apparently, despite the obesity epidemic, less of the millenial demographic are eating processed foods and going to fast food establishments.

 

It's pretty easy to nitpick on what the younger generation is doing wrong, but I think specifically to the millenial crowd, they're on the right track. (Even if they are hipsters!) I know that the Church has encouraged that a husband and wife start a family as soon as they're able, but I also know the Church supports self-sufficiency as well, so I was happy to hear that millenials tend to want to finish education and secure a career before starting a family. I will disclaim, that of course, such is a personal decision and many factors are considered but it's nice to hear people planning for the future.

 

(I do feel somewhat weird writing this, as if I'm so much older and wiser than the millenial crowd lol. I miss that generation pocket by a year, haha.)

[priesthoodpower]

I believe technology allows for information to travel free and fast, something I didnt grow up with in the 1990's.

 

My kids absolutely love eating at Mcdonalds (so do I), last month they came across a youtube video exposing Mcdonalds for the way they made their hamburger, it was sickening to watch. My kids got grossed out and no longer ask to go there.

 

Knowledge truly is power and the more our kids learn of the corruptness and evil in this world through the internet they will learn how to pattern their decisions in the opposite direction, so yes I agree with your post.

[lonetree]

No.

 

I don't need to hear more about the benefits of a generation that pushes gay marriage, climate change, social networking, and who may have just got a handle on paying their taxes. That's not even mentioning the music.

Today's society is too much about them.

As to the marriage and starting a family timeframe, I'll let others handle that. 

Edited December 17, 2014 by lonetree

[yjacket]

Every now and then I am on hiring boards for my company along with other senior engineers who have been around a very long time; they say (and I'm inclined to believe) that the rising generation has some of the worst qualities they have seen for hiring, work ethic, interview skills, etc.  Out of 50 engineering resumes right out of college (even from world renown colleges), maybe one will actually be worth interviewing, out of 10 interviews maybe one will be worth hiring. Many don't know the value of hard work and believe that just for existing they deserve the world.

 

That being said, the rising generation has some amazing qualities, some (but very few) are absolutely amazing, very dedicated, smart, have a knack for innovation and trying things a new way. The ones that are good, are generally really good, the rest . . . meh.

 

I think in general society has become extremely narcissistic and overly sensitive with very little personal responsibility-everyone owes me something, rather than me actually working for it.  I think the current millennium generation suffers from "unicorn" syndrome.  I've posted it before, but one can google unicorns and millennials and find the article that I believe in many ways reflects many of the attitudes about the current generation.

 

But my opinion and 2 cents won't get you a cup of coffee so I'm not sure it's worth all that much :-).

 

As for starting a family, I think it is really sad.  The US birth rate is below repopulation rate, the only reason the US population keeps growing is because of immigration. Just a month or so ago, I talked to a young (millenial), professional smart, good looking gal who has absolutely no intention of having children.

 

Personally, I think waiting to have kids until the right time is a bunch of bunk; there will never be the "right" time to have kids; I think there is something to be said for learning how to be a married couple before having kids, but that shouldn't take 5 years.  I think when it's all said and done at the end of the day, when you are 70+, many people will look back and wish they'd had a few more kids . . . I know I sure will.

Edited December 17, 2014 by yjacket

[Guest MormonGator]

I love millennials. The missionaries who brought me into the church were from that generation. 

 

I'm partial to Generation X. The last cool generation. 

[Crypto]

I like how older generations generally like to say the younger generation is a scandal.

 

Don't even THINK about listening to that distasteful ragtime!!! Oh wait, I think I went a little too far back in history for my example!

 

There are a lot of things they get right, and a few like most generations they struggle with.

 

(Any discussion about millennials needs to have lots of pictures videos and memes )

Edited December 17, 2014 by Crypto

[The Folk Prophet]

I like how older generations generally like to say the younger generation is a scandal.

 

That's because every generation since the 40s has gotten more and more scandalous. 

 

A spade's a spade. What can you do?

[PolarVortex]

When I was in the military my civilian boss was 45 years older than I was.  He had a sign on his wall that said, "Old age and treachery shall always overcome youth and skill."  I had a sign in my cubicle that said, "Denunciation of youth is a necessary part of the older generation, and greatly assists in the circulation of their blood."

 

Don't know where they came from, but I think they're nice sayings, especially as I age and sharpen my skills in treachery.

[Vort]

Personally, I have always found it absurd to think that you can group people by their birth decade and then assign a bunch of personality characteristics to them on that basis. I always rejected the stupid "baby boomer" label for precisely this reason. Now it has become a sort of media pastime to make up new and ever stupider names for those born in succeeding decades.

[Guest MormonGator]

Before we get too negative about the younger generations, remember who raised them. 

 

After all, we get are bad qualities from someone. ;-) 

Edited December 17, 2014 by MormonGator

[The Folk Prophet]

Before we get too negative about the younger generations, remember who raised them. 

 

After all, we get are bad qualities from someone. ;-) 

 

Yeah...and just think what their poor kids are gonna be like!! 

[Crypto]

That's because every generation since the 40s has gotten more and more scandalous. 

 

A spade's a spade. What can you do?

Ragtime existed far before the "40s", and back then it was scandalous lol.

I'd propose rather than society getting more scandalous, it's simply disagreement with generational difference, regardless of what that change is.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Crypto

[yoyoteacher]

Wow, there's a whole lot of harsh in this thread!

 

I will say as a teacher that the generation that follows myself and my fellow millennials should be an interesting one. Of course, the ones I teach come from a delightful mix of Gen X and Millennial parenting. I think kids are kids, no matter the age; but I've got a lot of parents who are all about accountability and hard work.

 

As for the waiting and starting a family...some of us have not yet met someone with whom we could settle down. It's not always a lack of desire for children and parenthood, sometimes it's a lack of opportunity.

[Crypto]

Yeah...and just think what their poor kids are gonna be like!! 

heh, like most kids, they are going to try and be nothing like their old, dusty, Parents.

 

Probably like this LOL

[FunkyTown]

Those durn kids. Always gittin' on mah lawn.

GIT OFF MA LAWN, YA NO GOOD VARMINTS!

*shakes fist*

[yjacket]

Ragtime existed far before the "40s", and back then it was scandalous lol.

 

I'd propose rather than society getting more scandalous, it's simply disagreement with generational difference, regardless of what that change is.

 

Well ragtime was first started off in red-light districts, so if someone was listening to ragtime it could be assumed they'd be traveling in interesting circles.

 

To the 2nd sentence, hogwash. I can name a plethora of evils that while they existed were not nearly as prevalent nor as accepted as they are today. Homosexual behavior, porn, etc.  Just look at the behavior of kids, they are more rowdy and less well behaved than 50 years ago, unless of course you're going to start calling good evil.

 

And while they may be a delight to teach, learning and going to school is at most 20 years of a 70+ year life (PhD level), don't mean much, it's what you do with that learning.  I've had the opportunity (if that is what one can call it) to look for a nanny and bare none all of the younger nannies expect little work and a lot of pay.  They expect work to be easy and they want to get paid a lot for it.  Only when I go to the older nannies do I get an understanding of what the value of work is, that yes it may not be the greatest job in the world, but it's a lot better than a significant number of jobs.  

 

Now maybe it is just experience and once they get experience it will change, and I don't like classifying people in groups (I really don't); but I think that over the past 20+ years of teaching kids that everyone is a star, you are exceptional, no one loses, etc. has really warped the expectations of a lot of younger people. Consequently, many are having an extremely hard time adjusting to the real world and living independently. One sees this in their commitments, how many threads here are about younger people who within a year of getting married already want a divorce b/c marriage is hard? If it gets hard, many of them quit.

 

But I don't necessarily think it is just a generational thing; I think society in general is becoming like that and that the younger generation is just the easiest to see those societal trends. 

Edited December 17, 2014 by yjacket

[Backroads]

I've heard of people in my generation complaining about marriage difficulties only to have their parents (even parents claiming the importance of marriage) suggesting divorce, the attitude being they don't want to see their children sad. It's an interesting twist of society.

In my own classroom, I see things at play. I love my kids, but helpless hand raisers are common and many basic social skills this age should developmentally be ready for are missing.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Backroads

[Suzie]

I completely agree with some of you!

 

Things have been getting out of control, the younger generations are very disrespectful, are way too materialistic, self-absorbed and they have no manners whatsoever like in the previous generations. Tsk, tsk, tsk... It is a shame.

 

That's why I agree with this quote 100%:

 

 

 

“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, thanks Socrates ( c.470-399 BC)

Edited December 17, 2014 by Suzie

[yjacket]

Ah, thanks Socrates ( c.470-399 BC)

 

 

And your point is what. . . history goes in waves.  Society gets worse, then it gets better, culture changes, gets overtaken and has a rebirth.  Before Socrates died Athens had the Thirty Tyrants; I'm certain his quote was very true when he said it.

 

Take a look at Germany . . . certainly Socrates quote would be extremely applicable to the Nazi youth and the country and culture was to a large degree destroyed and then reborn.

 

I love it when people use quotes to justify current behavior . . . just because someone said it 2500 years ago doesn't make it invalid today.

 

I'm not sure how one can look at the past 100 years of US culture and claim that culture (in general) is much better today than 100 years ago.  In some ways it certainly is, but in many and most ways it is not.

[Traveler]

My grand-kids - sure seem to have it together as well the young men and young women in my ward.  Two young ladies talked in sacrament meeting last week having just returned from missions.  One from Ukraine the other from Honduras - without question these ladies would be exceptional in any generation.  The two lady missionaries in our ward are wonderful examples and I cannot imagine that anything of value is slipping away in society because of them.  I have full confidence in our younger saints and expect that they will do greater things and contribute more than me an my generation. 

 

Without question the world is changing and with the changes many will be caught up in the great and spacious building.  But I see a very unusual group of youth holding fast to the iron rod and enjoying the fruits of the tree of life.  I see them in greater number that at any time in the entire history of the world.  Thank you -- THANK YOU ALL that dedicate your time and efforts to raising a generation in Zion unlike any other.  :clap:

[Bini]

Wow.

 

Well we learn from the examples set before us I guess.

[Crypto]

 They expect work to be easy and they want to get paid a lot for it.  

And now we know the real reason for inflation

[Vort]

We like to laugh about how ragtime was considered (in Professor Harold Hill's words) "shameless music", listened to by "libertine men and scarlet women". But yjacket hits the nail squarely on the head when he brings up that it's all about association. This is true with so many things in our life.

 

Music is a particularly obvious case. Here on this list, the very oldest among us has lived most of his or her life with rock-based popular music, and virtually everyone who listens to popular music enjoys at least some rock-based tunes. Yet during the '50s and '60s, when rock was born and came of age, many people were scandalized by it. In retrospect, Elvis' swaying hips seem pretty tame, but that misses the point. "Rock and roll" was firmly associated (I might add, by design) with youthful rebellion against authority and societal restrictions.

 

The people were not wrong to make this association; it was obvious. And the music was not merely a symptom of the times, but an active agent in promoting many aspects of the "social revolution".

 

This is true of much more than music, of course. It's also true in the other direction -- some things just seem to mean love of God's kingdom and conformance to his law. For example, white shirts in sacrament meeting. Green jello and funeral potatoes at ward functions. Relief Society centerpieces. A firm (but not bone-crushing) handshake.

 

We laugh at these things, and sometimes whine about them or chafe at them, but they are important social and psychological touchstones in our lives. Remember the root of the word "religion" -- religio -- and see how such things tie us back to beautiful traditions of family and healthy society, and ultimately to God.

[FunkyTown]

 

We like to laugh about how ragtime was considered (in Professor Harold Hill's words) "shameless music", listened to by "libertine men and scarlet women". But yjacket hits the nail squarely on the head when he brings up that it's all about association. This is true with so many things in our life.

 

Music is a particularly obvious case. Here on this list, the very oldest among us has lived most of his or her life with rock-based popular music, and virtually everyone who listens to popular music enjoys at least some rock-based tunes. Yet during the '50s and '60s, when rock was born and came of age, many people were scandalized by it. In retrospect, Elvis' swaying hips seem pretty tame, but that misses the point. "Rock and roll" was firmly associated (I might add, by design) with youthful rebellion against authority and societal restrictions.

 

The people were not wrong to make this association; it was obvious. And the music was not merely a symptom of the times, but an active agent in promoting many aspects of the "social revolution".

 

This is true of much more than music, of course. It's also true in the other direction -- some things just seem to mean love of God's kingdom and conformance to his law. For example, white shirts in sacrament meeting. Green jello and funeral potatoes at ward functions. Relief Society centerpieces. A firm (but not bone-crushing) handshake.

 

We laugh at these things, and sometimes whine about them or chafe at them, but they are important social and psychological touchstones in our lives. Remember the root of the word "religion" -- religio -- and see how such things tie us back to beautiful traditions of family and healthy society, and ultimately to God.

 

That's some mighty fine learnin' you got there, son.

So... With so much knowledge floatin' around yer brain, ya might wanna GIT OFF MY LAWN WITH ALL YER FANCY HIGH-FALUTIN' TALK!

[mordorbund]

Here on this list, the very oldest among us has lived most of his or her life with rock-based popular music ...

 

The answer is "her". Pam, specifically.

 

**EDIT: Huh, look at that. My warning points are climbing like an odometer on the Autobahn.