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August 19, 2009
E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
Gen Y: Are We Really Apathetic?
Most people refer to us as "Generation Y," but we go by many names: the "Internet Generation," the "Millennium Generation," or even the "Echo Generation." Regardless of the name, there is something very distinctive about my generation--something that separates us from the narcissism of Generation X, the drug fueled activism of the Baby Boomers, and the rampant patriotism of the Greatest Generation. According to song writer/artist John Mayer it is that we are "Waiting on the World to Change."
In an interview with NPR's Morning Edition Mayer explains the meaning of the lyrics of his song:
It's not that we don't care, We just know that the fight ain't fair So we keep on waiting Waiting on the world to change
According to Mayer, Generation Y does not like to be told what to do, so he wanted to "present an idea" - civic engagement - in a non-aggressive way. This is a big change from the role of musical talents from generations past, such as Joan Baez and John Lennon. But it may prove to be just as powerful.
Mayer's approach to politics is based on a self-reflective and honest analysis of his assumed role in American culture - entertainer, not policy expert. While actors and musicians of the past were able to mobilize young adults by spouting off simplified and catchy versions of the problems of the world, Generation Y would rather understand the complexity of globalization, war, poverty, and disease through other, more informed means. In other words, my generation would rather learn about the importance of voting from our parents, and not from Puff Daddy or Paris Hilton.
My generation is not apathetic. The Internet and 24 hour news networks have brought the world's problems to our fingertips, making us infinitely more informed than the psychedelic flower children of the 60s. And although we may not protest in the streets or hold sit-ins in the classrooms, it does not mean that we are any less engaged than the generations before us. It means that we have grown up a little bit faster, and hope to change the world through more substantive ways. I cannot guarantee a revolution when my generation realizes our birthright, or even anything less than "business as usual" inside the beltway, but I think I will take my chances and wait and see.