What will we do?

I have spent the last few months making fun of some of the more glaring idiosyncrasies of our generation, pointing out our obvious flaws and annoying habits.  The fact is as the world changes, each generation is going to have characteristics that can be easily ridiculed; we have to be willing to laugh at ourselves.

 

But I would like to change up this last post a bit and reflect on the tremendous abilities and strengths that we possess.

 

1.  We are, as a whole, more accepting of diversity than past generations.  Cultural and lifestyle differences can be openly celebrated.  Young people today are more apt to see that we are really more alike than we are different, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.  I honestly think that if someone is obnoxious and stupid enough to make openly racist or homophobic comments in public, THEY are ones that at risk of being judged.  And that is how it should be!

 

2.  We are more globally aware than past generations.  There are real problems in this world and we are the ones that are going to have to solve them.  We can’t ignore injustice and other people’s suffering and simply go on about our business the way previous generations have. Due to the role of international media and technology, we realize that we do not live in a safe little cocoon anymore.  If this world is going to be a better place we have to work WITH other countries in making this happen.  International Affairs is one of the fastest growing majors at colleges all over the country.  A desire to learn about and understand, not judge and control, other cultures is what we are moving toward.  The concept of Manifest Destiny is dead and we are finally waking up to realize that we, as Americans, are no better than anyone else.

 

While our generation may have its faults and shortcomings, these are two reasons that I am proud to be a part of it.  I truly believe that we are going to change the world.

Hashtags?

I hate trendy social media crazes, mainly because I don’t get them. For example, what is a hashtag? I understand that twitter users began the fad by placing  “#” in front of key words in their tweets but I don’t understand how and why it became so popular.

It’s possible that many of you will laugh at me for not being up to date on the social media lingo.  I guess I am actually asking for someone to explain to me why you would write:

#family#lovethem#best#birthday#park#sunshine

Instead of

“Best birthday in the park with my family! Sunshine!”

What does the future hold?

I visited my cousins this weekend. When I arrived at their house, Eliza who is seven greeted me at the door. She immediately asked me to play with her in her room. I hesitated, thinking that I would be forced to act out a puppet show or play dress up with her dolls.

I was surprised to learn that Eliza no longer plays with dolls or puppets; they bore her. Instead we powered up her IPad and opened a couple of tabs.  After skimming through her list of Pandora stations and eventually deciding on Selena Gomez Radio, she began “playing”. The game entailed dressing a doll and sending her out on various excursions.  

It’s important that you all understand that Eliza is no snob.  In fact, she possesses an unusual amount of empathy for someone her age. However, if you didn’t know this about her, you may get the wrong impression from watching her on her IPad. She was so fixated on the virtual world in front of her that she forgot I was there. So, when her brother asked me to play with him, I did. He led me to his room, sat down in the middle of the floor and grabbed his IPod Touch.

I’d like to reiterate the fact that these are small children… When we were that age, I remember playing games that involved some sort of human contact.  Could it be that our ability or desire to communicate directly with others is diminishing even as we speak?   Are we losing the ability to interact with the real world altogether?   

Too many possibilities!

Most of you are unaware that I am actually quite famous within a small community. The community I am referring to is the City Market staff. They have taken notice of my strange habit of meandering through the T.V dinner isle and now make somewhat comical remarks to me about it.  I have tried to break this habit. I decide I want lasagna, get out of my car, walk into the store, but when I see the endless choices, I can’t decide.

 

So anyway, I feel that this little neurosis of mine is emblematic of the situation that we all find ourselves in quite often, especially now at the precipice where we seniors are currently standing.  There are too many choices!!!  For breakfast… for college… for LIFE! I feel like things used to be simpler.  It seems like more decisions were made for 18 year olds in the 70s and 80s when our parents were kids. While I like the idea that I can do anything I want, it is driving me crazy!

Happy Holidays!

“Happy 4/20! Don’t hate the smokers, live your life and don’t judge others. You probably do things that they don’t like too. Remember that.”

Andy Warhol was completely justified in making this statement. I honestly have NO issue with the celebration of “Colorado’s Favorite Holiday”, but I would just like to offer some advice to those who choose to partake in the festivities.

1. Practice moderation! April 20^th is not the last day to smoke weed. You can do it tomorrow too. Just because you have an entire cake doesn’t mean you should shove it all down on your birthday.
2. Don’t post your every move on Facebook. I make this statement for two reasons, one being that no one is interested in the fact that you are “waking and baking” and that you have the munchies. Secondly, maybe it's legal, but do you want to get a job or go to college? Admissions committees don't consider getting high an extracurricular activity.
3. Don’t post pictures of yourself smoking, your paraphernalia, etc. Again, do you want people to see this evidence (your parents, family friends, police)?

Multitaskin'

The ability to multitask no doubt has it’s place in the world. It is an important skill to possess in a variety of situations.

But sometimes it seems like we are just a bunch of compulsive multitaskers. There is no rational reason for us to open six separate tabs for Facebook, email, Netflix, Twitter, Tumblr and Google Docs. You will actually get much less accomplished, which defeats the purpose of multitasking.

Deep down, we are aware of this, but we almost can’t help it! Even if we sit down in front of the computer with the intention of focusing on one thing, our newly developed need for excessive stimulation takes over; our fingers seem to be working of their own accord as they type in the F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k and then the N-e-t-f-l-i-x and so on.

How do you expect us to pass if you don't just tell us the answers?

 

In various posts I have highlighted one of the great faults of our generation, which is our belief that NOTHING is our fault. Today I witnessed an event that supported this accusation.

I am taking a night class at Colorado Mountain College. The instructor is dealing with some very serious personal issues, one of which is her mother’s failing health. Therefore, she needed to cancel two of our classes.

The week that she returned we had a midterm. After receiving bad scores on the exam, the majority of the class took steps to get the teacher in trouble. They claimed:

1. You cannot test us on information that you have not yet taught us.

Her response: I understand that, and I did not test you on anything not covered in class.

2. How were we supposed to study when you were not here?

Her response: There were multiple practice tests posted online and I was available to answer questions over email or phone.

3. Well, we did study and still did poorly, so it’s not our fault.

Her response: I checked the database to see who used the study guides. Those who did received bonus points on their exam.

4. Oh! What about the rest of us? Just because we didn’t study we are going to get bad grades?

To this last statement she, along with myself and a few other students, was unable to respond due to the fact that it was too ridiculous.

"People refresh Twitter as mindlessly as they twirl their hair"...and that's a problem

I think one thing we need to be careful of in our high tech world is the misconception that people want to be updated on our every action, no matter how completely mundane.

No one cares what you had for breakfast, that you hate your job, or that you are sitting at home bored.

And private conversations, with inside jokes, are not funny to the rest of the world... Tell us the whole story!

Uhh... when's the reassesment on this?

In my opinion, the philosophy behind standards based education is an issue that has an effect not only on our generation, but our entire society.  I think that theoretically it is a valid plan; we should be assessed on intellectual ability rather than homework and handwriting, right? Teachers should not revere the girl with perfect penmanship for mediocre work, while disregarding the brilliant boy who scribbles his thoughts down as hieroglyphics on scratch paper.

But standards based education is having negative effects on some students. Presentation DOES matter in the real world!  Your boss/client/whatever is not going to be happy with your amazing ideas if they are thrown together in a half assed way.  

In our educational system, doing it right the first time is way undervalued.  Why should we stay up all night studying for a test or writing a paper when we know that if we mess up the first time, we have another chance, and then another to get it right? For example, I’m having a hard time coming up with an ending to this blog, but that’s okay ‘cause I’ll do better on the next one.

Promoting Equality

This post may be uncharacteristic of this blog, but I think it is necessary to point out one of the greatest strengths our generation has.

The majority of us are very accepting of racial, cultural and personal differences. Progression towards an equal world is being made thanks to a change in ideals, as well as advancements in technology. This fact was highlighted by the large amount of support for equal marriage on Facebook this past week.

Lena Dunham

I recently discovered Lena Dunham, a writer/director who may be the voice of our generation... Her independent film, Tiny Furniture caught the eye of producer Judd Apatow which led to the HBO series, Girls. Dunham offers a fresh perspective on the issues that are unique to people our age. The characters come across in a realistic way.  Each episode touches on some insecurity or peculiarity that makes it super relatable. The characters will remind you of either yourself or someone you know. I will probably make references to or link to episodes of this show in later posts. If you haven't seen it, click the link below to watch the season 2 trailer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6eKTTJu0JA

Photo Ops!

Gone are the days when it took four rolls of film to get one good picture of yourself. Twenty years ago, you had to take your film to a darkroom. You would pay to have pictures developed and then end up discarding half of them that you didn’t like. With digital photography it is possible to snap and delete until we get the perfect photo. This technology has expanded our ability to take amazing pictures, but unfortunately it has produced a massive amount of amatuer photographers who “specialize” in self-portraits. People literally take hundreds of pictures of themselves in only slightly varied “poses” usually in front of mirrors.

If you want to spend your time this way, that’s okay. I can see trying to get that perfect shot, the one that is going to be different than all the rest. But then do you have to post ALL HUNDRED on facebook?

Now, we can all probably concede that 90% of the time spent on facebook is wasted, but not even the most diehard junkie is going to scroll through 100 mirror pictures of someone else... so why post them? Who do they think is looking at them besides stalkers? The posting of multiple photographs that are basically the same person in the same pose defeats the original purpose of digital photography.
To end this, I would like to point out that there is something worse. If you insist on posting so many pictures of yourself, don’t touch them up or edit them to make yourself look like a supermodel. We all know what you really look like, because we see you every day.

The Age of the Indigo

The indigo child is brilliant, fearless, intuitive and most importantly self-empowered. They are not afraid to express their opinion and when doubted, profess their superiority.

The “indigo child” is a euphemism for a SPOILED BRAT! And if we look at ourselves closely enough, we will find that this describes most of us to one degree or another.

80% of us are indigo children! Remarkable, isn’t it? How is it that our generation, so much more enlightened than previous ones, is not smart enough to realize that we still have a lot to learn?

It’s not our fault! It’s the way we’ve been raised. It wasn’t that long ago that common child-rearing wisdom was that we were to be “seen and not heard”. Forward thinking psychologists say we deserve to be raised in an environment of love. Praise us for what we do right, and if we do it wrong, say, “how have we, as parents, teachers, etc... failed you?

Again, it’s not our fault! In fact nothing is EVER our fault. And we always deserve a second, third and fourth chance. ..

Our generation is coddled and I think we would be much better off if more was expected of us.

I say we end the Indigo Era and bring back the Tiger Moms! Watch this Jon Stewart clip to see if you agree.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-april-26-2011/tiger-mothering

Reclusive Socializing

In my previous post, I may have given off a negative impression of texting. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this form of communication!

I am what you might call socially inept. I have always harbored an unusual amount of anxiety when it came to interacting with others face to face. There is so much that can go wrong!

You might say the wrong thing without thinking first, or even worse, you might spend too much time thinking of what the right thing is to say which creates those awkward silences. If you don’t know what to say when texting, you can always just say lol or put a smiley face. Imagine just standing there smiling in person, and it’s creepy.

Sometimes people look right at you when they talk to you which is very unnerving. Then you don’t know where to look. Sending a text requires no eye contact- a definite plus.

One of the criticisms of our generation is our lack of interpersonal skills as a result of texting. I don’t really know how to respond to that... other than...:)

An Absurd Use of Acronyms

That made me lol.
Now I am lmao. . .no, lmfao.
O.M.G, I am literally roflmao.
Wait, roflmfao. . . sry i 4got the “f”.

Using acronyms used to be about efficiency, but there is a time and a place for their presence. For example, if you are running late, texting “be there a.s.a.p” is one thing. This makes sense, but when did acronyms totally get out of hand?

How many words can you abbreviate before the time it takes to develop a shorthand version of the sentence surpasses the amount of time it would have taken to write the words out?

Honestly, trying to decode text messages and Facebook posts is comical. Sometimes it is the content that is funny, such as a post I recently read, “going to go H.A.M. after I eat this Arby’s sandwich”, but the humor is really in the illustration of the apathetic nature of our generation.