To-do list for today:

1) Go to Youtube and watch Jeff Gordinier, editor-at-large of Details and author of X Saves the World, discuss Gen X and his book

2) Go to Amazon and buy Jeff Gordinier’s book, X Saves the World.

Secret service agents join the commotion

At about 2:30 on the afternoon of Monday, March 31, 1981, as I was in the stairwell of my high school skipping an afternoon class, the word began to circulate that Ronald Reagan had been shot.

Slowly (these were pre-Internet days), the story began to emerge that the President had survived and that (the real tragedy in this story) the press secretary, a police officer and a secret service agent had been shot.

The reaction among my peers: “Huh.”

Unlike John Lennon, who had been assassinated 112 days before on Monday, December 8, 1980, Reagan was no hero to the youth of the time. This was not a Kennedy or King moment in history.

(And now you know why we don’t like Mondays.)

Reagan’s would-be assassin, John Hinckley, Jr., was delusional and creepy. He had not acted out of political fervour or a desire for change. He had watched one movie too many times and was trying to impress an actress. And he had botched the entire plot, wounding bystanders and only hitting the President by accident (Reagan was hit by the sixth shot that ricocheted off his limousine). Pathetic.

But then, our generation was used to disappointment. Our parents split up, our teachers were alcoholics, our prospects were uncertain as the economy teetered toward recession and it turned out no one really wanted to give peace a chance.

And, because we didn’t think love-ins/bed-ins/sit-ins could change the world, we were labelled the Lost Generation, the Me Generation and later, Generation X.

…movie was pretty good, but not as good as the book.

And I know, I know people always say that. But in this case it really is true.

I liked it (the movie) but it just didn’t have the same effect on me as the book, you know. I think it has something to do with the language. Cormac McCarthy’s voice is so…particular, so evocative. I’m not sure it can be captured well in film. It is captured quite well in the audio book version of the novel. Same goes for previous novels such as All The Pretty Horses and No Country for Old man. Although I have to say that I think the Coen brothers did a very good job of translating Cormac McCarthy’s voice and style and asthetic to film. In fact, it was spot on  as far as I’m concerned. I was so sure it would be too, when I heard that they were making NCFOM into a movie. They just seemed like the perfect fit. Which of course is why that movie won so many awards.

I’d had similar hopes when I learned that it was going to be directed by John Hillcoat because of a movie he directed entitled The Proposition, which was an amazing albeit very brutal movie, but I wasn’t as sure as I was about the Coen brothers doing NCFOM. In fact, so certain was I that the brothers Coen would make a great movie out of that novel that I actually argued it’s merits with someone who had seen it and didn’t think it was all that good even before I’d seen it. Of course, I later saw it and felt entirely justified in my stance.

It’s funny because I wasn’t as enthralled with NCFOM when it first came out. I remember liking it but thinking it was just kind of a Cormac McCarthy-esque thriller, you know. That was partly because it didn’t impress me the way All the Pretty Horses, the first Cormac McCarthy novel I ever read, had. And there’d been a lot of build up, waiting for it to come out. It has been about seven years since he last novel, Cities of the Plain, kind of let down as the third installment of the Border Trilogy, which started with ATPH followed by The Crossing. Point being I was anxious to read something  new by McCarthy. And even though NCFOM was quite an improvement, I found it a little disappointing. And who knew  how long I’d have to wait until the man’s next novel.

Turned out not that long. The Road was published the next year. I had no idea it was coming out. I just remember opening a box of new book at the library where I work and seeing this book with a glossy black cover with the title, The Road, in a muted brown color, and Cormac McCarthy’s name in an even more muted gray color. It was like discovering something you’d always wished for but hadn’t had the chance to yet. My heart began to beat faster. My hands shook a little. For a second I was sure that I was imaginging it, hallucinating. But I wasn’t.

I began reading The Road immediately. And I know that people say this a lot but I literally could not put it down. And as soon as I finished it I began reading it again right then. As soon as I was able I ran out and bought a hardcover copy, because I wanted to have a first edition. If only there was some way to get it signed.

I knew instinctively that it was a great book, a superb novel, and there was no doubt that it would win some literary prize. And I was right. I won The Pulitzer and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, as well as being nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Being selected as an Oprah Book didn’t hurt none either.

Perhaps the movie version never had a chance to live up to my expectations.

But don’t think I’m ragging the movie. Because I’m not. It was excellent. And there were some moments in that book that literally made my heart race. And Viggio Mortensen was the perefect cast for the father, as were all the character castings. The kid who plaed The Boy, Kodi Smit-McPhee, was excellent. But perhaps the most stunning performance came from Robert Duvall, who plays the feeble old man that they (The Man and The Boy) encounter and take a meall with, mostly because of The Boy’s insistence.

Still, I’m not sure I’d automaticlly recomend this movie. It is not for the average movie goer. Most people aren’t going to want to see this movie; no feel good fare it be. Which is why during Thanksgiving I purposely refrained from talking about it when the subject of movies came up. I’d learned my lesson after reading the book, when I was talking aboug books at some family gathering and mentioned the novel — I got a response like a tumbleweed blowing through a ghost town pretty much.

I read a recent article by Carol Phillips the other day, on how Boomers who don’t have Generation Y children generally believe that there is no generational difference, only an age gap.

It made me remember how, when I’ve spoken to various audiences about generations, almost every time I hear the same grumble, particularly from older generations, that there is no ‘Generation Y, X..’ etc, just people of different ages. Everyone’s needs are the same, so why not just cater to everyone the same?

Well, if this is the case, then why are there persistent misunderstandings and tensions in the workplace between people of different ages? Every Boomer and Xer knows what it’s like to be the age of a Generation Y; they remember being thrust from the safe bubble of university into the uncertain world of work. They had needs and dreams which were typical for people their age, so surely it should be easy to communicate with someone who is basically a younger version of them, right? Wrong.

Generation Y gets a lot of stick from older generations not because they think different, but because they look the same. We see a Japanese person and Pakistani person in the same room and we immediately assume they are very different people. If we’re being honest, apart from the obvious cultural, religious and language disparities, the feature we see first which indicates their difference, is their appearance. This visible difference makes it easy to grasp the concept that they might think differently too.

A generation is essentially formed by a group of people within the same age-bracket, who undergo shared experiences and so build a set of rules and models to help explain their world, creating what is commonly known as a culture. This suggests that when it comes to generations, looks are deceiving. Even if they share the same ethnic background, Generation Y, X and Baby Boomers each have their own culture, with values, assumptions, beliefs and behaviours which manifest differently in business. This means that, while communication challenges are inevitable, there is great opportunity to leverage the cultural strengths of each generation to create a dynamic and vibrant workforce.

All around the blogosphere, people are writing about Thanksgiving.

To me, Thanksgiving is not a historical holiday.  It’s not about “pilgrims and indians.”  It’s not about inaccurate history or revisionist history or lies my teachers may have told me.

It may sound obvious, but to me Thanksgiving is about giving thanks.  Giving thanks for everything, everyone and every “every” that I have had, have now and will have.  Most of these “haves” are intangible.  And that brings me to what I am specifically thankful for this Thanksgiving:

I am thankful that I have the ability to give thanks.

No, I’m not trying to be esoteric or existential (although I am a Gen Xer…so some would say I am prone to both!).  Allow me to explain…

The fact is, I live a life of extreme privilege.  I always have.  As a child and as an adult, I have never, ever wanted for anything.  And I mean ANYTHING with a capital A.  I could easily have turned out to be a spoiled brat (and maybe I have – a little).

For all my upper-class-upbringing faults, I do have some redeeming qualities.  Those qualities were passed down from my self-made parents, especially my mother, who introduced me to faith and hope.

Faith and hope are these amazing things.  For me, they are like breathing.  They are always around, but I don’t always think about them.  They buoy me, they nudge me forward, they open my mouth to say words I might otherwise be hesitant to say.

Not everyone has faith and hope in their life.  Not everyone “knows” everything will turn out fine.  Not everyone sees most outcomes as something they can deal with, work through and find the other side of.

So, I’m thankful.  I’m thankful for faith and hope.  I’m thankful that I’m thankful for faith and hope.  And I’m thankful that I realize not everyone has these these concepts and beliefs in their lives.

My friend Pedro used to say to me, “Qué mas?” which he told me means, “What more?”  That’s exactly how I feel about faith and hope this Thanksgiving.

What more?

This particular article was one of my first big lessons in writing search engine optimized material. Everything I’ve read has told me that the current generation of college students would prefer to be called “The Millennial Generation” rather than “Generation Y” (and why they wouldn’t just prefer to be called “the current generation of college students” is beyond me. It’s not like I walked around when I was in college and said to people, “Hey, I’m Generation X. So suck it.”). But guess what search term people use most often when looking for information on this generation? Yup.

Of course, what people probably find out when they search on “Generation Y” is statements like “The current generation of college students would prefer to be called the Millennial Generation.” So there’s that.

Gather ’round smart leaders and let me tell you a story.  A story that’s being repeated in workplaces across Canada as I type…

Once upon a time, there was a smart, uber talented MBA graduate who had invested $60k of his hard earned cash to earn the credential that was his ticket to the management echelons.  Years passed and the young, hardworking, MBA-holding leader was finally given the big opportunity he’d dreamed of… a big step up into a high profile, challenging role.  His new boss gave him an encouraging smile, mentioned something about an “open door policy” and left him to get on with the task at hand.  The classic “sink or swim” approach to stepping into a bigger role.

But our hero is no management “sinker”.  He knew he needed help.  So, he did what every smart employee does: he sourced some management courses and even went to HR to get more recommendations on courses he could take and coaches he could hire.  All fired up and clear on the support he needed to avoid a potential career flameout, our guy headed to his bosses’ office to get approval on his development request.

When all of a sudden… disaster struck! The economy tanked… training budgets were cut… and his boss fed him the standard party line that went something like this…”you’re an important member of the team but my hands are tied until Q3 when we can maybe access that cash.”

Unfortunately, the tanking economy didn’t wait for Q3 to turn up the heat on our fearless leader. His team downsized and his deliverables upsized.  The pressure was building… his career was sliding… he wasn’t sleeping… and the only person who was happy was the barista that was serving up our hero’s twice daily dose of venti double Americanos.

Insert dramatic, tension-building musical interlude here…

Will our hero survive this impending career crash?  Will his boss see the light and pull the measly $5k out of the photocopy budget to hire him the coach he so obviously needs???

But more importantly… will our smart, MBA-holding, fast-tracker stop waiting for his organization to help him get the development he needs and look after himself?????

Okay… I’m being a little bit overly dramatic here.  But only a little bit.  Consider this blog a thought provoker.

For all of you out there that are under the continued belief (some, less kind people, would say delusion) that your organization should and WILL pay for all the development you need (and you WILL need it) post-grad school, it’s time for a reality check.  If you are a GenX or GenY leader you should KNOW by now that there are no jobs for life and you should KNOW that you have to build your resume to ensure your future job opportunities (which, frankly, has to include keeping your skills up to parr)… so why are you still waiting for your boss to foot your development bill?  Why are you potentially putting your career at risk by not getting the support you need, when you need it?  On YOUR terms?

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask your boss to cough up some bucks when your skills are obviously going to help the company.  But, what I am saying is that – at the end of the day – you HAVE to look after yourself.  Don’t spend more money buying Venti Americano’s or Bell Expressvu or that snappy new suit each year than you do in investing in your biggest asset… YOU!

The Wealthy Barber  espoused putting 10% of your salary away to “pay yourself first”.  Well, I’d like to suggest you take 5% of your salary and invest in yourself first.  Don’t wait for your boss to do it for you.  Afterall, if you’re not hitting your deliverables, I doubt you’ll get an apology from your organization for not giving you the support you need.  And, if you do hit those deliverables, the raise you’ll be getting and the opportunities that will be in front of you will far outweigh the money that you’ve invested in yourself.

Your career’s worth more than a thousand no-foam-double-hot lattes.  Isn’t it?

Happy leading!

Now, about our PO’d Granny.  She seems full of energy and wishing to call attention upon herself, her age and her outfit.  She does this job very well effectively getting her point across that senior citizens are unhappy with the idea of decreasing social security, medicare, Medicaid benefits and increases in taxes.  She represents those in the nursing home who yell at the television while turning up their hearing aids to hear what that crazy BO is proposing today.  She represents the parents of the baby boomers.  Her and her generation grew up adding water to the ketchup bottles in order to make it last longer.  Many grew up using outhouses, they remember the value of hard work and have seen the shrinking phenomena of the harder you work, the more you earn which is all but coming to an end.  She and the generation she comes from has a story, and I think we should listen to what this hardworking generation brought to this country along with the ideals and values they believe in.

For our next generation, I will discuss the baby boomers. 

Now, the assumption I am willing to make is that a boomer is holding this sign tooting capitalist ideals.  Probably a  Republican holding this sign, considering signs saying “Thank God for Fox news and Glenn Beck” are seen throughout the sea of white people.  This sign represents so many ideals held by the boomer generation.  The boomer generation is by far a very interesting group of people.  They saw the advent of the microwave, they grew up watching the Andy Griffith show, many are still addicted to the glowing lights of the television.  This generation grew up in a time of opportunity.  They had a larger piece of the pie.  Money, jobs, pensions, unions is what this generation came to enjoy.  They marched in the 60’s, protested the Vietnam war, segregation was still prevalent in the south, student loan debt in the 5 figures was alien.  I envy the boomer generation.  I feel their opportunities surpass the present state of our economy.  As the boomers age, they saw much of their retirement savings dissolve as the stock market plummeted, their home values decreased, and the value of the US dollar is no longer backed by gold.  Boomers protest because they are at the brink of retirement, at their highest earning levels and they dont wish for higher taxes or shrinking social security benefits.  The sign using the word “selfish” indicates self-interest over societal good.  This is essence of our tax payer protest, self-interest verses helping our neighbors even the neighbors who share no ideals, values or similarities as our own.

The cartoon of Obama on Mad magazine, states many of the feelings held by the boomer generation. 

Below I added a photo of the march to represent the “sea of white people” as my sister so pointedly pointed out!

The next generation we get to, is generation X.  Now gen Xers are the comparatively smaller group of 30-40 years olds that are squeezed between the boomers and millennials.   They will be  effected by both the policies pushed for by the millennial and boomer generations..  This generation believes in face to face communication whereas their 25-year-old counterpart would prefer to instant message.  The gen Xers clash with the millennial generation by means of communication.  I first hand saw the difficulties in trying to communicate with gen Xers who dont follow the band wagon of texting, im, email(novel idea).  This generation prefers to speak on the phone, verbally.  Quite odd for a Millennial who feels much more comfortable expressing ideas through emoticons along with text and email.  I feel there are communication barriers between the old school gen Xers and the millennials which can cause tension in work and social context. 

The next generation I will consider, is the millennial generation.  This is my favorite generation and one that I can relate the most considering I am a millennial.  This generation is less concerned about social security benefits declining because we have written off the idea of ever receiving social security benefits.  We would like part of our paychecks going into the social security fund because we  will possibly never see any of that money again.  We are the children of the boomers.  That statement says a lot about who we are and where we come from.  We saw are parents go through the hardships of the 1980’s along with record high interest rates, we saw Clinton balance the budget, we watch 9-11 in real-time and we now reap the burdens of the attacks.  We are grow up with uncertainty, but we are also self-reliant and able.  Our world is smaller than generations before with social media we connect, disseminate and take in more information that any generation prior.  We are the generation inundated with student loan, credit card debt, and shrinking benefits.  We grow up in a consumer driven society and strive to outdo our parents.  We are a war-torn generation.  1.25 million of us will have gone through the service in our life time and we will have to deal with the effects as trademark of our generation.

Containers stacked 3 high surround the parameter of where the public memorial service for the Fort Hood soldiers on 11-5-09 where Obama spoke.  This picture exemplifies the Millennial generation.  We must consider our safety and security, no longer are those given just because we live in America.  Our world is not like our predecessors.  Currently, the most high-paying  job, were not around 5 years ago.  We must train, educate ourselves to be versatile, a thinking, problem solving generation that can no longer rely on past methods to solve future problems.  As millennials, each of us owes the government 184,000 dollars and growing.  The national debt will be 1.4 trillion by the end of 2009.  That is our burden and we must innovate to think ourselves out of our inheirtance.   At the tax-payer march, millennials were far and few between.  I attest this because my generation has yet to see their taxes rise or to even pay many taxes.  Much of my generation wants change and needs healthcare. 

The next and last generation is Generation Z. 

These young individuals were born in the late 90’s and are still being born today.  These young stewards of technology will inherit a very different world and a load of debt.  They will grow up on video games, social networking, cell phones in elementary school and internet.  They will be the generation along with the millennial, who pays for the boomers social security, interest on our foreign debt.  I will bet this generation will be smaller than the millennial generation.  With the popularity of replacing children with small furry dogs, I feel the shear cost of raising a child in our new world will keep the Gen Z a smaller pool than before.

Generation WHY??

2009 marked the year of six babies I knew of being born- joyous events.

However, these innocents were born to members of Gen Y who hover around 30 with no college educations and no want of such.

It seems as if children are the new accessories for some- who see kids on the hips of Hollywood’s young, hot and not so sharp.

The mothers of these newborns I have noticed- put them in the hot tub at one month of age, still do drugs and drink and then pump breast milk, expose their new borns to loud reality tv where people yell at each other all day, etc.. What’s worse is the fathers of these children are not motivated either.  They don’t work steadily or have educations.

In these LA cases, the new “parents” valet cars part time, then surf, sell junk they find on the streets, go to auditions, and dj. The other part of the time, they mooch off their parents, the child’s grandparents.

It’s the new parental welfare. It’s “keep paying my rent so I can go out- because you wouldn’t want the baby to be homeless now, would you?” mentality.  The party kids with everything given to them who became socially irrelevent, thought that having kids would somehow validate them. Babies are the new “look at me”. 

Here are two real life examples of new non-famous LA moms (names changed) with no career skills and no personal hobbies except for reading tabloids and watching reality shows.

Amy is 28 and made it through high school. She has two DUI’s- crashed a car into a building after drinking too much. Got knocked up by a guy, was pregnant in jail, waiting around for unemployment from yet another restaurant job she’s gotten fired from in the same beach town.  Told everyone everywhere she went she was pregnant, even perfect strangers.  Her guy goes out to bars and clubs and tells her people try to rufie him. hmm. Thought about getting her kid into show business, until she found out she couldn’t touch the money. Doesn’t have enough money for rent, but will buy 300 dollar sunglasses and drive to Beverly Hills to have her hair done. Family- upper middle class.

Christen is a former heroin addict. Found a nice guy, best friend of her former boyfriend and got knocked up. The baby daddy had to drop out of college. They moved in with his parents who have money.

Louise has never had a job- druggie. Her guy’s parents have old Hollywood money. He’s never had a job.  They popped out a kid and were given his grandparent’s old house to live in. They’re selling off the contents inside of it.

You would think women of Generation Y would be more self-developed, and not rely on the oldest tricks in the book, but yet it persists–even with more focus on self esteem building and more information out there.

There was the case of Casey and Caylee Anthony, where the mother wasn’t done partying and killed her child.

Too bad you can’t make parents to be take classes on the potential harm they could cause their kid.

Listen to the wise Karyn Murphy and just don’t have kids until you are prepared to give them everything they need, after first being able to stand on your own two feet and have some accomplishments for which your child can  be proud of you.

Also mind poet Philip Larkin:

This Be the Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.

My name is Kim Burnett, and I am a public servant. I am young, and therefore I am creative, energetic, and tech savvy. I am optimistic about the possibilities available to me as a government worker in terms of both my career, and improving the lives of Canadians. I haven’t become disillusioned or disaffected, yet.

These sort of stereotypes / assumptions serve me well, some of the time (especially because I am creative and energetic, and pseudo-tech-savvy), but I worry about what logically follows for my less youthful counterparts. Are they old, and therefore bereft of creativity, energy, and the ability to use the internets? Can they not find the googles? These stereotypes / assumptions also do not serve me well sometimes: youth is also associated with inexperience, naivety, and unfamiliarity with bureaucratic processes.

Are these stereotypes helpful? Should our renewal attempts be founded on them? I’m “young”, and I can’t fix your blackberry. Being “old” doesn’t mean you couldn’t. I assume what I am saying isn’t new or jaw-dropping to any of you. But, I think there is value in repeating the message when renewal is on the minds of so many. Especially when some initiatives (e.g., canada@150), although awesome, are still geared specifically toward young public servants.

I think that ignoring or excluding “more seasoned” employees from renewal initiatives

1. ignores / excludes a huge pool of potential creativity from people with a ton of public service experience,
2. reifies stereotypes and dichotomies about and between “young” and “old” public servants, and
3. is kind of toxic and ageist .

(Side note: Yup, I used the a-word. And I mean it. I remember joking to a friend when I was going through  canada@150 application process (sigh, I was rejected)  — imagine if it was only open to men? to women? to Caucasian-Canadians? But it is okay for a government initiative to specify young public servants? Bwaa?? — I often use humour to talk about serious things.)

It isn’t my contention that Gen Ys are the same as Gen Xs and Boomers, rather, I believe that efforts to renew the public service need to be inclusive of people of all ages. IMHO as a public servant and former facilitator, your employees will be as creative, energetic, and 2.0 savvy as you allow them to be, no matter their age, generation, or years of service. If people planning to retire within 5 years are expected to be disillusioned about their potential to make change, then they will be. Let’s not put people out to pasture because they are over 60. Or, *gasp*, over 35. Let’s create and foster an environment where employees at all ages and classifications are encouraged to harness their creativity, energy, and web 2.0-savvyness (hereinafter referred to as CE2.0).

How do I create a Creative, Energetic, 2.0-savvy (CE2.0) environment?

I don’t have THE answer, just suggestions.

1. Don’t always call upon your token CE2.0 types for your CE2.0 needs. When you bring new faces to meetings (where they are expected to participate and engage) you increase the likelihood of your non-usual suspects sharing ideas — they may even get excited about work.
2. If you want 2.0 savvy employees, provide them the opportunity to become 2.0 savvy. In my section, for example, we’re trying out Sharepoint, we want people to use it, so we’re offering training.
3. Create creative space. THAT SOUNDS VAGUE, Kim. You say. It’s not, actually. Get your group together to brainstorm to troubleshoot issues facing your group. You might be surprised with what they come up with. You might not. But, there is value in giving people the opportunity to influence the environment in which they work. There is value in expecting your employees to think outside the box, engage, and participate. (This value will be diminished if such an exercise isn’t undertaken sincerely, and if employee suggestions are ignored.)

Hm, and that’s all I got, for now, suggestions-wise. What are your suggestions? How can we facilitate our employee engagement, creativity, energy, and 2.0-savvyness across generations in the public service? And how did you feel about me dropping the a-bomb like that?

P.S. Here is an interesting CBC Spark interview on the future of aging, retirement, how we think about our lifespans, and how that needs to change.

P.P.S. Splash!

I remember when I was like 7 years old, playing Super Mario Bros. 3, and as I ducked down behind the bush in level 3 of World 1 to get the magical warp whistle, I said to my friend, “I wonder what video games will look like in the future.” And he said something like, “I bet they’ll look like real people.” At the time, it really just seemed like a pipe dream; like, when video games looked like that, there would be a robotic chauffeur driving me around in a flying car. But with an unimaginable rapidity, less than 15 years later I’m sitting here playing X-Box 360, and it looks like real people! Who would have thought? Not many.

Gordon Moore

There’s a famous 1980s computer quote, purportedly by Bill Gates (though he aggressively denies it) that “640K ought to be enough for anybody.” Regardless of who it was that foolishly made this comment, they didn’t take into account Gordon Moore’s 1965 prediction which, in so many words, states that computer processing power will double every 18 months. Almost 45 years later now, ‘Moore’s Law‘ holds very closely to the original prediction. Interestingly, the exponential growth in the number of transistors able to fit on a computer chip, from thousands in the ’60s to billions presently, has really been the driving force behind most technological advances and innovations.

We, being those that grew up as part of generation Y, who developed as human beings as the personal computer developed, seem to be analogously adapting to the changes with no problem. Also, our older, generation X counterparts are quite up-to-date with the current technology as well and it seems like they too have not really had any problems with the technological assimilation. I think the main reason is that technology has increasingly become the standard in both school and work: emailing stuff rather than wasting both money and paper on printing, PowerPoint for presentations, using the internet for research, and so on. Similarly, utilizing technology is becoming more and more relevant in our everyday lives: there’s a website for everything, phones are starting to double as computers, and the other day I flashed a bus driver a text-message sent to me from Bolt Bus that counted as my ticket.

It really has had and does have a fascinating affect on our lives.

A couple months ago, I was sitting in my room and a friend, who was looking at his computer, said to me, “Wow, only old people send emails.” I didn’t really get it at first, but after thinking about it, it almost made my head explode. I’ve never heard anyone say that before, but it’s so true! What’s amazing about the comment is that, compared to a couple years ago, it would have sounded so futuristic. But with quickly changing technology, our preferred mediums of communication are changing quickly too. It went from emails to instant messaging to texting and now a huge combination of everything, all available through mobile devices.

It’s really a great sign, however, that ‘old people’ are using email. A large portion of the baby boomer population has historically been very hesitant to use emerging technologies and I think it’s because they are already behind. It was at first as if they didn’t trust it. For instance, my mother used to print out Mapquest directions when she first got her GPS just in case anything went wrong. But she’s learned it’s okay to not only trust technology, but also to take advantage of it because it can make your life significantly easier.

Now, I talk to my mom and dad through emails all the time. I sometimes find my grandfather, a fellow night owl, chatting with me on AIM at 3am. My friend’s parents are my Facebook friends. I had a text message conversation the other day with a friend’s father that was giving me career advice.

I think that, despite those people who still somehow don’t know how to use a computer (who obviously haven’t made any attempt at it), the baby boomer generation is really eager to learn, utilize, and benefit from improving technologies. And, I too, am excited to see what’s to come.

If I could have any superpower it would be a melding of a photographic memory with the ability to instantly transform any given information into a useful means. A sort of Rain Man – McGyver dude!

Not sure what the outfit would look like exactly but it definitely wouldn’t be from Kmart because Kmart sucks! And of course, no capes! Edna knows her business and I’m not going to second guess her. Although without a cape a flourishing exit just isn’t quite the same, now is it. In any case, it will be flattering to the physique and buoyant yet classically understated. Plus, it will have a special pocket for my iPod. Oh…and a  glow in the dark chest log and neck collar trim.

My cousin recently wrote a blog post about how he believes the honesty of students is decreasing. He’s a teacher in the Midwest. He sees firsthand how the kids these days will not hesitate to cheat or lie to make their lives easier. And while I don’t disagree with this, I don’t really think it’s anything new. I made some pretty good money in my 2-year stint as a term paper writer in the early 2000s. But that’s neither here nor there.

Chuck Klosterman has a theory that Generation X became a generation of lazy, pessimistic slackers because the first movie we were old enough to understand was The Empire Strikes Back. I you remember that movie, you remember it ended with Han Solo being captured by Boba Fett and frozen in carbonite. It was also the episode where Luke learned that his father was Darth Vader and Leah was his sister. It was a prequel to Jerry Springer. So Klosterman’s theory is that because this was really our first memorable taste of culture, us Generation Xers grew up with a darker view of the world around us.

Let’s look at the generation going through high school right now. For some, their first cognizant memory is 9-11. They may have been alive during America’s prosperous years but they weren’t old enough to recognize it. Some of them might not even have been old enough to understand what was going on, but certainly absorbed some of the tension their parents carried around.

Enter George W. Bush.

You can say all you want about Barack Obama, but the one quality he has that George Bush lacked is the ability to think things through and not jump at the country’s whims.

So with Bush chomping at the bit to get revenge and appease the cries of the angry American mob, the leader of the free world, the most powerful person in the world, fed us a lie. Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Then add to that the Patriot Act and numerous other infractions against the Constitution and you’ve got yourself a guy who will put his integrity aside to further his own agenda. I mean, just look what came from it. Halliburton. Blackwater. All of the administration’s cronies were getting in on the action and getting rich off the lies of the President of the United States of America.

So why then would kids who were 10 years old at the time and have grown up seeing their President lie, cheat, and steal his way into infamy think it’s wrong to do any different? I mean, if he can do it, why can’t they? He didn’t talk like an educated man. In fact most of what came out of him mouth was unintelligible. Why would they value an education? George W. Bush didn’t put any effort into finding a middle ground with anyone else in the world. He didn’t respect other cultures. Why would the kids think they should respect anyone around them? Why wouldn’t they think that it’s ok to do whatever you want in the name of self-serving purpose.

If you think about it, it all makes sense.

Or am I way off base here. Please weigh in.

[Image Credit]

Mindy Phillips is the Operations Director at Lightspeed Research – The Foresight Group

by Mindy Phillips

Not too long ago, one of my friends sent me a fun forward. One of those “you know you are a child of the 80’s when you know you are getting old when” emails.  Now, I don’t know when 33 became “old” but as I read on, although really funny, I did notice that there is a difference between myself and others I work with. Even though the age difference isn’t that large, some days it feels larger than others.

This became evident to me a few weeks ago when I noticed frustration starting to build after project meetings where everyone seemed to understand what needed to be accomplished only to discover later that there were some who didn’t really get what needed to be done. Initially, I thought that maybe not enough detail was given or it was not explained clearly so I would help solve the issue by being clearer in my communications of steps needed, explain the whys and ask in the meeting to confirm their understanding of the to-dos. Yeah, I thought to myself, I am helping fix a problem. However, my triumph was short-lived when I still discovered that some still didn’t “get it”.

I found myself thinking, “Why don’t you just listen?!” Then, I ran across a SHRM article “3 Ways to Get More Out of Generation Y at Work”. One of the article’s points was that Generation Y processes information differently. More specifically, due to the sheer volume of information readily available from multiple media, they can’t take in all the information, so they don’t. This can lead to times “when they act like they “got it” but actually didn’t and tuned you out too quickly.” 

Bingo! This was the exact situation I found myself in. Although explaining the whys was actually another strategy for working with Generation Y (hey, I didn’t get it all wrong) and being clear is always a good idea, this was never going to solve my “listening” issue. The article suggested creating accountability with technology using outlets such as email, text messaging and auto reminders to bring everyone on board. I have started asking team members to confirm to-do’s or understandings via email and I’ve found that it seems to be working out.

Understanding these simple differences will help Gen Yer’s be more productive.  And those that manage them, more satisfied that they were heard and understood.  So, even though my coworkers may not know what Willis was “talkin’ ‘bout” hopefully they will understand what I’m talking about.

Malcolm Gladwell (b. 1963) and Steven Levitt (b. 1967 [same year as me, which of course makes me feel like a loser, because what have I done, right?]) both have new books out.

Both are GenXer and both are innovative thinkers. Indicative of the GenX mindset they think quite differently than most others in their respective fields, which is why they are so successful.

Gladwell’s book , What the Dog Saw, is a collection of his essays from The New Yorker where he has worked as a journalist since 1996 according to his wikipedia page. I’ve only glimpsed the intro to this book but am very eager to read it. Loved The Tipping Point and Outliers especially. Blink is interesting but I’m still not sure I entirely buy into the premise. (ah, ever the skeptical GenXer, even in regards to one of my own — yeah, I wish I could consider MG a peer. HA!)

Levitt’s new book, SuperFreakenomics (nice little play on the Rick James song there) is the follow up to his his first book, Freakenomics (2005), which he co-authored with journalist Stephen J. Dubner (b.1963), also a GenXer. Levitt and Dubner turn economis on it’s head by applying the economic thought process or whatever you call it to non-traditional subject matter, from drug dealing to global warming — often to much criticism as well as praise. But they wouldn’t be a GenXers if they didn’t ruffle a few feathers in such a traditional field. Levitt’s economic take on things is fascinating, and he has the uncanny ability to remove all emotional/more predjudice from his researh, which perhaps sounds like a a  “not good” thing but it seems essential to this particular kind “pure thinking,” (whatever tha means, right) the results of which can be mucked up later with barnacles of emotion and sentimentality and morality — junk like that. I’ve just started SuperFreakenomics but am already ready to drink the Kool Aid a second time. Glug glug glub. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. And you will too!

…comes via JenX67 (as if I even had to say it — all bow down to the goddes off all things Generation X).

And thank God too, right. About time.

I know, I know! I change my featured blog about as often as I change the sheets, that is if I was the one who changed the sheets — wifey does that, and quite regularly too. But I’m just saying, if I was the one doing the changing it wouldn’t be often and thus the joke would work. Still, I change my underwear quite regularly, you know, when I think of it.

Anyhoo…

The new blog is called The Slacker Factor, and looks to be very promising. Be sure to check out the About section because JenX67 was spot on when she said that the authors bios are quite clever.

I for one am quite please to know that their are other GenXers out their who are not only are not ashamed of their slackerdom (eh?) but embrace it even proudly flaunt it.

Identity theft, particularly since the advent of the internet, is a scary concept for many people. Terrifying tabloid stories of innocent people losing their savings at the whim of a cold-hearted hacker, or receiving speeding fines from someone cloning their number plate, can shivers down most people’s backs.

That is, with the (generalised) exception of Generation Y. While 83% of Boomers and 79% of Xers feel have a very high concern for identity theft, Generation Y (particularly on the internet) is perceived to be at the greatest risk, but is often accused of having a blasé attitude towards identity theft, sharing too much personal information that could be used to harm them.

But why is this? One reason could be that Generation Y has a higher risk profile, that they are either unafraid of the potential risks, or are confident in current safety systems to safeguard them against the consequences of such theft. Alternatively, this group may be naïve, that due to a lack of life experience, they don’t really think about it.

Another, and perhaps more significant reason, is that the fear of identity theft for Generation Y is subverted by a fear of something more important to this cohort. Generation Y is also known as Generation 2.0 iGeneration, Net Generation for good reason – they have built their individual and social identities on the internet, most notably on social networking sites. Community is very important to this generation and many young people will be open about themselves on the net so as to be accepted into their chosen group, suggesting that exposing oneself to the risk of identity theft is worth it in order to feel part of a community.

In fact, the Word of 2009, ‘unfriend’, to exclude an individual from one’s ‘Friends’ list on Facebook, indicates the importance placed on online social acceptance by today’s youth, implying that group exclusion is in fact a form of identity theft in itself. There is no shame in losing one’s identity to a hacker, and it is possible to retrieve that identity, but it is considered social suicide (or homicide) to become ‘unfriended’ and such social identity is very difficult to regain.

From this perspective, Generation Y is indeed afraid of the Big Bad Identity Theft.