I have noticed some cultural changes that I do not believe mark progress. In fact I think they are a sign of the repercussions of bad parenting styles that are beginning to manifest in the rising generation.
Please note for the remainder of the article I will be wildly generalizing large numbers of people based on the actions of a few I have personally observed.
I'm referring to the Y Generation, or the Millennials. That is the generation directly proceeding Generation X. These are today's college and high school students. They were born in the 80's and 90's.
These young adults were highly scheduled, over stimulated, overly exalted, and under disciplined. The majority of these kids never rebelled or needed to be disciplined because they were too busy doing scheduled activities to think or act on their own. These children were praised for everything they did, even if it was sub par.
The result of this over indulgent parenting style has created a generation of helpless, weak females and lazy males. It seems to me that both genders are proud of these labels.
Young ladies are proud of the fact that they don't know how to balance a check book, because daddy does it for them. It makes them part of the privileged upper class, even if their parents earn middle-class wadges. They are proud of the fact that they don't know how do everyday tasks like change the air filter in the return air duct, because pampered girls don't do manual labor. This mindset leaves them dependent on the men in their lives to do everything for them.
The boys have also acquired learned helplessness but in a different manner. The males know that if they drag their feet long enough, their mothers will swoop in and take care of the matter for them. It has created a generation of lazy men who treat the women in their lives as servants.
The problem here will not fully manifest itself until these teens and twenty somethings begin to get married, which is only a few years away. The wives won't know how to take care of the affairs of the house, and the husbands won't want to. Leaving the Baby-Boomers and Gen X to make sure their grown-married daughters and sons have money in the bank and food in the pantry.
This ought not be. Generation Y cannot be to blame for the behaviors they have acquired. They were taught to act like this. They were taught that in life there are no consequences for laziness, because their moms and dads will step in and clean up their messes. The result is a helpless generation with no critical thinking skills and little concept of responsibility.
If you're a part of Gen Y, choose to be different. Be strong. Be responsible. Be wise. Be your own person.
Parents of America, stop destroying your children's futures and allow them to think and act for themselves. If they fail, let them. If they success, praise them. But stop doing everything for them.
Cultural Deviations in the New Millennium: Generation Y Edition
