Blog #4

This whole topic is completely irritating to me.  I don't feel that I should need to defend my intelligence, but here goes nothin'.

I do not disagree with this man that my generation has taken advantage of the internet.  I think that we need to think of our 'plentitude' disorders.  Everybody wants more friends, more wall posts, more comments, etc.  How is having 1,549 facebook friends that you may be aquainted with better than having 20 very close friends?  It's not.  Plentitude has struck again. 

I think that the real issue is the change into the fast-paced and busy technological era, and the changes in values of American citizens.  But, I don't think that we can point fingers at any one person, gender, culture, or generation.  My parents' and grandparents' generations valued hard work and well rounded-ness.  They grew up learning practical skills and knowledge in high school, and then they started to specialize in college.  I think that part of being well-rounded, to them, was understanding the government, being familiar with current world events, and having background knowledge about a little bit of everything.  These of course aren't all of the characteristics that people valued in those times, and they certainly are not true for everybody - I am not going to make the mistake of generalizing an entire generation.  But, for this time period, having those characteristics were practical.  When there was the option of having a military draft, people would want to keep up with the news to know if there was potential for that in the near future.  And, I think that having background knowledge in many areas made people feel connected and gave everybody the ability to have something in common with others. 

My generation values social status, being current in pop culture trends, and having a great amount of knowledge in one particular area of study.  There is no evident need for a draft at this moment, and, along with various other opinions about the US government today, I think that some of our generation has a hard time taking it seriously.  I think we do take seriously things that we feel we can personally change, and feeling a connectedness within our age group.  This is where facebook comes in, along with Entertainment TV, and reality tv.  Instead of reading common American classics, we 'unite' and connect using social networking sites, and also be experiencing other people's lives.  Keeping Up With The Kardashians and 16 and Pregnant are good examples, I think.  My mom and I watch the Kardashians' show, and we think it's hilarious.  We can relate (on less luxurious levels) with the realtionships and hobbies of the people on the show.  I think that many teen girls can also relate to 16 and Pregnant, because many of us know or are teen moms.  These are the things that make our generation feel connected.  I think that we value having a vast amount of knowledge in one particular area because of the concept of having a 'major' in college.  Students now seem to have tunnel vision.  But, this is what American society has demanded of us.  Putting on a resume 'well-rounded, practical person with experience' means nothing beside the one that says 'Degree in Da da da with a certification in da da da da da'.  So, it is more meaningful to my generation to be the best you can be in one area, and Google everything else.

I don't think that there is a right and wrong as far as behavior according to different generations.  I think that it IS wrong to generalize an entire generation based on the negative characteristics of a part of that generation.