i
i
i
omc’ pm gib
we are a generation whose time has come. Until this point, though, we
were a generation with little direction, with no rallying point, no
Vietnam. Thus, the people who want to define us now have a hard time
doing so. We are an enigma. We make their jobs difficult. Do we care?
"We live small lives on the periph
ery; we are marginalized and
there's a great deal in which we
choose not to participate We want
ed silence and we have that
silence now.''
Douglas Coupland. Generation X
So what s all this s< training'
( )ui patents' llatdlv Hu liib\ Boomtis
1 a Klip
\Nhai Mill he*.11 iv ihr None* «>t a Krnrtation
ihal atilhoi Douglas ( oupland apll\ mini
(.nutation \ It s a voitv of atluhv |8 (o J*I
vt aiv old whit an In million strong. a sour
suddtnlv cvnvonc wants lo lirai “You tan'i
ignuie tin proplt- <>t Min genet adon. ~ savs
lake* IVikms. a Viiginia 1 ec li semoi
\inri k a should Ik- iradv
\ rl it isn’t
< >m geneiation linallv has collie o| agi
Ihu ihfii dies \r known v%<- \srir ^iowiu^ up
and into 1 hen Woild long before we ditj
\nd dies should have known what we were
going to be all .iIxmii \Nc had no \ lelnam
Uai t«i mohili/r us We had u«> l>tpression to
make us t .lulumis spendeis V11 wr had was
Konahl Reagan and a pocketful ol nionev
that i an out when we ian oil
in Id9i ( oupland s (•rnrtfitinn \ till the
U h ikstoi rs. paintuik a pit tme ol a burnt out.
anonvtnou.s and uiidiin tc*d new generation,
the twentv somethings. awash in the main
Mir.tm ul the Ha In llomnris Nun (lie vunr
nrtwe>i kv |)(iI)Ik.Umiiis ami inailrtcis, oner
|HriK(it|)ir(l uilh I hr Hig ( hill gr nr rat inn.
air Mumbling mri raclioihri Inireogm/r
anil dc-tinr its sue i rwnc I hr eaillegr agr i ul
Imr — um r a ninr gatr-e rashri mi ihr i ul
till.cl Mfiir — suddrnli has limmir
Amri u a s guest ul In mm
"Imi'ir going lu see a IHO-drgirr turn
a i um ul in mat la-ting lu i nllrgr ituiirnli ill
< In* m\l Inr wan wn Sr an IWcmii, a v>|>liu
muir at tin- I ul M ism hi 11 " Mtrriiatnr is
Mailing lu Im-iuiiii- inaiiiMirain I lien ir in
mg lu allai L thisdrive In hr ditlrirnt "
I hr iiuirwin ul (hr Bain linouieis have
brrn lallril mam tilings align. uinuniMii .
i ninplai rnl. viIh i , Illinium. idralistie Him
Ini all thr hv|X- MiiTuini(hllg I hr new grncia
Hi ill, II has Imiii haul li iilrliur
I u Itrgiu unit. Vnair liimr lanalh and
rllinic alh dlsriv than am grnriaiiun Ixlnrr
il “Krn within cniing adults, mu hair a lul
ul riillrrrm gioupv' sm 11 | Amulet. a me
|*i c side- u I at Ini Hi uadi a si mg ( u “It's a
him (mu ul mu siK irii ,"
Um ihr duel sin ul (*riiriaiion \ goes
Iximid inrir driuugi a|ihu s Ihr [iriirncd
Single- uillide-dnrss of the (ids grnriaiiun,
nhieh i allied aiuiind ihr issue- ul ihr
\ ir main Wat. has lamshrd hum tmlas s ml
le-ge--agr < iillui r
"... Growing up. Vietnam was a
background color m life, like red or
blue or gold — it tinted everything.
And then suddenly one day it just
disappeared. Imagine that one
morning you woke up and sudden
ly the color green had vanished."
Kn\ sr.u at knit Sun- t , Minimi', .mil
l.n nils guthrt m mrmois i>( ilir slain student
»*.n prutrstrts ulin ssnr shut In National
<•11*11(1 II(MI|>\ III M.n l*l7ll llnl (Ins same
i .unpus is < 1 is idrd iion i is 1*1 issues ol humo
sexuality .ind i .u r i rlutu ms suss scin< n Mi m.t
N .tcljtk I lint- is in i Vicin.tiii l.n Xris.ii krill
Xiaic \iul something s missing " I li.il mill
ed krill Stair .111(1 Us students." she vns "Hill
(sr irails don't hasr anything to units us "
I odat s I ollrgr Students. tlllliu used oil
auv our liallonal Issue. hasr Imume a sulr
‘ulluir ol siiIh nit hi r-s, desuting llirmsrlyrs
•<> multiple (auscs. Iisiriung to iiisuad grilles
ol inusu and ahandoiimg liadillonai pails
alliam rs 11 ugmrnluUi m is csriYsshcir
Brendan (.illrn, a junioi al ilir l of
Mu lug.in and inusu diiri loi ,u campus radio
station \\ ( BM lias untie ed II ill I ad u i
“l-'ii rsris suhllr niiani r dial i oinrs mil in
inusu . ilirir s a Sshoh* ness l.n 11011." (.illrn
sals ■ I hr giungr i ultilic i an I like In lino,
and (trehno laiuj can't like hip Imp I hrs
1 rente thru own personalities "
hid the same goes lot student ac lisisni.
sals t.ieg I risis. a srnioi al the l ol
( alilomia Beikeles "Mr'ir all doing dlllri
enl tilings, hr suss “ 1 hr issues dial moljy-al
f(l .u 1 is isi 11 hasr expanded lai Ix sond sslial
dies ssrie m dir sixties *
( oitsidermg the exploding number of
non profit tnteirst groups, it is easv to m i
wh.it hr means I hr issues have pmltfeiated
and while i .inses mu h as animal testing and
i e< \« ling ate serious, the\ ate not Ilkelv lo
inspire mass mo\rnients
What thev have inspired, it nothing else, is
a (imitation, ( trated in part, bv the U< k of
nothing to piotest Rob \el\on. the l»H* \eai
old 10 founder of lead oi I rave a |*»htt« al
wau hdog group, is hanking on that liustia
lion Nelson believes issues like the ledeial
delu it will pull voting adults o| ( H'neiation N
together “I think that we will Ik- the genera
tion that goes to hat and makes om < ountrv a
ix*uet pla< e loi the jx ople after us he savs
in teims of voter turnout, that seems to lx
hapjx mug. I he Ro|x i < hgam/ation tejxuts
that 7’» |xai< nt of tollrge students voted in
the elei lion, < om pared to \ \ |>etient of
volets l H to 2 I, at < oi ding to R< m k the \ ote
do you really think we enjoy
hearing about your brand new mil
lion dollar home when we can
barely afford to eat A
home you won in a
genetic lottery, I might
add, sheerly by dint of
your having been born at
the right time in history.
You'd last about ten min
utes if you were my age
these days ..."
I r\ t<> trll bab\ huslris that
thcVir Im-Hc t oft 11i.m thru |*ai
ruts ( m» a hr ad .itui 'lii»w thrill
(hr \ C Ks .iikI Mrin *s me »sl eai t
nil loeedlrgr Kut Ik* prepaird
to Ik mi alxntt Mil MlJlflg |>1.11 icI. m
Hailing n minim Mini a vnlatilr
w«>| Id vshe ir \ris vs.4it loi (tic'll
(titti In Like* a stab Ml polishing
oil thru IkmiI. biokrn and (at
mshrd stive i s|mm>iis
“It s vriv sohe ting, savs
Perkins who dmpprd mil o|
\ ll ginta I re h hn tvso vrai s lo
ram tuition inonrv "It v haidri
(«» ge l a h<ius<\ U s haidri te» ge t
a job, it's haidri t“ c am the*
making i<h»m lot thru idrav .»»»t! talrntv
“Non hr.il ihr |okr\ alxiut < ollrgr |xo|»lr
working at Mi ! >«maid *» I'nlim WHl,
1 ha\r mam liirmh doing lh.il Ii v no jok«
Nowadaw .» I mi hrloi s dcgtrr dorv not gli.il
antrr ihr middle* * law I if * lifwrtN and jnil
Mitt of happinrw, tin A i nr in an duam
"... I envy their upbringings that
were so clean, so free of future
lessness. And I want to throttle
them for blithely handing over the
world to us like so much skid
marked underwear.
lot mam buvtriv it A just hard to grab on
to a Intuit whrn it v slit krd with vo mu* h K a
l hr grnriattonv in |m »v%rt have* left m with a
\ r i \ umciiam future." I rad or I ravcA
\rlvon sav > I br\ \r m vomr Haw all*>wrd
tbr \m< in an lb ram loionir to an end
Not that amour r\ri vani irac hmg thr
\mrtitaii Diram Hould lx rav\ It v |uvl that
ihr i boK rv to ge t it ba\r fx-i oine* wnonijiln
I ON II Minn
It s not \o unit h th.it
htistr i n .ii« «lt f mint;
tlirmsrlw N f>\ « h.illcn)*
thr mil ' uurMtotuii}' ,mih«
t\ Km vsli.it thr\ .m- vt.uttn^ to
«111<•Niton tv thr Vv.iv in whit h jitotliii tin o|
t on Mini ft |{imk1v nrvvv .uul |>olitii n .u«
ivm Imi}; the in
It \< i no hkr n^hl now thrv sv tin d to
take wh.it tiM il to Ih- .iltc'in.ittvr .iml m.iikrt
n c .illrn n.i> s ot mumi < )in t vmi find
soiiii ilnii; mil n NtJtiv; hl|5 old Lit i*n\N h.ild
tin;, with I itf.ii v t«ikr it awa\ I tom \ou
Sni h diNlmst m.ikc N tt chilli lilt lot ad\rtti%
rtv the mrdi.i .mil ixilttic I.iiih to adapt to thr
voittigrt tfrnr t atinn Nrvn iliHcw tin s air
tftvtlltf It thr tfood old « nllctfr ti\
Mow lli.it votil tfrtirtalion in *jw ndmtf as
tntic h .in it in, nrojilr .nr MiddruU hndititf
thru i;« in i lhott vtv\ !Voh ( #iu t loin- |i .rill
lot .itit! imblidtri of S/mh a ftUlMi iii.i^.i/inr
Il thr pop » nItuIr in hctfinnintf to notu v
( .< in i .it ion \ tin N.ttnr gt(( \ to. poll111 n
\riN wrrr om r tin jwislrt t Illicit« ti lot votrt
.i |>.i I Ii v t hat ton ha\ t h.in^rd l*ii Nidt tit
( III Itc »n lived \1 l\ v < hi*Wr ot I ovr ijlirv
rhese UCLA students belong to a generation of 46 million voices - too many to be Ignored.
(lull .11i .tllNtot t 1* >| Hill. II paid lit)
mii w «o««m
vime level of m«»nr\ as out pairnls
Kare n Kite hie srmoi vice* pirsielrnt at
Me < aim h lie kson Moiidvslde. all ael agent n
III Detroit. sa\s all attitude like IYl kills is not
the- exception among hustris Its tile- title
I a st I all. Kite hie- ve.n lie-el a e i mst* II lie ill *»1
maga/me editors and ptihlishe-is I«* stop
ignoring the- voiingn gcnriation “ l he- sss
teiti hasn't been ve rs good to thrill so lai
I odas s 18 to 29 e mud is laigelv the- Me tun
«it hail time s I ae e el vsilh issue s e»1 MDVdiug
addle lion and elate- tape. \ris hasr hern
i clue tan ( to “pat tv " as thru par ruts die)
*|()ili patent*} verir uomed alwuit getting
YD MV Stores about \IDS I *e * I kills sa\s
“ I hr\ talked alwiut smoking |mm. for us it’s
e lat k I he stake s have liern up|M <1
Dlls IS a gcliei atle >11 tishei eel ill e»H ~4 Vs he »le
Miles ot 111 l Ills k\ r\t‘l»ts." Kite hie vi\s "fills
uas a grneiatie»n that uas txiin in the he ight
ot hi11 h e ontrol and aljoitionoiKlrinand
Mhe*n dies giev% up. the- institution of the
Iannis uas faltering .is diveue e tatc-s lose
( onhdrrur in \meiiean gose'i ninent had
fallen ill the uake- «»t Main gale Sow as \eis
giaduate from se he»ol and rntri the joh mat
ke t. (lie's confront a sotit eeeuioinv that isii (
"Option paralysis: The tendency,
when given unlimited choices, to
make none.
F«h < .illrn and In* * lassina(c*s at thr l e»l
Mu hii'.in nothing in simple* anvuioir Kvrn
oidrim^ pi//a inram tnnir than .^om/iii^
i»vrt toppings i hr o\y|K*i «*1 I mil no n Pl//a.
pnptilat *»lh mam eeillcge* sttielrnts. in a
Ntaiim h Ni)p(Miitn «»f anti almition groups. a
lai t mam siudriils t onsieie r whrii llir\ pie k
lip thru pheuie s mendri <*illenvavs
hill simple* tonsumc iiNin has linunic
eomplev hr sa\s I hr moir \«>u know and
(hr moir irali/atinns you haw. ihr haidri
lilr m'ts You have* teMiursfion rvrrvthing It
e iralrs an an ni elc-spaii
I his soi t ot attitude* uoi i irs K 111 hie*
1 hat n the* one* air a whne the Boomri *
serin te» have* It all eivri \rrs. she savs I he*v
knew hem (o have* tun
"7 + 2 * 5-ism: Caving in to a
marketing strategy aimed at one
self after holding out...
» |l *1 I .111*1 .» I
r".
“(Politic tail*| irali/c* the* nrw i>( m i.iiiuii in
< uiiimg, IVi hn> $*»> s
So .iic \ci n iraelv lo lake* (he* lr.nl'
“IVri .HIM' llirv ir mi |»l.ie In .il .UKI |>f.l^HMl|t .
I hr \ i e taking pirUN geierti tale* of thrill
>rl\rv Rile hie* savs I he v ll |M ohahlv he
< >k
In thr meantime-. chough, thr tvsriilV'onie*
thiitR ^riie-i.iiion mav Ik In'ifri oft not listen
III)* to fhe; irv.ile liriv iheiv vnIio ur te lling ll
vn hill II likes. \nIi.U ll Ik Ile xe s, Vsh.lt ll Hants
"I flunk if voil vs.Ue h too mite h ( \\ like
IIIV Ilium s .1 ( N\ junkie .Iiul she phone s inr
up r\rt\ time* soiiMrthing hisioin .*1 Ii.ijijk iis.
vs hie h is vsh.ll. like «»lit r .1 el.iV ' if \e»|J take* III
foo hum h fiom this information dense sot i
rl\ flunks elo i*rI pietlv < lilt ke n I Ulle \ou
efo ihmk ilie- skv is tailing down anil it’s jiisi
not dial wav I eion I vsant to sounel like* a Miss
\ me 11< a e onlrslant. hut vou kiun% thr ft mu r
is not that heuiihlr. < emplane! savs
1 he* Vole e*s of this jgrilf'l atiOft e otlld have
told him that U
Dan Sathn. Dallv IVnnsv Iv anian. I of
Drnn%yivanM, tnUmnrwrd /hwgitt\ ( tntfdnnii fat
ihn \tori
By Miy-atM’lli !**«*, The Flat Hat, College of William and Mary