The Useless Generation (Gen Y) is the new generation that is termed after the knowledge and motivation that young people are lacking these days. I stumbled upon this term while having a short conversation about the student debt crisis with a professor. Through the lack of consideration for voting, students are being taken over by their politicians who are finding it easier to make poor decisions while students are neglecting their authority as citizens. I will begin to investigate who exactly is to blame for this debt crisis. Is it the students' lack of participation, the lack of morale in the politicians that are being elected or the fate of living in a capitalist country.
Based on the photo and some things you have said in class, it might be that you are interested in the way that technology has shaped this generation toward greater autonomy and hyper-individualism. If that is an interest, you should definitely read Sherry Turkle's book "Along Together," which offers discussion of these things. I personally think Turkle is a little prejudiced -- judging this generation by the values and ideals of her own generation -- but that is what makes her so interesting to engage. If that interests you, you might look at this student's blog from a year ago, which at least suggests some sources:
ReplyDeletehttp://tarasavagecollege201.blogspot.com/
In the end, I did not think her final project was as successful as it could have been, but she definitely did good research.
I don't know if "the useless generation" is the best moniker. Another way to approach the generational differences is through the keyword "delayed adulthood" -- a phrase that has featured in a fair amount of discussion in popular sources:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/adulthood-delayed-what-has-the-recession-done-to-millennials/252913/
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/opinion/sunday/the-case-for-delayed-adulthood.html?_r=0
The way that "delayed adulthood" has turned into a generational issue is usually seen in economic terms and has been described by many authors. Among the more accessible sources:
Generation Debt by Anya Kamenetz
http://www.amazon.com/Generation-Debt-Student-Benefits-Geezers-And/dp/1594482349
Strapped by Tamara Draut
http://www.amazon.com/Strapped-Americas-30-Somethings-Cant-Ahead/dp/1400079977
A more important academic version of the argument is seen in this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Aspiring-Adults-Adrift-Tentative-Transitions-ebook/dp/B00MCHQF6M
And there are some more positive views, especially in the work of Jeffrey Arnett in "Emerging Adulthood," where he argues that this delay of adulthood allows young people more opportunities to create different family structures and different social ideals:
http://www.jeffreyarnett.com/articles.htm
I have had a few interesting projects along these lines, including this one:
http://maryananikolin.blogspot.com/