I'm special ... so very special.

I'm special ... so very special.

Okay Jean Twenge, I can buy the notion that teenagers and the "young people" of today are into themselves. Teenagers being self-centered and narcissistic is nothing new. Hell, MOST people are self-centered and narcissistic! I think the big difference now is that we have an army of folks (television hosts, educators, self-help gurus, every fucking reality television series ever made) now supporting the misbegotten notion that everyone deserves some sort of special recognition, and that's what's warping this generation's view of itself.

There's a difference between being special or unique (which all of us are), and being talented or extraordinary (which most people are not).

The thing of it is, and I've been wrestling with this for a while since I wanted to make sure my feelings weren't just grounded in "back in the day" sentiments, we have sort of swung a complete 180 from the repression of the '50s and are now swimming in the middle of a sea of unjustified self-confidence and self-expression. I do believe everyone is special, and should be treated with respect, and honored for the positive things they do; but I don't think that everyone deserves recognition just for being them.

And, of course, we're dealing with gross generalizations. Just as everyone I knew wasn't a slacker in the early '90s -- no matter how much the press tried to convince you that Generation X was filled with aimless scalawags -- I know that not everyone under the age of 30 is a selfish little brat. However, just as the slacker archetype did have some truth (um, yours truly did spend a lot of time playing in a band, cooking in a coffeehouse and bartending / doing the door / DJing at my local bar) it's fair to say the the self-congratulating MySpace / Facebook mirror theory holds more than a few valid observations as well.

At the same time, I'm personally encountering a lot of people in this younger demographic that are more politically motivated, more socially conscious, and filled with a greater sense of fiscal responsibility than folks my own age. Part of this has to do with the fact that the generation before me has fucked up the world pretty bad, and younger generations realize they need to get a grip on things.

These sorts of studies crop up every few years, cause a ruckus, and then disappear. I agree that some perspective should be employed by kids today (and adults, duh) that are under a constant media barrage reaffirming some misbegotten notion that they are the center of the universe and all good things are due to them and should flow their way. But I think that develop that sense of perspective is just another one of the signposts on the way to growing up, and considering the actions of most of the people I know, I'm not too worried that Generation Y is going to do just fine.

(But kids, don't call yourself Generation Awesome, though, since that only adds fuel to fire of judgemental old farts. I'm not defending you on that one.)