In the course of this paean, Walker makes some extraordinary generalizations, which readers might be forgiven for mistaking for claptrap. For example, how does this claim:
“Among GenYers' most important personal values are authenticity, altruism and community.”
Compare with this statistic?
Volunteers by selected characteristics (age), September 2008
| Age | % of population |
|---|---|
| 16 to 24 years | 21.9 |
| 25 to 34 years | 22.8 |
| 35 to 44 years | 31.3 |
| 45 to 54 years | 29.9 |
| 55 to 64 years | 28.1 |
| 65 years and over | 23.5 |
Looks like the under 35s have the worst record of any age group for service to community. Sure, it’s only one measure of altruism, but I have to wonder if Gen Y is as adept as “self-mythologizing” as the notoriously narcissistic Baby Boomers.
Walker claims that Gen Y’s penchant for activism is different from that of their over-the-hill parents. “For today's Gen-Yers, activism is not about rebelling against institutions -- there's simply not that much left to rebel against.”
What? With daily revelations of corruption at the highest levels of government and corporate leadership, Gen Y can’t find enough injustice to get up off the couch to protest? (Or did the Boomers clean everything up?)
Finally, consider this: “Gen Y-ers don't just want to buy brands, they want buy in to what a brand believes in.” That kind of gullibility just means we can look forward to replenishing the pool of prospective Ponzi victims in the future, when the materialistic and self-deluded Boomers finally step aside.
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