Reagan Babies.

It was inevitable. Eventually a new cohort was bound to come along and form an identity to supplant the "X Generation". My age group will no longer set the hippest trends in popular culture. It happens to everyone in turn. It is time for us to assume the mantle of adulthood, and let someone else play for awhile. Ladies and Gentlemen... meet the... "Y Generation"?

That moniker is at once unfortunate (for those tagged with it) and a testament to the cultural hegemony of the X Generation. What is it about us that led to such an indelible generational identity? Maybe it's just a function of the times that nurtured us. But I've commented profusely on my fellow X'ers, and in the meantime given short shrift to the young un's. Who exactly are these new people clogging the arteries of society? They were born beginning sometime in the mid-80's, and the last of them came in the 90's. Many of them are offspring of the baby Boomer Generation, and so have been referred to as Echo Boomers. The other name I've heard regularly attributed to this group is the "Millenial Generation"- which is just as vague and nondescript as its more common alternative. I personally like the idea of calling them Reagan Babies (which reminds me of Jerry's Kids).

I was listening to NPR yesterday morning, and heard some troubling commentary about these most recent additions to the workforce. Apparently they expect a lot of praise from their employers. Because of the nature of their childhood, these folks expect to be coddled. These were the kids who all got a prize no matter how well they performed. They believed it when the adults told them that everyone is "special". They consider self-esteem to be a quality of paramount importance- above ability, effort or intent. This perspective has been taken to heart in some places. I listened with a sense of skepticism, as the NPR segment described a boss that puts on an awards ceremony at the start of every day at the office. While we X'ers would roll our eyes and sleepwalk through such proceedings, these kids have come to feel entitled to this kind of reassurance.

I've seen this in my professional life. No matter what a kid's behavior is like, his/her parents feel a need to second guess every other form of authority. I've heard the exact same excuses from mothers and fathers as I've heard from their children.You don't have to look too far to discover the origination of a teen's personality. Just call home. In talking to these parents, one would think that they honestly believe their offspring to be infallible. I hate to fall back on the cliche, but when I was a kid my folks expected me to respect my elders. Nowadays you have to negotiate to get any problems resolved. These young bucks expect to be treated as equals without demonstrating any merit. The Boomer sense of entitlement has been passed right along to their spawn.

I've got a proposal for a more descriptive nickname for these prats. Instead of the "Y Generation", why don't we call them "Generation Whine"? That would be much more appropriate.