Generation Y

Generation Y has be perceived as a very dependent and spoiled generation in these two articles “The Why Worry Generation” and “Generation Me” from the New York Times and Newsweek. Both of these articles are based on research that has been done in order to show how generation Y has become so spoiled and needy. Being part of generation Y I feel this is a complete outrage that my generation is considered “the most narcissistic generation ever” (Kelley). Narcissism is a strong word given the fact it is considered a personality disorder and that is the word that is going to be associated with my generation for the rest of our lives! As children I agree we tend to be selfish and we do grow out of it depending on our parents and family. I have been raised in a home where if you do selfless acts to benefit another human being, you are doing a noble act. I have been taught to do nice things for complete strangers because karma is something I believe in and my family believes. Not too long ago I sat on the public bus filled with many college students and people of the city of Chico. My cluster mate and I sat down and a woman gets on to the bus with two children, an infant in her arms, and a toddler. I gave my seat to the toddler by respectfully asking her mother to allow her young daughter to take my seat. I stood on bus the entire way to school, which is not to far. My cluster mate however, was seated right next to me and did NOT given up her seat just as I have. She stayed seated next to the toddler while the woman stood with her infant son in hand. This experience made me think: “what the hell was my cluster mate thinking not giving up her seat?” Why was I the only person on that bus willing to give up my seat to a toddler? Then it hit me! I was brought up to do selfless acts. Am I as selfish as the generation I happen to be a part of? I have become a college student because I want to be a nurse and help other people. Is that “narcissistic”? I agree that people of my generation are spoiled and expect more out of life than most generations, but it is not because we have good parents that gave us too much self-esteem, it is because we were raised to have goals and desires (Warner). Through generation Y, Warner points out we live with the “ambient anxiety: school years spent in the shadow of Columbine, 9/11 and lately widespread of parental job losses”. We have experienced these things that has given us the desire to want more. We want jobs that will be available in the future. We want a stable country not just for ourselves but also for the rest of the nation. We do not want to worry about layoffs and making ends meat to survive, however that is exactly what we have been taught to be afraid of. We have been taught to work hard in order to achieve a better life compared to the one’s our parents have worked hard for. We just want to do bigger and better things than the generations before us. If having a goal is cocky or egotistic then why did the generations before us expect greatness from generation Y?