Generations

[Undertoad]

George Masnick... puts this generation in the timeframe of 1965 to 1984, in part because it's a neat 20-year period.

Because it's a neat 20-year-period? You cannot be my historian.

[Sundae]

I know this is drifting, drifting..... But.

Something I've noticed about my niece and nephew's generation is their immediacy.
They're not really MTV generation (at least not in this country and not in their house) but they know so little about what happened before they became aware of the world. Although in their particular case I'm not sure they even are aware of it yet. I'd be super-surprised if either could name one member of the Cabinet.

Trivial example - We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel came out when I was 16. I didn't understand all the references (it is skewed to American headlines after all) but I got at least two-thirds. And they started over 20 years before I was born. I mean that's nothing; I didn't consider it history. But in conversation with the younglings (I now work with people of Ab's age at the weekends) they've never heard of the Falklands, the miners' strike, the poll tax riots or even The Troubles.
At least the kids I work with will say, "Really? OMG, I didn't know that. That explains [xyz]"
But then maybe they're humouring a crone like me.

To Abs and Sam I might as well be talking about the Norman Invasion as referring to some sort of seismic shift that happened in society ten years ago.

Sorry, the above sounds like I get all Speakers' Corner on them. If I was ranting I could completely understand their lack of interest. I'm only referring to things which occasionally come up in conversation.

They just seem so...
blinkered.
Surfeit of information maybe? I had to go to the reference library to look up the Marquis de Sade. They know they can do it in a heartbeat, so don't bother. It's old stuff after all.

I might have to drag my weary bones to another thread to explain my waspishness (there is a reason I'm cranky).
But my point still stands.

[Carruthers]

If I could continue the drift...

I have little experience of generations after mine as I have no close relations and never had children of my own. However, when I was at work it was noticeable that neither the work experience kids, nor those taken on as full time employees, had any sense of where they stood in the great scheme of things.

They knew nothing of recent history and they were so ignorant of even local geography I'm surprised that most of them ever managed to find their own way in on a morning. None seemed to have much idea about things that affected them profoundly and few had any idea at all about which party formed the government.

Whilst most of them could be relied upon to do as they were told when given a particular task, not one seemed capable of using his or her initiative. They all seemed to exist in a bubble in which they were spoon fed by life.

I know that I probably sound like Methuselah, but the contrast between what I was expected to know and understand on leaving school, and the level of perception shown by the current batch of school leavers, is so marked as to be frightening.

What worries me is that should I live long enough to take up residence in some care home or other, the lad advancing towards me with the syringe will probably be the kid I saw today who couldn't tie his own shoe laces.

I think I might have just fallen down the generation gap...

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Carruthers

I know that I probably sound like Methuselah, but the contrast between what I was expected to know and understand on leaving school, and the level of perception shown by the current batch of school leavers, is so marked as to be frightening.

But what about the things you weren't expected to know and understand on leaving school? You'd never know how big your deficits were, because you didn't know. The old-timers were grousing behind your back too, you'd better believe it.

[Carruthers]

But what about the things you weren't expected to know and understand on leaving school? You'd never know how big your deficits were, because you didn't know. The old-timers were grousing behind your back too, you'd better believe it.

Yes, you make a fair point there Clod; it's a scenario as old as time.

It's not the lack of knowledge and experience that only a few miles on the clock will bring these kids, it's their apparent lack of any sense of curiosity, awareness or observation that surely should be at their peak at that age.

Perhaps my somewhat isolated position makes matters appear worse than they actually are. I don't know...

Carruthers.

[Griff]

I think it means the memory hole is being successfully implemented.

[monster]

They call them the Selfie Generation in this article

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-26929712

[toranokaze]

Honestly it feels like 1981-1995 should be the new lost generation.

[BardoXV]

I like "The Internet Generation", but I think it's just ending and the next one is "The I-phone Generation".