GENERATION Y HAD BETTER DO THEIR HOMEWORK

2006 college students are 30% more narcissistic than in 1982

by: bob parks | published: 07 07, 2008

We find ourselves going into this fall’s general election as we have with many in the past. We’ve been told to respect the youth vote at our peril. We’ve been told the youth opinion matters. We’ve been told they’ll turn the election if their concerns aren’t addressed. And they’ve seldom turned out on Election Day in numbers that mattered; in fact their turnout has been downright embarrassing.

This time we’re told all will be different. Should we be concerned? Are they going to cast informed votes, and if their candidate wins and our nation suffers, should we hold them solely responsible?

They DO assume they know everything. As an experienced father, I can remember the many times explaining something to my kids, while they consistently respond, “I know….” Yet when asked why they did something wrong, their response is almost always, “I dunno….”

Watching today’s youth representations on venues like MTV, we see a generation that truly believes it’s all about them, and I’m not alone in my observation.

Dr. Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at the University of San Diego, goes on to conclude that Ys are narcissistic: focused only on themselves and incapable of acknowledging or appreciating others’ points of view or circumstances.

That sounds eerily familiar when discussing politics with a Y who is good at reciting talking points, and shuts down in a huff when presented with a historical perspective he or she was unaware of.

Twenge’s conclusions are based on her analysis of the data from a standardized narcissistic personality inventory, in which respondents score themselves against statements such as “I think I am a special person.” Analyzing data from published reports, Twenge concluded that the average college student is 30 percent more narcissistic in 2006 than was the average student in 1982.

Where did that narcissism come from? Maybe from the years of self-esteem pummeling they received in schools without having to justify it? Maybe from the years of soccer with no score, or the removal of Tag, Musical Chairs, and Dodgeball because there would be (heaven forbid) a loser. Maybe from all those graduation ceremonies where the class song was “The Greatest Love of All” and the first lines are “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.”

If you hear that often enough, it wouldn’t take you long to become real full of yourself.

This generation believes they know more about this election than most of us because of how the issues have been presented, thus impact them on the Internet. All candidates believe they need a real web presence in order to be viable; to reach the youth, and the youth agrees.

Thank God most of us parents bought computers, had the Internet installed and paid for monthly, or this most-informed generation would be screwed. In fact, these young people who believe this next election centers around their issues, are for the most part, the least responsible. While many of us couldn’t wait to graduate school and leave the nest, Generation Y has every expectation that they can stay at home (for free) until they’re good and ready to go it alone.

Yet, they know which candidate will make our nation fiscally and energy independent, as well as safe from terrorists whose children are the total opposite and would blow themselves up in a heartbeat for what they believe is a greater good. This is not a good scenario, given Generation Y’s know-it-all tendencies, and seeing how it’s not what you know, but who gave you the information in the first place.

As of 2002, according to a study by the American Enterprise Institute,

A new study of the party affiliations of college professors proves a massive gulf between Right and Left. Liberal professors often outnumber conservatives by ten to one and sometimes by more than twenty to one on campus.

“Today's colleges and universities are not, to use the current buzzword, 'diverse' places. Quite the opposite: They are virtual one-party states, ideological monopolies, badly unbalanced ecosystems. They are utterly flightless birds with only one wing to flap. They do not, when it comes to political and cultural ideas, look like America,” concludes the study.”

If today’s students are receiving a plateful of liberal mush, and have little relevant life experience with regard to the everyday issues adults (who support them) have to deal with, are they ready for the responsibility of swinging the election their way? If good things happen later, are they mature enough to take advantage of those good times? And if bad things happen, are they going to be mature enough to accept the responsibility for their bad decision?

Is it too much of a generalization to say the Generation Y has no conscience?

Between the YouTube generation’s tendency to proudly post their criminal activities online for all to see, while being too seemingly stupid to realize their posts are “evidence”, should we be celebrating the fact that during these challenging times, we are putting our country’s future in their hands? Don’t get me wrong; not all young people are narcissistic punks, but way too many are and the knowledge that they may determine the future direction of this nation is a bit unsettling.

So, it’s a given. Election 2008 is all about them. If all goes well, pat yourselves on the back (as we know you will). But if all goes wrong, fingers will be pointed at probably one of the most ignorant, yet full-of-themselves generations to come along in some time.

Generation Y: you’d better do your homework. If you fail this test, you won’t be passed anyway as to not hurt your feelings. You will be graded harshly and I doubt anyone will take you seriously again.

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