Destiny's Children: Celebrating a year of Millennial-focused immersion.
Published January 04, 2009 @ 12:16PM PT
I just stumbled upon Destiny's Children [PDF download], an oldie-but-goodie article I came across while looking for something totally unrelated.
It is the first piece that I wrote about the Millennial Generation. It's very heavily influenced by Morley Winograd and Mike Hais's work, which was being published all over the place this time last year, and it's extremely partisan (in favor of Obama).
I wrote it just under a year ago, though, for a series of reasons on the magazine's end, it didn't get published until sometime last summer.
The PDF contains a copy of the whole magazine, so search for the arcile by its or my name.
Reality Bites: Generation Y Goes to Work
Published January 02, 2009 @ 05:45PM PT
[Many thanks to Jen over at the Women's Rights blog for bringing this to my attention.]
The Economist published a story called Generation Y Goes to Work, which is about the importance (and precariousness) of managing Millennials in a downturn.
"Reality Bites"
I found the subheading of the article, "Reality bites for young workers," to be hilarious. It remains my favorite line from the entire article. The reference is, of course, to Reality Bites, the 1994 Ben Stiller-directed film that carefully observes and pokes fun at the idiosyncrasies of the [media-purported] shallow, pop-culture obsessed Gen-X and the role that "growing up" and facing "real life" issues (death, AIDS, freedom of sexuality) plays in the destruction of the superficiality of its pop-cultural obsessions.
The reference is smart, as the article aims to dissect what issues the Millennial Generation faces during the economic downturn (especially with regard to finding, holding onto, and appreciating the once-frowned upon merits of steady, long-term employment). Cinematic memories of a snarky, super-stylized/hip Ethan Hawk and Winona Ryder, however, leave me with a bad taste in my mouth, which is particularly ironic (the humor of choice for said caricatures of said generation) considering how much of an influence growing up in the shadow created by Generation X's over-reported ego has helped to shape many of the attitudes of the Millennial Generation.
Where did we come from?
Where will we go?
Blah blah blah.
Cotton-eyed Joe.
Overall, the piece is particularly in sync with my varied observations from the tour. It is written by addressing one realization I had while on the road:
Why look for where we've come from (as I went on the road intending to do)? We know why we're like this for the most part, right? Where the hell are we going?
The article suggests where Millennials are going (if gainfully employed): Nowhere. We're staying put in our jobs, as least for a little longer than we hoped we would because, as it turns out (in 2009 at least), "Recession" is the new "Barack Obama" as far as media buzzwords go.
While on the road, where my aim was to talk with as many Millennial activists and altruists as possible, I found myself occupied by hearing repeated testimony regarding hope inspired by Barack Obama's victory. Then, a week after his victory, I began to hear what would become (in retrospect) the solidification of a mass-realization that the recession is here to stay. We are Millennials changing America, yes. But how do we imagine that America is changing us?
And now that we're no longer a generation characterized by our general optimistic dissidence (pro-Obama, and largely anti-Bush), which has been — for at least the past two years — the lens through which we had identified the examination of our origins — I am brought back full circle to the initial question at hand. Now that we know where we're going, and have a new context for understanding who we are, what of our origins will become pronounced as we face hard and uncertain times?
Hi. My name is Alex. I'm an "inter-generational expert."
According to Cam Marston (who is quoted in the article), "The recession is creating lower turnover, but also higher frustration among young people stuck in jobs."
The first part is certainly true, but I don't necessarily buy into the second part as a long-term assessment. Yes, it has been tough for those I know who thought they were going to work at some firm for a bit, and then go to hand out meal rations in the Palestinian Territories next month (or whatever). However, as the recession becomes more "real," the "Oh crap - I've actually got to keep working here" turns into a reassessment of values more than it does an "I've been wronged and now I'm irritable and pissed" feeling. "This isn't ideal, but how do I turn this into an opportunity for growth and learning?" is a much more common attitude than, "Boo. This job is totally lame." (Although admittedly, I have seen some of the latter manifest itself.) An optimistic generation, I've seen far more peers and colleagues take the former attitude, seeing this as an opportunity for growth, than I have sensed irritability, frustration, and depression.
[Beware: Bracketed statements ahead.]
- [I, too, advise companies on inter-generational matters! It's easy! All you have to do is read some books and white papers, buy a domain-name, and purport expertise! It's just that simple! Who do you trust regarding Millennial attitudes? A Gen-Xer with a suit and tie, or a Millennial in an American Apparel polo. "Authenticity," Cam! Authenticity!]
- [The cheap-shot above is probably why Cam can afford a suit and tie and while I can only afford a polo. It has nothing to do with authenticity. The truth is I'm just poor.]
- [Sorry, Cam. Low-blow. I just lost my cool, man. By the way - you're not hiring, by chance, are you?]
Millennial as hell: Stuck in the paradox
Published January 02, 2009 @ 07:20AM PT
This morning, I approached a slightly older (early 30s colleague) about an ethical/logistical issue relating to a project we're working on. I asked her to "mentor me through it."
The tail end of our exchange:
Me: Cool. Good. I'm glad to put that out there / have it received. (This conversation, by the way, ESPECIALLY since it's happening on Gchat, is Millennial as hell - younger Millennial seeks advice of slighter older, yet cool, in touch colleague on moral/logistical question).
Colleague: Haha. Does it make it more Millennial if i have my iTunes on shuffle, the blog Cakewrecks [open in a tab] in the background, all while working?
Me: Oh G-d! I just entered a Millennial paradox. Help! I'm trapped!
Colleague: Ha!
Me: It's like in Back to the Future, if you touch an old version of your self - a past version, or something like that - the universe falls apart. Like crossing the streams.
Some thanks, a bit of holiday cheer, and an update.
Published December 17, 2008 @ 09:40PM PT
Hello to you, millennial friends and enthusiasts!
'Tis the season, as they say. I've been home from the trip for a little under a month and I — like you — am gearing up for celebrating the holiday. Because it is an extended season of appreciation, familial love, and all of the things that warm our collective hearts, souls, and consciences during this time of the year, I want to extend my many, many thanks to those who made the tour possible by putting me up, advising, giving, supporting, advising, reading, offering feedback, and anything else that helped me to get along.
So thanks.
Having now talked about the on-the-road experience more than a handful of times, it's been interesting to note that I went out on the road with the intention of finding out where Millennial activists are coming from at a time when, due to a shift in national leadership and economics, not many were sure about where they're going. As a result, many of the conversations I planned to have about how the past has led to the present were focused primarily on imagining and envisioning how the present will ultimately lead into the future.
Upon reflection, especially as a post-Bush reality becomes more conceivable, as does the reality of a major contraction of the U.S. and global economies, I've been trying to be extremely careful with posting and processing my data — anecdotal and rigid — as well as my reflections on what was seen, felt, heard, etc. It was an amazing time to have had an excuse to hold conversations with young people across the country about what's what — I'm excited to have been there, to have talked with them on the front-lines of history, and I want to be cautious so as to not be hyperbolic or too-excited by the high drama of modern history and speculation when reporting my observations
On that note, please expect to see a large batch of my thoughts, interview chunks, follow-up conversations, and everything else imaginable posted on my blog and a series of partner blogs starting on the first week of 2009.
Further, I am working with my network, the one I established on the road, and a handful of new and exciting partners in order to figure out compelling, scalable, and interesting techniques for making 2009 a year of alliance-building and collaboration. If this is something that you're working on as well, please let me know what you're up to and let's figure out how to work together.
And now, a few notes:
- I'll be participating in Mobilize.org's Constitutional Convention: Building Democracy 2.0 Summit, which is set to take place in Philadelphia in January, 2009. All Millennial activists should check it out, especially if you have a project or initiative that you'd like to enter into the grant competition. Time is tight as the deadline for project submissions is the start of next week, so please be sure to take a look soon.
- I wanted to highlight Arielle Walrath, Danny Moldovan, [brand new father] Josh Levy, Kari Dunn Saratovsky, Allison Fine, Ben Rattray, Billy Bicket, Marnie Webb, Justin Massa, Dorothee Royal-Hedinger, Beth Kanter, Rachel Weidlinger, Morley Winograd, Eric Greenberg, Mariah McKay, and Sarah Schacht for their continued support of the MCA Tour. I got help from hundreds of people and organizations, and I'm grateful to everyone. These folks were there throughout, offering rather substantial chunks of intellectual, strategic, connective, monetary, and/or emotional support and I'm exceedingly grateful for all of it.
- Speaking of Sarah Shacht, it looks like her super-fabulous project Knowledge As Power received a fairly substantial partnership grant through the Ford Foundation. Hooray for Sarah!
- Briefly (and somewhat unrelated but excellent), I was very recently in New York and ran into my friend Hannah. She works for a site called Grandparents.com and they just put together this guide called 100 Free Things To Do With Your Grandkids. I would say that I'd be interested in doing about 90% of the activities, whether or not grandkids or grandparents are involved. It's actually a really, really cool guide (coincidentally, it explains how to tie a tie which a) I don't know how to do and b) I needed Hannah to walk me through) and worth checking out for the recession-fearing fun-seekers out there. I realize that this sounds like a secret, subliminal sponsorship, but it's not. It's just awesome.
- Finally, many thanks to my sponsors, Change.org, The Point, NetSquared, replyforall, and The Case Foundation. Without their support, patience, and understanding, this wouldn't have been possible.
And really - That's it for now.
So have a safe holiday, and a fabulous New Year celebration. I'll be in touch then. In the meantime, thanks for paying attention, and I look forward to connecting soon.
Sustainability Any Way You Want It
Published December 14, 2008 @ 06:25AM PT
I am so excited to present a series of guest-posts from a collection of fantastic Millennial activists. This piece, Sustainability Any Way You Want It, is the first in the on-going series about the issues important to Millennials and how, from a generational perspective, individual activists came to embrace them. It was written by Isabel Cowles, senior writer at finding Dulcinea, blogger at the Huffington Post, and sustainability advocate, and it is very much my pleasure to present it here.
Sustainability Any Way You Want It
Sustainability is partly about the environment, and wholly about the way we choose to live. It is a new way of referring to a very old thing: a trendy way of repurposing lessons handed down to us from the scriptures—or at least from our grandparents. It is the golden rule, repackaged. Somewhere along the way “Do Unto Others” got a little bit stale and ceased to fit the ideology of a culture programmed to produce and consume. The raw individualism and entrepreneurial ideals that define this country were sometimes at odds with the idea of living in a way that gives back to the community first and foremost.
The pendulum of modern economics and industry was built strong and has swung hard, and its effects have been far-reaching. But even though we come from a culture that thrives on individualism and ambition, the golden rule is deeply implanted. And it is easily remembered when we feel vulnerable and afraid: threats to our homes, jobs and environment make the need to give and receive empathy a renewed priority. We are all taking a step back and wondering what changes we can make to keep financial and ecological risks at bay. As we try to fortify our ailing wallets, febrile planet and restless consciences, sustainability has become emotional chicken soup.
The concept can encompass our behavioral choices on almost anything. Sustainability means moderation, reason and compassion. It is a recognition that, while we can dream big dreams, we cannot accomplish much in the long run without our feet planted firmly in the ground—literally.
Personally, I find it overwhelming to focus on sustainability in all of its iterations. I would like to be someone who lives with integrity and cares for her neighbors, but the idea of trying to address all of the instances in which our culture and society have veered away from sustainable practices is too tremendous for one gal to tackle. This doesn’t mean I can’t strive to make choices that are sustainable on a variety of levels, but I have found it rewarding to specialize my efforts.
For me, sustainability is easiest to address where food is concerned. Food is my direct line with the world. It is how I support my body and it is something I control completely. Nobody forces me to eat anything: all of my food choices are my own, and made deliberately, if I so choose.
There aren’t a lot of ways we can be so fully in control as when we eat—perhaps that is why eating disorders and food obsessions are so prevalent. How we eat is truly an expression of how we feel and on the most basic level, what we eat becomes who we are. Even more complexly, what we choose to eat becomes our country and our world. It may not seem like a big deal to reach for a Happy Meal, but a lifetime of food choices really can have a huge impact.
There was a time when I tried to be green in every way, but ultimately I found the endeavor frustrating and alienating. So I focused on the thing I enjoyed most of all—food. More specifically, I focused on procuring, cooking and eating food. The process started with one tomato from a farmer’s market, which lead to one delicious summer Caprese salad. I have not stopped shopping locally or cooking seasonally since. Each meal prepared at home from mostly regional ingredients is a triumph, not only because it is better for my community, my body and the Earth, but also because it tastes a lot better than something made in an anonymous factory or by anonymous hands.
I share my joy of cooking and eating with friends and family, but it is a private choice and a personal matter. My days of total green pursuit taught me that not everybody needs to be a martyr: and almost nobody wants to be around one. Shopping from local farmers or sharing food grown and prepared in a sustainable way is something I can share and spread without taking on the self-righteous hue that so often taints idealists.
There are lots of paths to sustainability. Pick the thing you love best, and do it as respectfully, mindfully and compassionately as you can for your neighbors, your planet and yourself. There you have it: the golden rule.
Third Culture Kids?
Published December 10, 2008 @ 08:25AM PT
Ruth E. Van ReKen, co-author of "Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among World", published a fantastic piece about these so-called Third Culture Kids' role in Obama's incoming administration. It's a term I don't have a lot of experience with, but enjoy the idea of:
The classic profile of a “TCK” is someone with a global perspective who is socially adaptable and intellectually flexible. He or she is quick to think outside the box and can appreciate and reconcile different points of view. Beyond whatever diversity in background or appearance a TCK may bring to the party, there is a diversity of thought as well.
Are you better-versed in this subject than I am? What's your take?
Samantha Power, collaboration, and the anti-echo-chamber.
Published December 09, 2008 @ 06:43AM PT
I had the pleasure of seeing Samantha Power speak in Portsmouth, New Hampshire over the weekend as part of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forum's annual event. The super-intellectual/academic/journalist/activist was speaking about lessons learned from the career of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the late UN Diplomat Power had profiled in her latest book Chasing the Flame. I was happy to hear her mention Darfur Scores, a web-effort run by the Genocide Intervention Network (Power sits on their board, by the way) that aims to monitor and educate about elected leaders' votes relating to Darfur.
Power also noted the potential for activists to get wrapped up in echo-chamber elements of Internet communication, and she highlighted Vieira de Mello's strength as one who was willing to talk and act with the un-like minded in order to make progress.
I was surprised to not see many young people in the audience. I am not shy to say that Power is surely one of my heroes, and I can confidently say that a Problem From Hell is one of the most influential books among my extended circle of activist-friends (several of whom became a part of the anti-genocide movement at least in part because of reading it). It definitely informed my awareness, not just about genocide but about how governments and activism works. It was a great pleasure to hear her speak, and to see her cover two points of my own interests, albeit briefly.
The question and answer section of the talk was cut short awkwardly by the moderator, so I didn't get to ask any young activism/Internet related questions, but I'll surely be reaching out to Power in hopes that she gets back to me. If I do hear back, you'll be the first to find out.
